Very few martial arts instructors seem to plan their class content.
Many take the teaching approach of “We’ll do some basics and then see what needs to be worked on…”, or some simply stick to the same plan for every single class – basics, line work, kata, sparring, boring…
As someone who teaches around 25 classes per week, coming up with fresh content and ways to teach the same stuff again and again, without boredom setting in can be challenging – I’m sure you know what I mean.
That’s why when I hit a home run with a particular format for a class; I’ll “reuse” that class for the rest of the day.
For example let’s say that in my junior white belt class we worked on a particular set of drills to develop front kick and the class was a success, then in the next 3 classes on the same day, I’ll repeat the content of that first class with a new set of students, instead of trying to think of 3 more class plans.
Of course the students are always different in terms of age and rank, so the actual drills might be tweaked slightly to be more challenging for higher ranks or older students, and toned down for younger kids or beginners.
The point is that teaching is easy when you have a plan and know that it works. Classes run more smoothly, students don’t become bored and there is no “down time” from you or your class.
It reflects poorly on you as an instructor when you are supposedly in control of a class, don’t have a plan and can’t think of what to do next. Students are looking at you mouths agape or twiddling their thumbs wondering what’s going on…
So from here on out, when you teach a successful karate class, jot it down in your diary and reuse it again in the future. Either on the same day for a new set of students, or in a couple of months time when you’re struggling to think of what to teach, you can look in your diary and *presto* there’s a class you know is a guaranteed success.
– Jason