A: More than most students realize.
Let’s be clear: teaching a martial art like Kendo is a challenge. Especially in a small dojo. Every student has their own reason for being there. Sometimes it’s tough to try and meet everyone’s needs in a class, but overall, there has to be value for everyone who comes to train.
Every instructor needs to be able to do the following:
- Evaluate a student’s needs, personality, level, motivation and challenges.
- Demonstrate properly.
- Teach at the level of the student.
- Allow students to experiment – and also correct student mistakes.
Oh, and much of the time, instructors have to do this on the fly because they need to take into account who showed up for class, the energy level of each student and the current ability of each student to absorb the lessons they need to learn.
I think another other challenge is this: there are no courses you can attend in Canada that I’m aware of that teach you how to be a good Kendo instructor.
(By the way, I think this is true about the MAJORITY of martial arts dojos in Canada. I can’t comment knowledgeably about the experience in other countries.)
We’ve all heard the phrase “Those who can’t do, teach.” In the realm of martial arts, this isn’t true. Those who CAN do are the ones who are teaching. However, just because you CAN do something shouldn’t automatically qualify you to be an instructor.
I’ve been fortunate to have trained with many talented Sensei in Canada and Japan. I’ve been teaching Kendo for 7 years and I continue to learn from my students every day. The most important thing I’ve learned is that to be a good instructor, one needs to focus on the needs of the student and tailor the training accordingly. To do otherwise can lead to frustration for the instructor and student which can destroy the harmony in the dojo we strive to create.