5 Qualities of a Good Tae Kwon Do Instructor!

Training in martial arts is so hard! You know what makes it easier? A good Tae Kwon Do instructor! But what makes a good Tae Kwon Do instructor? Is it the trophies? The belts? The number of students? This is a question that I find many people have at some point in their martial arts career. To help with this, I wrote down a list of the 5 qualities that, in my experience, make a great Tae Kwon Do instructor. Enjoy!

Patience

In my experience, some of the best instructors are patient. They understand that learning takes time, and not everyone gets it right away. That is totally normal, and any teacher who recognizes that is one step ahead of their impatient colleague. Besides, when you're struggling to learn how to do a tornado kick, who do you want more? The person who gets frustrated after the first few attempts, or the person who will spend a whole class period working to teach the student? The person who will work all class, of course!

Knowledge

A good teacher needs to know their topic! That might seem obvious, but I’m sure everyone has met a few people who’ve managed to get jobs they were woefully unqualified for. Naturally, in order to teach, someone has to have at least some pre-existing knowledge of a topic. This is why a lot of martial arts schools only have instructors who are black belts. Schools (understandably) want to have teachers who have extensive knowledge on their topic.

Respect

In martial arts, respect is key. Respect doesn’t just mean that you should give respect to your instructors though. A good instructor, in my experience, doesn't demand or openly ask for respect. They earn it every day with their attitude and their humility. On top of that, good instructors will give respect to you, too. Respect, both from and to an instructor, can be key in a good martial arts education. In my experience it helps improve both character in students and fosters a good educational community. Treat others the way you want to be treated, you know?

Integrity

Everyone likes an honest, fair, and consistent teacher. The integrity a teacher has is important to ensuring the professional relationship they can have with their supervisor, their peers, and (most importantly) their students. How is a student supposed to learn if they can’t trust what their teacher is saying? On top of that, integrity is necessary to have a fair examination when an instructor tests their students. Everyone wants a fair judge, right?

Integrity is key in Tae Kwon Do, and a good instructor leads by example. So, if you wish to be a great instructor, be someone who has great integrity!

Experience

The best teachers are usually the experienced ones. By experience, I don’t mean years or the number of awards. I mean the wisdom this person has gained from teaching. The truth is that the best way to become a better teacher, in my opinion, is to teach more. The best classroom teachers, in my opinion, have always been the ones with experience, not necessarily the ones with impressive degrees. The same is true in martial arts. The gold medalist or the demonstration team coach might be good instructors (particularly in those areas), but the best instructor is going to be the person who teaches the most, often having more breadth than some other instructors might have.

Conclusion

These are all important values, but the most important is simply having an encouraging instructor who is rooting for you. A good instructor wants their students to succeed and will work with their students to accomplish this task. That is what makes an instructor great. They are knowledgeable, patient, honest, and respectful. The best instructors, in my experience, were those who strove to fulfill these criteria.

What do you think? What, in your opinion, makes an instructor great?