Teaching Martial Arts

Did you know that 100s of millions of people participate in martial arts worldwide? In the United States, martial arts are a $40 billion industry. This section of the sports industry needs qualified, professional martial arts instructors.

Martial arts instructors give lessons on techniques and skills for different martial arts. Martial arts are a finely tuned system of combat and fighting techniques, which could be considered both art and science. It is a beautiful sport that is enjoyed recreationally and competitively around the world.

There are 100s of styles of martial arts including Karate, Judo, Kung Fu, Capoeira, Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Sumo, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Kendo, and many less known forms like Ethiopian Surma Stickfighting, Canadian Wen-Do, Indian Lathi, Japanese Ninjutsu, or Korean Hankido. Each one has unique styles, techniques, and philosophies. Martial arts improve fitness and physical, mental, spiritual health. It is an excellent source of exercise for the whole body. It teaches patience, discipline, knowledge, and dedication, plus self-defense. To be a martial arts instructor, one must master the art.

Instructors guide students on their journey to master the skills and techniques of their chosen martial art. It takes years to learn and perfect all of the necessary physical and mental requirements. Most martial arts students attend classes at community centers, recreation districts, schools, health clubs, and training grounds. Classes are led by an instructor and typically last a few hours.

During the class, the martial arts instructor leads his group through warm ups, stretches, skills focus, sparring, and lectures on history and theory. During the lesson, the instructor introduces new techniques and perfects old techniques to create talented, focused fighting machines. Instructors design lesson plans, give tips, provide feedback, develop drills, and encourage students for success.

As you can imagine, safety is a definite concern. To fight safely, instructors supervise sparring matches and teach proper techniques. Protective equipment, such as mats, pads, headgear, and wooden or plastic weapons are used to teach skills safely.

Many martial arts associations and organizations have certifications available for their specific style. Unfortunately there is very little regulation on how to become a certified martial arts instructor. Anyone can claim they are an instructor. There are some martial arts instructors that become certified online. Most legitimate certifications come from respected organizations and require potential instructors to reach a certain ability level, train for a specified amount of time, attend instructor training courses, and teach under the supervision of an experienced instructor.

If you want to become a martial arts instructor, you must start from the beginning. Spend years earning your black belt and train hard to perfect not only your martial arts skills, but also your leadership and instructing abilities.

Many instructors have walls of trophies, but a good instructor is able to demonstrate techniques and skills simply and properly.

Many people wonder what is the best martial art. The Ultimate Fighting Championship on television has martial artists of different styles compete in mixed martial arts fighting. It is big money, but can be dangerous. To a martial arts instructor, the best martial art is the one you excel at both in life and while sparring. It’s also the one that provides a paycheck of $20,000 to $50,000 per year.

If you enjoy watching martial arts in the Summer Olympics or love an action packed martial arts flick starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, or Tony Jaa, then consider learning a martial art in your free time. It could lead to an exciting career as a martial arts instructor.

Quick Facts About Teaching Martial Arts

Job Title: Martial Arts Instructor
Office: Training Halls
Description: Give lessons on techniques and skills associated with different martial arts
Certifications/Education: Certification granted by martial arts associations
Necessary Skills: Knowledge and skills of martial arts
Potential Employers: Martial Arts Schools
Pay: $20,000 to $50,000 per year

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Teaching Martial Arts

Quick Facts About Teaching Martial Arts

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