Family Martial Arts – The Instructors Duty By Louis Tandoh

Throughout my life I have trained in martial arts and had many instructors, some good others not so good, and few that were excellent. The poor instructors are immediately forgettable, others you can’t forget due to their incompetence. I know that may sound quite harsh but I am of the opinion that if you are lucky enough and skillful enough to be given the opportunity to teach or instruct anything, especially to children, whether it be English, Maths, P.E., Science or Martial Arts you have a MASSIVE responsibility and must never take it lightly.

When I was a teenager I was learning under an instructor who didn’t take the responsibility of instructor as seriously as he should have (wasn’t that good). He was a great martial artist and knew his stuff but he always came before his students. I didn’t mind at the time as I wanted to know what he knew and was looking through rose tinted glasses, but it wasn’t all bad. He had a student called Steve who would often assist in the lesson, and sometimes take the lesson when the instructor was ‘indisposed’, which was often a good thing as the majority of his classes were better than the instructor’s.

All of his lessons were challenging but not difficult enough to make you feel inferior and disheartened. He always made sure the lessons were fun, often making jokes and having a laugh, but never at the expense of the lesson or others. If you were having trouble with a technique or an exercise he was there without even being asked for his assistance as his class awareness was so astute that he knew you needed help even before you did. There was a confident awe about him that was not arrogance, but you knew he was not the sort of person that could be intimidated. Above all he was likeable and very cool. I immediately wanted to be like him because he showed all the qualities I wanted to have.

Having come from a single parent family and not having a father figure or older brother as a role model I tried to be more like Steve but without the natural ability and skill.

Eventually I left the school due to realizing the instructor was more talk and less substance and that I might learn more from other teachers.

I went to other martial arts schools/clubs, some ok, most quite poor, until my mother found a card in the news agents advertising a local martial arts school called Family Martial Arts, and, if I’m being completely honest, I thought the name made the school seem wussy so was reluctant to go, but I thought why not give it a try. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made as I met the best instructor I have ever met in Master David Martin. He saw something in me that I didn’t and he helped me achieve my goal of becoming a Martial Arts Instructor. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t just give me the opportunity, I had to earn it through hard work and dedication but it was Master Martin who gave me the chance.

One day a young student gave me a picture he drew of Indiana Jones. I said thank you but looked at his father puzzled, who then said the boy had wanted to draw a picture of his hero for his hero, I was taken aback, flattered and very humbled. Later that night I looked at the picture, thought about what had happened, and it eventually occurred to me that the boy might have seen me how I had seen Steve. Knowing how much Steve had influenced me growing up I felt a crushing sense of responsibility, knowing that anything I said might shape the sort of person that boy would become. It might not have but even if there was the smallest chance that I would have some

influence on him I must not take it lightly (not that I ever did) or risk letting him down.

I truly love teaching martial arts and feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity.

I think every teacher/instructor should know the amount of influence they have on a young, and in some cases old, student’s life, and never underestimate it.

I also came to like the name Family Martial Arts because it perfectly represents the school, a great family environment, with everyone looking out for and helping each other, a home away from home where all who studied in it were part of a bigger family outside of their own.

More About   Master David Martin on Google +

Family Martial Arts the Best Martial Arts School for the Whole Family www.familymartialarts.co.uk