Grand Master Gene Perceval

What you should know as a black belt instructor

When a new student is interested in joining your classes, you want to make sure that his/her decision is not just an impulse, but one where he/she desires to learn. Some new students may have preconceived notions and unrealistic ideas of what the martial arts are really like, due to the fantasy of television and movies.

Most martial arts students who join your classes have a need. It is your job to determine this need and to address it. Even though you may ask them why they are joining your class, sometimes the truth is hidden and will not or cannot be revealed. Watch closely and you will see your student lead you to his/her needs over time. Some students may put up a shield, and become so well in protecting their inner self, that the shield becomes impenetrable. But, as a black belt instructor, you should be able to have the student drop the shield, a little at a time, until the true self inside can emerge.

A martial arts student does not come with a book of instructions like a piece of equipment. You, the instructor, must write the book. You must draw the road map as to which direction you intend to travel with this student, thus, also depending on the student, for their map or direction can change from lesson to lesson.

As a martial arts instructor, you or your top assistant should spend some time with the new students to basically prepare them for what is to be expected of them entering a new class so they don't feel out of place and so they fit comfortably in with the class routine. From the very beginning, you are taking those new students and molding them as well as indoctrinating them so they are prepared and excited to further learn the martial arts.

In your classes you set certain standards for all to follow. When you join the armed forces, you are first put into basic training. You are not put into combat or in combat conditions immediately; this is also true in the martial arts. You can't expect some person fresh off the streets to act or react with others or perform without feeling inadequate with other experienced students in a class. You want to make sure your new student feels comfortable and given the opportunity to be properly instructed without being lost, or feeling inadequate in any way.

When I teach, from the very first class, I set the rules letting the student know certain things that they must be aware of and do as instructed from this moment forward. The student is required to follow my instructions, and one reason is to prevent possible injuries to the student or to other students. I am constantly watching the students to make sure they follow my directions to the letter. In the long run, as a black belt instructor, you have already experienced in the past what the student has yet to learn. Remember, when teaching, the student must always be reinforced in their positive thinking.

Let's look at the teaching of the martial arts student and the instruction that is given. Each student has his/her own way of interpretation: some see the glass half full, while others may see the glass half empty. In turn, the martial arts instructor must be fully knowledgeable to explain everything pertaining to what is being taught so the student becomes informed and aware what is expected of him/her.

Some instructors spend so much time trying to enlarge the enrollment of their classes, yet devote so little time in protecting and keeping what they already have. There should be no more than five to ten percent drop out of students once they join your classes, other than for personal or outside influences, all the way to achieving the rank of black belt.

The military accepts people from all walks of life just as in the martial arts. The standards as far as dropping out of the military are different than a martial arts school, because the military can enforce that problem. Each person falls into so many categories and personalities, but after the training they are all the same, following the same path as each other, yet the person inside remains the same, other than as influenced by the program.

The object is to fit the martial arts student into the right place, at the right level, at the right time. To vary this would be unnatural, because it puts a strain on the student mentally and/or physically to some degree. For some students the lessons can become boring. For others, trying to keep up with the demands of the instructor and other students can be too much for them at certain times within a class. The mental stimuli for the student must always be there, the student's interest must always be there, and the student's path for improvement must always be there. When this is not present, that variable degree will turn the martial arts student in the opposite direction.

What happens when you receive a student with extreme intelligence (like yours)? Are they not physically capable of being equal to or adapting to the rest of the class and may never be physical persons? You must custom design the class at times to fit that student's needs, so this student can be fulfilled and satisfied if you run a class with knowledge. Then there is the type of student present whose intelligence is very low, and has trouble understanding the simplest of things. This student due to his/her lack of intelligence over-compensates this flaw by being a Class A student and/or competitor. This student loves the physical aspect of the martial arts and he/she will excel to satisfy his/her needs. So a fine line must be walked when teaching all types of students, as not to lose them and to satisfy all of their needs all at the same time.

The martial arts student needs to feel and be treated with respect, and one of the major ways is by conducting a very formal and traditional class. Here each one of your students can follow a form of conduct, such as bowing between each exchange of partners, and the traditional and correct presentation of the deep bow before and after classes. Meditation, a higher and present formal respect towards each other, adds to the art. This trains your students' mind on how to act each time they enter into your place of teaching, no matter the location or conditions. Over a period of time the student begins to fall into this mental mode where the student within begins to travel beyond the martial art school and into their personal lives. Through time, this will change the student into a more respectful individual towards other people, animals and nature, thus opening a new door to improve their thoughts beyond themselves.

Do we as black belt instructors know exactly the results that our students will produce, mentally, physically and spiritually? The answer is yes. You as the instructor control all three, providing you become involved with all three process yourself, based on your years of experience and know-how.

When teaching your class, you the martial arts instructor must also be aware of tension, anxiety and frustration. When a student seems to be having a problem with understanding or performing a technique or a combination of movements, these three things are not only the student's enemy, but they will eventually become your enemy. When you as a black belt instructor is threatened by an enemy, what do you do? Attack-attack-attack and stop the problem immediately, then analyze the situation or the problem. Do not worry about it, in time it will work its way out. You must help the problem to become the solution, no matter how small, so your student must leave your tutelage not thinking negatively but always thinking positively. This is the correct way of training and teaching your students.

The martial arts student, not all, may be the type that may be different, such as one being more aggressive than others. This type of student (especially towards a new student) can be very intimidating, and the result can be harmful to both students. Keep in mind that the student who is over aggressive must be taught to control their aggressiveness. New students who may be shy must be watched very closely if they are the type that if you look at them the wrong way they may become intimated. You must find that fine balance when teaching where you either restrain one with tactfulness or gently give encouragement to the other. If done incorrectly when teaching you may be creating a harmful situation. Over time, both types will build his/her self confidence and hopefully excel in your classes.

You the martial arts instructor must constantly reinforce, to give further confirmation of something already known from your previous classes. Doing this with the student makes common sense for this will make the student stronger or increase the strength of his/her existing structure, but you and the student must believe what is true. The student always has questions, and you the instructor must make sure that these questions are answered in a positive direction.

What happens with a student when a peculiar subject or movement is not fully understood? The student's ability stops there where their learning has been greatly reduced or narrowed. That upper level of teaching, due to the problem, has been lowered so you are no longer teaching on the same wave length. The student's learning adaptation is effected to some degree, what this degree is, is the unknown, it could be slight or complete frustration and bewilderment. In the minds of that student a kind of 'tunnel vision' exists to where what you are teaching cannot be explored until the problem is corrected. This in turn will eventually if not immediately affect the amount of effort your student puts into your class. Remember, your student has to understand in order to achieve.

The martial arts student who follows the instructor and the teaching program of your system, no matter what his/her ranking is, that student still has a need to be themselves, to act in a manner consistent with who they are. This implies that the student is developing their potential, becoming and being whatever he/she is capable of. If all other needs are essentially satisfied, this need still operates and provides the student's ultimate motivation.

The black belt instructor or equivalent, depending on the style, when teaching the martial arts should become involved in directing the learning process so the student who is confused physically in movement, or mentally in thought, must be picked up by the instructor from the very beginning, as to clarify any areas of inquiry.

The martial arts instructor must perform certain activities, behave in certain ways, as well as influence students in a particular direction in order that they will come out of the lesson different from the way they were before or from the way they would have been without the black belt instructor's influence.

A black belt instructor has the experience and perspective that permits him/her to see his/her work in a realistic context. That black belt instructor understands the background of the martial arts, and the goals in which he/she must achieve not only for him/herself, but also that of the student. The black belt instructor psychologically understands him/herself, other fellow black belts, and students. That black belt instructor is well acquainted with the technology of teaching and has a repertoire of possible lessons always available. The black belt instructor has control of appropriate subject matter in the martial arts. He/she can select the right ideas and information to move the student towards the objectives in which he/she intends to teach or instruct.

Most black belts who teach have some understanding of the rationale for what they do and are able to use it for improvement. Some instructors have some gaps in their full understanding what they are instructing and are puzzled about procedures that do not work well. Some black belt instructors have a limited repertoire of knowledge in the martial arts, and tend to use the excuse 'we will only touch upon the subject, for it is too advanced for you the student to comprehend at this time'. This gives the illusion to the students that the instructor's knowledge exceeds what is being taught at that moment, and gives the instructor an easy way out of something he/she knows very little about.

You as a black belt instructor see the student, and in turn the student sees you the instructor. You see the student as a person willing to learn, and the student sees you the instructor a person willing to teach. You see the student and evaluate what their learning capabilities are, the student sees only what is feed to them, and evaluates on not how you taught them but how they can absorb and perform what is taught.

You the black belt instructor if you are not aware of the full 360 degree spectrum of the subject you are teaching, then you are not an aware instructor, you are an instructor of habit. For each time you teach, it should never be from habit, it should be from analyzing the situation, and the student. For when teaching, most instructors look at the student as looking at the ocean, and what can you see from the shore line of the ocean? When each time you teach you should see more than what the eyes see, you should have the ability and the know how to see what is under the surface. There is a difference in going deeper and deeper into the know-how of a student. The ocean is so vast and deep, and so is the student to whom you are teaching the martial arts. Don't sit in the boat, go and get your feet wet, and understand what and how is the best path to take that best inspires and directs the student in learning each martial arts lesson. Then after you reach the point of complete satisfaction, go beyond of what is not there. This is the ultimate black belt instructor, one who takes the student to move with the universe and become one with the universe. There you will see the light, the light where you and the student are one, not two.

When I teach, I am constantly asking questions of my students so they fully understand both mentally and physically what is being taught, even if it is for a single student, and the rest of the class can benefit from it. I am constantly making physical adjustments to the student. When I see them making mistakes, I cannot accept having students make mistakes without me helping them in some way. I have visited many schools where I see instructors letting their students continuously make mistakes without correcting them. I am a great believer when teaching to use props and visual aids to clarify what I am bringing across. A prop sometimes with some humor goes a long way in remembering. I love to tell related stories that will bring to light and enhance the subject that I'm teaching. A picture, or such, is worth a thousand words. Remember, the more excited and interesting you make the class; the more enthused your students will become and look forward to attending the next class, never knowing what you will pull out of your bag of interesting tricks. Be all you can be and capture your students' minds.

When finished teaching the subject or the class for the day, that student must have a certain amount of time to evaluate within their mind what has been taught, and to analyze it both mentally and to process it physically. There are those moments when everything happens just right and the student gets a glimmer of what it is like to be a complete person/student with a feeling of self-fulfillment. These can be rare times. You the instructor should program these special times into your every class, because these are the times where creative behavior is possible or evident.

You the instructor becomes the creator of the world of the martial arts that is beyond the scope of what is seen. You the black belt instructor has only to follow the standards set by the system you follow, and other than etiquette, to follow the rules that the testing of your style or system consist of. Other than that, you can wave your wand and create a world of your own. The colors are of your choosing, you are the artist, you create the picture, you set the stage, and you conduct the music. You have the ability to reach down deep into a student's soul and create, create, and create! What you create will walk in your shadows, for you changed that student's/person's life. You the black belt instructor, every time you teach a class, somehow change the students on how they think, react and live life.

It is more than teaching; it is climbing inside those students' heads and directing all the nerve impulses to move in the proper order. To excite the neurons to fly within an instant in which direction they should go. To grasp the soul of the students and hold it with the teachings of love, compassion and understanding as to mold and shape, until their light shines as bright as yours, then watch what you, the creator created. You will look no longer out a window and see a student, but look into a mirror and see your student.

You the black belt instructor have the ability to improve your quality of instruction to be that rare instructor who becomes magnificent, and teaches appropriately and effectively. An instructor who relates to the students in such a way that they respond positively, who will know what subject in the martial arts and at what time will achieve the right effects.

There are few, but rare, who actually fit the current professional image of master or grand master black belt at its highest level. You the instructor can improve a philosophical point of view and a value that permits choices of appropriate objectives in your teachings, to rise as one of the select few who are truly the master of martial arts.

Thank you for taking the time to read what I strongly feel is necessary when teaching students.

Grandmaster Gene Perceval
Pioneer, Founder
Continuesly in the arts since 1955