So, you want to Teach ?

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CUA Aikido Union 2011

You will be remembered by your students as certain aspects of your lesson inspire them.
You will also be remembered for performances that have no heart in them.

Here are some basic requirements for the instructor.

Like so many others, I just drifted into teaching. I
did not set out to become an instructor.
It was just something that seemed to be a part time affair. It was something you could do in the 80’s without have to worry about qualifications, rank, insurance for members and of course P.I. for yourself. So different now!

Find a dojo

Find a dojo: Has it got Mats! “Err hang on mats” yep, mats.
Don’t expect every potential place you wish to set up will have a wonderful matted area just waiting for your Aikido Class. People today expect a top class matted area to practice on. It would also have to meet Health and Safety requirements, i.e. Jigsaw type, correct density, fire retardant and of course undamaged.
When I and a friend first started to run a club, we held the class in a cold dingy church hall. No heating or fancy changing facilities then. With only the rank of 1st Dan round our waist, we, to our surprise attracted healthy numbers.
I suppose people did not have the pressures of modern day living to contend with in those days.
No mobile phones, computers or other things to distract you from cutting loose for and hour to have a practice, but i'm rambling already, lets get back to basic requirements.

Insurance

This is a must. In the world we live in now, in order to protect yourself and your members,” to which you have a duty of care towards”, Insurance must be sorted before anyone steps on your mat. Far gone are the days of “Can I just give it a go to see if I like it!”.
Even today there are few insurance companies out there that cater for Aikido alone, so you will have to do your research.
“You” will need P.I “personal indemnity” and your members will have to be separately insured. It is up to you as the instructor to see that cover is maintained for all.

It is best to have an annual date for all cover to be renewed; if someone joins late in the year then you can adjust the premium accordingly until they are on the circuit.

Lesson Plans

Lesson Structure.

Good lesson Plans are important. They help you build up a good club structure,” you need a direction to travel in”
Lesson plans are either made on paper for you to follow or they may be in your head. Paper recorded ones are better for the new Coach as you will have the benefit of recalling what you did last week. Older instructors like me tend to teach from the “mood on the night syndrome.” More on that later.

“You’re only as Good as your last days Takings”

It will take many years to build up your teaching skills. You will find that being proficient at mastering teaching methods require two things.

The first is to be able to do the techniques reasonably well.
The second is to be able to translate what you are doing verbally to the class. That is to say that when your” bullet point” left the brain the sentence seemed OK until it hit the mouth because it did not match your visual interpretation.Confused,well you’ll find out”.
There are some brilliant Aikido Exponents out there, Tecnically flawless, But they cannot back there performance up with a good and interesting voice over, and of course the opposite implies.

You will be remembered by your students as certain aspects of your lesson inspire them.
You will also be remembered for performances that have no heart in them.

You are a salesman for the Art of Aikido while you command the mat for that lesson
But…“You’re only as Good as your last days Takings”

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You Reach a Plateau

CUA Aikido Union 2011 (c)