Teaching Style

In my thirty-some-odd years in martial arts, it has been my privilege to train with a great many instructors. All have been different, and because of this I've managed to figure out the type that works best for me.

Some are demanding and push students incredibly hard. For me, those are a waste of time. You know the type; lots of hard exercises taken to excess; pride in standing motionless in stance for long periods of time; lots of yelling.

Some teach by rote. They often say things like, “there are 23 ways of striking with the human hand.” I find this to be nonsense, as even if it were true that there are exactly 23 of hitting with the hand, who cares about the number. It's like learning that there are 25 prime number smaller than 100, rather than learning about the prime numbers themselves. Did you know that there are 178 prime numbers smaller than 1000? Do you care?

I also dislike instructors that invite questions, and then clearly don't know, and yet answer anyway. I like instructors that either have an answer that clearly indicates that they've previously thought about the problem, or who don't know and admit it.

What works best for me is a detail-oriented instructor. I like one who has analyzed everything that they can think of regarding a technique. I like it when they present the material in a logical and complete fashion. If asked a question, they usually have a well-thought out answer, and if not, they say so.

My first instructor in Shotokan Karate, Perry Foster, was a detail guy. I've attended many, many seminars over the years featuring guest instructors. The very best of these was Yasuo Sakurai. He is the finest Karate teacher I've ever met. His knowledge and attention to detail is truly astounding.

When I joined Jiu-Jitsu a few years ago I went to watch and try out a couple of classes before committing. If the instructor wasn't right, I would have walked away. He was a detail guy, so I stayed. I'm still there.

A perfect example can be seen in the two chief instructors of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. I am referring to the brothers, Ryron and Rener Gracie. Both are brilliant instructors.

Ryron is more likely to include something a little wacky in his teaching. If questioned about something, like, “what is your knee doing during the roll,” he'll usually say that he doesn't know. He'll then do the move again, and then explain what he did in relation to his knee.

His brother Rener is very different. His classes seem perfectly prepared. He includes about twice as much detail as his brother does. If he received a question like, “how is your hand moving during the transition,” he'll have the answer ready, in detail, and with reasons for everything.

I am happy training with either, but for me Rener is by far the better match. I come away from his classes easily twice as well-informed. It's just how my brain works.

Other people prefer great motivators, or instructors who encourage students to find their own way. I understand this, but it doesn't work for me. I'm always 100% motivated, and trying my best to figure things out on my own already.

Everybody has their own learning style.