At some point, while you were dutifully teaching classes for your instructor, you probably had a few students or parents tell you that they preferred your classes over your instructor’s.
At first, you might have thought they were just being polite, but then you started noticing things your instructor did that you wouldn’t do "if it were your school."
You enjoyed the attention and the rewards that came from teaching martial arts.
The school may have even become your social circle, a place where you were moving up in rank, training hard, and teaching—a combination that automatically earned you respect and recognition within the community. Meeting people was easy when you outranked them.
The Roots of Control in Martial Arts
Your loyalty to your instructor and belief in the techniques and methods you were taught are understandable. These methods had brought you out of a place of intimidation and into a position of reverence as a black belt instructor.
Naturally, you developed deep emotional ties to your school’s techniques and methods. Just the mention of your school, style, or organization likely evoked fierce feelings of pride.
This is why the suggestion that there might be a better or different way is often met with resistance.
When art has changed your life, it’s hard to admit that it might be flawed in some way.
This emotional connection is so strong that it's even parodied in films, with countless "my kung fu is better than yours" scenes.
While teaching for your instructor, you might have suggested new ways of doing things—whether in teaching, testing, or marketing—but found that virtually every idea was shot down.
Your instructor had everything under control, and trying something new was a risk he wasn’t willing to take.
Control and the Fear of Change
Teaching martial arts can be nirvana for a control freak. By the time you become a black belt, especially if you’ve followed the traditional path, you’ve likely developed a strong need for control.
You control how students move, breathe, where they look, what they should think about, and even, in some cases, aspects of their spiritual lives. The idea of giving up control, even for a moment, can be terrifying.
I remember when I wanted to introduce some energy into my classes by having students clap between drills or forms.
I literally stayed up at night thinking about how to introduce this concept.
I was afraid my students would think I’d gone soft and walk out. The idea of losing control, even momentarily, was overwhelming.
When I finally decided to introduce the clapping, I chickened out during the first two classes. I eventually tried it in the last class of the night, with my brown and black belt students, figuring that if it bombed, only they would see it.
But instead of simply saying, "Hey! Give yourself some energy!" and clapping to show them what I meant, I used the classic control-freak method. I had to be in total control of every step, commanding them to extend each hand like robots before clapping.
They did it, they liked it, and it became a part of our school’s energy—without the micromanagement. But this experience highlighted a key point: much of our hesitation and fear of new ideas and changes are rooted in our need for control. We gain control of our situation and become afraid of trying something new that might put us out of control, even for a moment.
Conclusion
Understanding the need for control in martial arts instructors can help you recognize the challenges that come with embracing change and trying new ideas.
While control is essential for maintaining order and discipline in the dojo, it's important to balance it with openness to new methods and approaches.
By acknowledging this tendency, instructors can work towards creating a more dynamic and adaptable learning environment for their students.