Teaching martial arts is like being a rockstar

By Rochelle E. Brenner

What martial artists live for: Kicks and Ducks and Bump N Roll. 

Three factors determine the greatness of a concert:

1- connection with the music. If you like the music, it doesn’t matter how bad the performer is it’s still fun

2- performance. Even if you don’t like the music, an entertaining production will make the music fun and engaging live

3. the audience. Arguably, this one is the most important because it determines the vibe, the energy, the excitement, participation, and feeds into the whole purpose of a concert. It’s not just the music – it’s the experience with everyone else. 

Being a martial arts teacher is like putting on an incredible concert daily:

1- the music = the curriculum. The base curriculum is so good, we could read it off of a paper with little energy and it would still be worth doing. The discipline, focus, body positioning, mental strength, self-defense, kicks, punches, fitness. It’s great content. 

2- the audience = the students. This isn’t a middle-school math class. Martial arts students by and large are sweating, learning and having fun all at the same time. They’re not resisting, they’re enjoying the moment and determined to improve and choosing to be active.

3- the performance = creative, personalized instruction. This is a school, but teaching is like a daily concert. Martial arts is a comprehensive education and every instructor adds flair and personality integrated with the core curriculum, individual needs and many different learning styles to maximize success.  

Concerts use lighting, timing, sets, instruments, props, solos, sing-a-longs, confetti, fireworks, whatever it takes to engage the audience.  Martial artists get to use music, targets, games, drills, combinations, metaphors, role-playing and of course, hitting things, to get the lesson across.

Martial arts instructors train on and utilize 9 different learning styles in every segment of curriculum: 

1 visual (seeing a demonstration)

2 audio (hearing the description)

3 physical (getting up and doing it)

4 reading/writing/counting (naming techniques, numbering kata movements)

5 solo contemplation (practicing independently)

6 copying (repeating someone else)

7 pneumonic devices (memory tricks such as associating a move with an animal or alliteration)

8 teach and test (memorize and recall information for a graded test)

9 imagining (using creative concepts and fantastical ideas)

All of those strategies come together to make sure martial arts is the coolest job and a premiere education that flows positivity into the lives of students.