How to Check If Your Self-Defense Instructor is Really Teaching You the Right Moves (and Not Just Taking a Move on You)
A lot of your efficiency and efficacy when it comes to self-defense will depend on your instructor – how well they can transfer their knowledge to you as their student and how effective their techniques are for real-life self-defense. Once you’ve decided to learn self-defense, your most important consideration is who to choose to learn from. But how do you check if your self-defense instructor is actually teaching you the right moves? Here are ways you’ll know:
He’s trained and certified in the self-defense course you want to learn
Decide on the type of self-defense class you want to learn first and then look for a teacher who has the appropriate training and certification in that discipline. This is because you can’t realistically expect a taekwondo instructor to teach the art of Krav Maga simply because he/she doesn’t have the proper skills and knowledge.
Always look for a self-defense instructor who is certified in the self-defense style you want. That should give you a pretty good idea if he/she is capable of really teaching you the right moves.
Check local credentials, certifications or national affiliations. Internationally trained and affiliated self-defense instructors are usually more expensive but you could have the assurance that you will be trained under the best. Ask for referrals from associations and clubs. Many of these are nationwide networks, which should allow you to find certified instructors in your area.
Ask for referrals and reviews
If you can, look for former or current students of the self-defense instructor you want to take classes under. Ask these students regarding their experiences – the techniques taught by the instructor, how well the lessons are structured and shared, how long each sessions are and the kind of progression you can expect.
Checking if your self-defense instructor is really going to teach you the right moves and will not merely take a move on you is sometimes just a matter of learning from others’ experiences. Do this before you sign up for any lessons.
Do your own research
It pays to have enough knowledge or background regarding the type of self-defense discipline you want to learn. That way you will be more familiar with the type of moves involved, including the kind you can expect an instructor to teach you.
There are plenty of books, magazines, videos or websites that can offer you excellent information regarding self-defense instructions. Learn from these. Once you know the kind of moves used in a particular self-defense discipline, you could easily check whether your self-defense instructor is really teaching you the right moves and not just taking a move on you.
Tags: Martial Arts, self defense techniques, self-defense tips
November 27th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
You make a really good point here. Anyone can open up their own martial arts shop… I’ve heard one too many people question if their instructor is worth it… (too much cardio and not enough defense work in a Krav Maga class, etc.)
I definitely agree that looking to International affiliations really helps a lot, especially with increasingly popular systems like Krav Maga.