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For all of the instructors out there I wanted to know if there are specific Level 1 techniques that you find more challenging than others to teach/explain.
Also I wanted to hear anyone’s experience mock teaching any of these techniques during Phase A. I am currently taking the Apprentice A program and we have been doing mock teachings and boy do our instructors make it look easy until you get up there yourself! Any advice on techniques that seem to give people trouble mock teaching? Thanks.
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
Understanding the transfer of knowledge lecture and how the principles apply to everything we teach. The responsibility you’re taking on as an instructor and how to properly convey the information so your students retain it.
That my friend is the key and that’s what makes us different.
Master those and everything else will fall into place.Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
One great bit of advice that I got from Kelly Campbell was to have fun and show off a little when you do your demonstrations. Go for the “WOW” factor.
Jon Pascal taught us how to use our voice to grab hold of the audience and get them excited with the technique.
When I watched Darren Levine at a recent seminar, I loved his absolute mastery of the skills but also appreciated how he could laugh at himself a little bit. Here he was, the greatest Krav Maga instructor that I’ll ever have the honor of watching, but he wasn’t all full of himself. He got everybody involved in what he was teaching and encouraged everyone to give their all.
Ryan Hoover has an amazing ability to quickly see what adjustments need to be made in a student. He then transfers the knowledge to them in a way that the student gets (even if that student is being an extremely slow learner, as I can be at times…). He makes you see things from a different perspective, helping you to completely grasp the reason behind the technique.
These folks, and many more like them, are the reason that Krav Maga is not a McDojo system.
Good luck to you. If you’re asking this question, you’re on the right track!
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
I’m just a student. I respect my instructor a great deal. He has the abilty to show us great technique and he really has a passion for KM. If you love what you are doing it will show and be passed on to your students.
As one other member stated though, having a clear voice is important. Speaking slowly and clearly as you instruct is key. Getting all caught up in the excitement is fantastic, but if I can only watch what you are doing it may take me twice as long to replicate your actions. If I can understand a description and watch what you are doing thats a winning combination.Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
Man, I knew I liked Steve. 😉
Thanks for the comments, bro. I hope you are well, and I hope to see you at Fall Camp!
Oh, and I echo Steve’s and Sean’s other sentiments.
Best of luck, Matt.
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
Thanks everyone for your replies /advice. Susie, I really appreciate your perspective as a student on this also. I will jot down this advice in my notebook as I tackle another weekend of training. Again thanks everyone.
Matt
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
toughest for me was understanding how to integrate the different levels of abilities of my students. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and it’s a challenge to keep everyone participating and interested
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
Hi Matt.
I think everyone took a stab at your second question, so I’ll jump in on the 1st one you asked. For me personally, I see more challenges teaching the headlock from the side. Technically, it’s the most difficult technique to learn in Level 1 (in my very humble opinion). There’s foot work, there’s hand work, there’s counter-attacks, and there’s a somewhat tricky hand placement on a pressure point….all in the same technique.
It’s a real challenge demonstrating, explaining, and then helping the students ‘get’ that technique. I just got through Phase A last year, so I’m hoping to get better at teaching all techniques (including headlock) over time. The funny thing is, I just learned a new drill for how to demo the low hand groin-strike TONIGHT, so there’s still hope for me. lol
As far as advice on mock teaching itself, I’d say you should spend as much time facing the students as possible. Of course, this does mean learning all the techniques in reverse to mirror them. But that’s a good thing, right? 🙂
The reason for that is it improves the chances that everyone will hear you. If you face the mirror to demo or talk through technique, your voice doesn’t carry through the room as well.
For a general approach to teaching, I like to come at the delivery in the form of solving a problem. Show your students the problem, demo the solution at speed, and walk them through the logic of the solution. Ask your students to chime in and make it participatory. It keeps them interested, and lets you really demo your knowledge and raise their confidence in you (as a teacher) at the same time.
Matt, you’re gonna be fine. Each one of us may deliver the material slightly differently, but we all teach from the same text. Make sure that all of your students ‘get’ something useful out of your classes, and everything else will take care of itself.
I wish you well during the rest of your apprentice program and into the rest of Phase A.
Peace,
Mario
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
For the students on the learning side…i believe inside defense is the hardest for beginners to understand and perform CORRECTLY which makes the teaching part a bit harder. When you teach this for the first time, you’ll see all kinds of variance with your students. Most common are the slapping, over pushing of the hand, defending with the wrong side, etc.
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
This is awesome . Thanks. Yeah, the headlock I can see being the most challenging as to your point there is a few things to really piece together. Probably the biggest thing right now in the mock teachings is doing it in front of your peers ….a little nerve racking at first. I am sure over time I will develop my own style of delivery. Thanks again to everyone for the tips and advice. This is what I was hoping for.
Matt
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
quote mattp:This is awesome . Thanks. Yeah, the headlock I can see being the most challenging as to your point there is a few things to really piece together. Probably the biggest thing right now in the mock teachings is doing it in front of your peers ….a little nerve racking at first. I am sure over time I will develop my own style of delivery. Thanks again to everyone for the tips and advice. This is what I was hoping for.Matt
From the student perspective I would have guessed that too. All of its techniques are completely unrelated to the other skills learned in L1. You don’t even address the threat first thing, you address not winding up on the floor. Then there’s no clinch, no knees, and the groin gets swatted instead of kicked. Your imaginary class wouldn’t need to be reminded of many other techniques but you also wouldn’t have any building blocks in place. OTOH if you’re assuming your class has no previous krav experience it would be a good technique to demo. It’s a terrifying & common attack so you get to take people from complete vulnerability to being prepared for a very real scenario. And if you don’t get through to them it’s very obvious because you can see the keesters falling on the floor. :p
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
Hey Matt, As a student I’d also like to throw in a quick comment – when you’re demonstrating, TELL the guys up front take a knee or sit down. Esp. in a crowded class, as a 5’2 female I often have a hard time seeing the demo because the BIG guys tend to really crowd around the instructor. I think people get excited and the adrenaline is going and they don’t realize there might be a vertically challenged person behind them, bobbing and weaving, trying to see what’s going on.
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
quote tinykrav:Hey Matt, As a student I’d also like to throw in a quick comment – when you’re demonstrating, TELL the guys up front take a knee or sit down. Esp. in a crowded class, as a 5’2 female I often have a hard time seeing the demo because the BIG guys tend to really crowd around the instructor. I think people get excited and the adrenaline is going and they don’t realize there might be a vertically challenged person behind them, bobbing and weaving, trying to see what’s going on.I learn something every day. This is something that has been mentioned before but I guess I never internalized it. Im going to start bringing the class in closer on some of these more intricate techniques….
Re: Most challenging Level 1 techniques to teach/Phase A
“You don’t even address the threat first thing, you address not winding up on the floor.”
Actually, that is the threat. The hold itself is not the problem. The problem is not so much the hold, but the intent of the hold (punching to the face, takedown, holding for someone else.) Stepping, turning and tucking the chin, and striking to the groin address these threats.
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