Introduction
An introduction to the art and science of instructing ( teaching ) Judo
Judo is a complex sport, Judo athletes are taught to execute complicated manuevers with their bodies, whilst also managing another person's body and the effects of gravity, levers, momentum, centrifugal force, etc etc.
The Judo instructor spends every session trying to teach people how to do these things, later they COACH, initial they teach the movements, the science, etc.
Instructing/teaching is a science and something that is learned. There are rules, principles, methods and tricks that can make your instruction better, making your life easier as a instructor and also making it easier for your students to learn.
Basic Principles
Humans learn through their senses. That is through hearing, seeing, smelling, touching and taste. Obviously in Judo smell and taste are not relevant (hopefully at least), so we only have sight, sound and touch to work with.
Everyone is different and learns best through different senses. Some people learn better when they are told something, some when they see it and others when they do it (feel it). As an instructor teaching a class, you want to use all three of these methods when you teach, ensuring your entire class learns aspects through their preferred method of learning.
From this we can deduce that for everything we teach, we should describe it, show it and allow them to feel it (try it).
Judo instructors on the whole do this naturally, which may explain why Judo has spread so easily
Less is More, More is Less
People have a limited capacity to learn and to absorb information. People's attention spans are limited, this is especially evident in children. When teaching children it is useful if not essential to change activity all the time. In a hour class I would plan at least 12-24 changes of activity! Adults have a larger capacity to stay focussed, but 12 changes would still be a good target figure.
Many people say that people can only learn one thing at a time, probably a bit unfair I'd say. However, I would say that limiting your classes to 2-4 things to learn would be a sensible level.
Fun is essential
Unless your students (adults and children) enjoyed learning, they will either forget or stop coming.
Ensure you watch your students and you see smiles, hear laughter, feel a positive "vibe", etc. Yes there are exceptions to this rule, but as a general rule, you need to be able to run a fun class, where everyone enjoys the experience.
Safety is paramount
Last but not least, I leave the best (most important) to last. If you can not run a safe class, do not teach! (EVER!)
You must have a safe environment to teach in, good venue, good instructors, good students, good methods. If one of these is not up to the level, do not teach!
Your venue must be safe, it needs to be clean, the mats appropriate, lighting is good. You need to have the right number of people on the mat, you need a phone, a first aid kit, etc etc etc.
As an instructor, you need to be good as a person and also a good instructor.
Your students must be good people, they must be ready to learn and able to behave appropriately. If you have a "bad egg", they need to go.
You methods need to be the best they can be! You need to be current on the latest theories and rules. You should know your sport and you should know how to teach, you MUST know what is safe and what is not. And it all must be current. If I had one criticism of Judo it would be that I have been in too many clubs/classes where the instructor's methods leave something to be desired, in fact I have been discusted in myself when I have caught myself doing something dumb! Also when I think about the years where I was taught and taught things that have now been discovered to be wrong, keep current, don't get stuck in the past, use modern methods!
