January 12, 2008
For Karate Instructors: The Art Of Effective Feedback In Class
For Karate Instructors: The Art Of Effective Feedback In Class
By: Paul A. Walker
If you want to become a successful and influential instructor,
you will have to become a master of not only the martial arts
but also of interpersonal skills with your students. The Art of
Effective Feedback will become a cornerstone of your
relationships with your students and of the ultimate success of
your students within your program. Practice this advice and reap
the benefits, ignore it at your peril!
Be sure to give feedback to students in the class on a regular
basis. Try to make all feedback either positive or constructive,
and avoid any negative feedback if possible. Negative feedback
should only be used as a last resort when there are behavioral
issues, rather than issues of poor technique; and even then,
there are steps you should take before resorting to negative
feedback.
Positive feedback is obvious. Comments such as "that was a
great kick," "nice stance," "that's the best I've seen you do
that kata (form)," "you really looked like you were trying hard
in sparring today" go a long way towards creating a positive
atmosphere and a comfortable environment in which to learn.
When you add the student's name to any of the above types of
encouragement then your relationship to that particular student
will improve almost immediately. The importance of using your
students' names when giving feedback cannot be understated. If
you get nothing else from this article, please remember that
personalization of your feedback is often more valuable than the
feedback itself!
Constructive feedback should always have the objective of
giving the student some new information from which they can
learn. Comments such as "your stance is terrible," "your punches
are way off target," and "why do you even bother coming to
class?" are inappropriate and should be avoided, even if they
are true.
It would be better to say things like "Johnny, your kicks are
really good today, you must have been practicing at home. When
you go home today practice the same kicks from a deeper stance
and your karate will look fantastic next time you come back to
class"; or, "Mary, your punches have a lot of power, if you can
deliver them on target every time you're going to be extremely
strong"; or, "James, it looks like you're having a bad day and
that's OK but do you remember that time you came to class and
you were doing an awesome job and trying your best. I was
impressed. I'd love to see that strong spirit again."
These kinds of comments are not going to work every time but
they certainly have more of a chance of encouraging a change in
the student's output in terms of effort and technical competence
than a short one-sentence put down.
These approaches are very simple ways to break the ice between
you and your students and show them not only that you are
serious about helping them progress in the martial arts, but
more importantly that you care about them as a person and as a
valued member of your club.
Gone are the days of the Prima Donna instructor who plays the
role of an indifferent and unaffected demi-God. Here-to-stay,
are the days of realistic and honest feedback from an expert in
the arts to his or her esteemed and paying members.
Your ability to relate to your students will make or break you
in creating a successful and sustainable school. If you would
like some more valuable advice on becoming a great instructor,
then read my FREE Report, "Instructor Mastery: How to Become a
Great Instructor Right from the very First Lesson." You can
download it at http://www.freekarateinformation.com.
Good luck and best wishes to you on your honorable and noble
quest. Feel free to write to me at
Paul@freekarateinformation.com with any questions you have on
your practice or your feedback.
About The Author: Paul A. Walker, is a 4th degree black belt
karate instructor with over 25 years experience in the martial
arts. In 2003 he attained his 4th degree black belt, after
studying with the legendary Karate Master, Hirokazu Kanazawa in
Tokyo for three years. Get more info at
http://www.freekarateinformation.com
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