Grading/Teaching Dilemma

So I've found myself in a situation where I have people in my Mau Rakau group that are not interested in grading. They are however interested in me grading and teaching them the next level of the curriculum (Tu Taua) that I am studying. Its a bit frustrating because me and my sister have put in the effort to travel 2 hours each week to another tutor who is teaching us from where our last tutor abruptly ended teaching us (he left due to personal circumstances). Me and my sister along with the help of a couple of other members have kept our current group going. I am keen in the future to open a public Tu Taua group with my sister, in my area once I have achieved the proper ranking and have the blessing of the other tutors. My current tutor is happy with my progress and is fine with me passing on the knowledge that shes sharing with me.

Me and my sister don't work the same hours that the other club members do, so due to work commitments they are unable to attend the classes that the other tutor is holding.

I'm not sure what to do, should I grade and teach the next level as I'm learning it or just tell them to go grade themselves? (they are in my opinion ready to grade to the next level) Would it be irresponsible to teach them the next level of the curriculum as I'm learning it?

I have about 6 years collectively of prior martial arts training under my belt (Boxing, Muay Thai, ITF Taekwon-do) so I am confident with striking fundamentals.

 

Just tell them that the truth, you aren't ranked high enough. They are free to seek a higher ranking person and still train with you.

 

Tried to encourage them to, even offered them free rides to training. But the group (its small, about six people) most of them being the original members and have been practicing for as long as I have but don't have the same background as I do, technically I'm the most experienced in terms of knowledge. All of them have full time jobs and families and are often unable to get out to the other tutors, the closest is an hour away (often the time of the classes I attend clashes with their work hours).

Its a tricky one, because I want to help out the people that I have been training with for about two years, but at the same time I don't want to run a mcdojo and teach mediocre technique. At the moment the group is private because of my lack of rank.

 

Then apologise and tell them you don't feel comfortable teaching something you've just learned.

 

Yep, I generally don't teach anything until I get the ok from my tutor that its correct. I might say to the group that there is a new technique I'm being taught but I don't have it down 100% correct yet.

I should also point out that the group training is free for everyone. It's more of a once a week 'get together' rather than a formal club.

 

This. I don't pretend to know anything about your discipline or how your art is taught/transmitted, but one of the biggest leaps I found to teaching was that performing a skillset (as a form, or under competitive pressure) and teaching it are two different beasts. One is the application, while the other is much to do with eliciting a response from your pupil, which may actually differ from how an real opponent approaches (a paradox...I know)

While is great that they are showing the enthusiasm to be get futher on the syllabus, I'm sure that with your previous MA background you know the value of becoming competant in the basics before you move unto more complex skillsets. If your class does not have a prior MA background then perhaps they don't get the importance of this like you do, then go with your instincts and tell them that you are not comfortable with teaching techniques you barely know yourself, if they havn't even got the basics down to a T, If they do have a MA background and/or have become competant in the skills they have been taught so far then you have a different problem as their interest is stagnating because the classes aren't challenging enough.

One solution is perhaps keeping a internal set syllabus and keeping a record of the skill sets needed to reach the grade you are working on, and gradually filtering through these techniques alongside the more basic lessons you are willing to teach when you feel confident in your own. If you want you can even create a record sheet for club member which you can sign off. They may not getting a grade, but it gives them a feel for what they are working on and/or sense of achievement (regardless of what you may think of their 'actual' abilities)


This way when an opportunity for all the members to train with your senior instructor at a stand alone seminar/event materialises you and your instructor has an accurate appraisal of the skillsets/level of your members and can teach/grade them accordingly.

Record keeping is a instructors special martial skill set! (Lame I know but unfortunately very true)

Also if would be beneficial, perhaps to film a class lesson and show it to your instructor for feedback. While everyone has their own teaching style they may be able to pick out salient points in teaching that may not be immediatly obvious.

 

I wouldn't teach anything your not comfortable with, When you've got it down, I would drop the occasional bit into class, to whet there appetite, and make them want to travel and train with the far away teacher.

Dont give in and show them everything though.

 

All good points, I've shown them everything they need to know to grade onto the next level if the want to. I'm keeping them up to date with when gradings and seminars are on and I have contacts for the other tutors. But I can't give everyone a free ride and show everything I know, not when there are others far more experienced than I am teaching the same stuff.

 

So they want all the cherries (good stuff) that you and your sister go out of your way to learn but are not interested in making some effort and grading and being properly recognised like I presume you are? even when you go out of your way to offer free or subsidised training.

Whilst I like MA to be inclusive and that it would be nice to be able to offer training to everybody I think once in a while you need to ask yourself, Why am I teaching? why do my students want to learn?

Personally I would ask for some more commitment from them but that's just me. The old family, work, etc etc routine doesn't wash with me tbh and I suspect you like myself have heard all the excuses in the book, in the end you travel a long way, and I bet you make personal sacrifices to learn your art and although that's your choice I think some level of gratitude in the way of commitment to A- train regular with you as much as they can, B- try to travel with you to train as much as they can is in order at the very least.

Another consideration more so for TMA (sorry don't know if yours is) is in some cases you are preserving a tradition - your tutor and you will not be around forever surely if you would like it to be around longer than you are then you need serious students who are willing to make the effort and pass this knowledge on, can you rely on this bunch to do that?

I'm in a similar situation so I understand your frustration - I have made some big changes at my club lately which like yours was just a small group and I now lose a whole day each week to travel and learn new material - it's a big ask of people and I have lost a few so I now concentrate on 2 remaining students plus my son - but I know out of the three the art will continue to be taught and spread so my energies are not being wasted.

Rant over lol

 

I should also say "losing the day to travel and learn new material" is the wrong turn of phrase lol, the day certainly isn't wasted but I'm away from family and other commitments etc is what I meant.

 

I agree with all who have said that you should not teach something that you are not comfortable with.

But I would add a caveat.

In a martial arts setting you should never attempt to teach a technique if you are unsure if you can do it in a way that it safe both for you and your partner.

That said, teaching is a great way to learn something new and to really learn the things you think you know all ready. From the sound of it you are not setting yourself up as a teacher. You have said that your knowledge is limited and pointed the students towards more experienced teachers. If knowing this people still come to you and ask you to share your new knowledge it is an opportunity for you to improve your martial arts by teaching. Why not take it? It will greatly improve your arts and might help to improve theirs.

 

I was going to say something very similar.

It is a requirement to teach in my primary art. I have to admit. It has made it very clear to me that I don't completely understand everything I thought I had masterd.

Being a teacher has humbled me, while increasing my knowledge of even the most basic of skills.

 

Maybe I took the op wrong, but It reads like the op has more than enough experience to teach these people and clearly knows his limits in that respect and humbly points them in the direction of other coach's to fill his gaps.

Seems to me like less a lack of knowledge and teaching skills on the op part and more a lack of comitting by some of his students, maybe I'm just a grouch.

Have to agree you learn a whole lot by teaching even if you are not quite familair with the content yourself, so long as those who you teach know the score and your coach is ok with it then why not?

 

Good news, I managed to encourage one of our group members to come along and he enjoyed it. So hopefully he will continue to keep coming along to the other group in the future as me and my sister are going to be moving up the country and joining another group for extra training (which will be closer to our new house in comparison to where my family are currently living - 40 minutes drive).

We are still going to be offering support to the small group we are helping to run in the Wellington region. Eventually though I would like to start up my own formal Tu Taua group in the Wellington region (that's the long term goal) and open up to the public. So far there's only one group I know of in the wellington region and that's in Porirua (about 60 minutes drive away from where I am).

There's a steep learning curve ahead though, I have to learn how to speak Te Reo Maori fluently if I want to start teaching within a couple of years. I think this is the first martial art I've done/heard of where learning the language is a part of the curriculum. All good though.