In addition to teaching martial arts, I’ve been a classroom teacher for two decades. While the content I teach in a high school English classroom differs from the dojo, the process of helping students acquire skills is fundamentally the same.
Where to Begin
Of course, you can’t teach what you don’t know. A skilled teacher must have a broad range of knowledge and experience to draw from. That said, the good news is that even if you only know one thing, you can teach it to someone else. For anyone who’s nervous about teaching, remember: if you focus on what you know and follow the best practices outlined here, you’ll be fine—and you’ll offer something of real value to your students.
When planning a class, the first step is to decide what to teach. In the classroom, this is often guided by the standards, curriculum, or specific programs. For teachers in the dojo, we tend to have more freedom, which is both a blessing and a burden.
For me, the process of identifying what I’m going to teach comes from a back-and-forth between what I think my students need and what I’m personally interested in working on. When we have tests coming up, I tend to focus more on teaching that specific content. When not focused on testing, I give myself more leeway to explore concepts, movement patterns, and principles I want to develop.
In my years of training, I’ve seen teachers err on either end of this spectrum. Staying narrowly focused on test techniques guarantees technical proficiency, but it can become overly restrictive and fail to inspire students to pursue grander goals. Conversely, if a teacher simply does what he wants, students tend to end up lacking the technical foundation they would need to become truly great themselves.
Making a Plan
Once you’ve figured out what you want to teach, the next step is to put together a plan. Sometimes I just go out and teach what feels right, but if I want students to develop specific skills, I need to be intentional about how I structure the class.
Once you’ve identified what you want your students to learn, step back and consider what sub-skills they will need so they can reach whatever outcome you’re aiming for. Like reverse engineering, think about where you’d like them to go, then consider the steps they’ll need to get there.
For example, let’s say my goal for a class is to help my students keep their weight between their feet instead of moving from their upper body. By the end of class, I’d like my experienced students to be doing this in real time with varied attacks. For my newer students, I’d be happy if they can keep their weight between their feet in a few specific techniques.
I’d start class as usual with basic stretches and movements to get people’s bodies warmed up. Knowing that even experienced practitioners tend to drift out of their center, I’d then work on some solo tai sabaki (body movements) focused on keeping their weight between their feet.
First, I’d have them stand in a neutral stance and ask them to feel their center line. From there, I’d have them shift from side to side to get a sense of where their weight is. Then, we’d try the basic movements of entering, turning, and changing stance, each time asking them to focus on staying centered.
Once they have some experience moving this way solo, the next step would be to have them work in pairs. Tai no henko (turning practice) is a great way to do something with a partner that isn’t technically complicated. By starting off with a basic practice, people can stay in their bodies and keep their focus more easily.
Once they’ve had a chance to further internalize this awareness, working with a partner, we would move into full techniques. Since they were just practicing tenkan, I’d maintain continuity by moving into another technique that also begins with turning.
When that’s going well, I’d up the ante with a new technique. For example, many people try grinding their partner’s wrist in locks like nikyo and end up putting all their weight on their front foot. Forcing a lock like this is both ineffective and dangerous to their partner. So, we would work on nikyo while keeping their weight between their feet. When that’s going well, I would take them into other techniques that people end up overextended, and help them come back to their center.
Toward the end of class, I would demonstrate some jiyuwaza freestyle practice, modeling this skill in a more open frame. Having shown it myself, I would ask my senior students to share their practice in front of the class while the newer students sit and observe. My goal as a teacher is to link from one activity to the next while gradually increasing complexity.
Teaching with a Capital ‘T’
Now that you have a plan, it’s time to implement. Here’s where the art of teaching really comes into play. These skills take years to refine, but staying focused on some basic points will ensure progress toward your goal.
What would an intro to teaching be without mentioning Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development? It sounds complicated, but the concept is simple. At a given moment, students have things they can do independently, things they can do with guidance, and things they simply cannot do.
Vygotsky’s approach says that we should focus on helping students take the appropriate next step toward attainable growth. For a new student, this starts with getting them to put their feet in the right place. For black belts, maybe the next step is performing advanced techniques or applying skills under greater duress.
In the classroom, we use tests and quizzes to see where students are so we can identify the next step. In the dojo though, much of what you need to know is right in front of you. When the student does a tenkan turn and leans over their front foot, they have drifted out of their center. Your job is to help them recognize the issue and provide a way to move past it.
Next, it’s time to bring on the feedback sandwich! If you’re not familiar, this means that before giving critique a teacher should let the student know what they’re doing well. Pointing out what they’re doing well helps them recognize what they already know and feel more open to advice. Don’t praise them with vague generalities just to insert a suggestion (“You’re doing great, but…). Instead, tell them something specific and then make your suggestion (“You’re doing a nice job of pivoting your center, and one way you could improve is…”). Though at first the feedback sandwich can seem formulaic, it’s one of the best ways to help students grow.
One last note: avoid giving students more than one thing to work on at a time. The brain is not built to do more than one cognitive task (e.g. something you have to consciously focus on to do) at a time. If you tell your student to keep their head over their hips, move from their center, and maintain extension in their arms, they’re guaranteed to fail. A skilled teacher will identify exactly what they need next so they can build their skills and grow.
Bringing it all Together
And there you have it—how to teach anything in three steps. To review:
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Identify the targeted skill or understanding you’d like your students to acquire.
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Make a plan that progresses from isolated skills to deeper integration.
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Provide feedback so your students can recognize what they’re doing well and take the appropriate next step.
Happy teaching, and if you have questions, feel free to leave comments!
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