Teaching new students and how?

How to teach to new students. This is a great question to ask yourself as a Teacher.
Every new student will have different abilities and different wants from a Martial Arts class. It is your job as a teacher to be able to assess the students wants and abilities so your teachings are not to difficult but with just the right amount of challenge. This is to ensure the student enjoys your classes and returns for more classes time and time again.

When I started teaching Wing Tzun I learnt very quickly that everybody's skill level is very different and I could not just start showing fancy techniques to get them interested in learning from me. The reason why was because when I got them to try and practice these fancy techniques, they could not move correctly, so they felt awkward and had no confidence in what they are trying to achieve. This meant the student felt Wing Tzun didn't work for them.

I always try to remember 'KISS' when teaching. 'Keep-It-Simple-Stupid'. Just because I can do it doesn't mean someone else can! Well not straight away anyways... Building up your students with a systematic approach is the best way. By adding to your teachings each time using a simple formula, students can break each movement down to the smallest part to practice.

For example when a new student enters my School I don't start teaching with the Wing Tzun Concepts and Principles. I start with the direct and very effective Wing Tzun Chain Punches. Now I don't just say 'ok do Wing Tzun Chain Punches!' I start by explaining the structure and arm positions and how the punch is actually executed.

This is where I apply my simple formula:

• 1 Punch
• 3 Punches
• Continuous Punching

Apply the formula training using:

• Aerobics
• Focus Pads
• Application

Starting with 'Aerobics' you can access the students abilities and Focus. During the aerobics you can make corrections and give them key points to focus on and improve. The next challenge is with 'Focus Pads' using the exact same 1,3, continuously formula. Here you can assess a students fitness and power. The 3rd challenge is 'Application' being able to assess the students confidence with training with others is very important. If someone is very shy or nervous, you as a teacher need to build that confidence whether it is slow things down or push them to just get stuck in, to bring them out of their shell.

Appling this formula in the first few classes allows you to assess the students progress very quickly and either speed the process of their learning up by leaving out parts of the formula or keeping it in the same format if they are slower to apply the training.