The Roles of a Youth Martial Arts Instructor

The Roles of a Youth Martial Arts Instructor

Instructor

First and foremost, of all of the roles of a youth martial arts instructor, this is the most important… They are there to teach your child martial arts. The parents enrolled their child to learn an art, and the instructor must be allowed to teach them. Many hours have gone in to developing the programs and system that are in effect at the academy/dojo. Instructors are there to guide children through these programs.  Straying from this will only be detrimental to the progress of the children.

Role Model/ Mentor

Now comes the second most important of all of the roles of a youth martial arts instructor. They are a role model and mentor to the children of the academy. The instructor who is usual an upper belt, must portray themselves in a professional manner. They must have neat and clean uniforms.  The children will learn what is like to have respect for themselves and for others by following the examples of the instructors. Also, the instructor sets the tone for having a solid work ethic and no excuse approach to all walks of life.

Instills discipline

You may be surprised,  but this role of a youth martial arts instructor is probably the one that gets misconstrued the most. They are here to instill a disciplined mentality in the children, not to discipline the children. Many times you see parents bring their child in and say that they are lacking discipline, when really they need to have a stricter disciplinarian in their lives. The youth instructor is not a Drill Sargent. He or she is not in the position they are in to fill that role. The instructor is there to teach the children how to discipline themselves. There is a difference, and when the line blurs, the children will start to dread going to class.

Positive reinforcement of all walks of life.

In conclusion, the roles of a youth martial arts instructor is not restricted to the inside wall of the academy. Kids love to tell their instructors about outside accomplishments. This is a great thing. It means they are filling the role of mentor the right way. The instructor must reinforce the accomplishment. Small gestures such as announcing in front of the whole class what the child has succeeded in goes far. The child will absolutely appreciate them doing this as should the parent.

 

 

 

If you are a parent of a martial arts student, here is a great article to read as well. Teaching your child how to lose.