sponsors

 

 

sponsors

 

 

 

 

Martial arts students come and go for a variety of reasons. Some students may be helped; others are beyond our ability to help. When students are beyond our ability to change or they are disruptive to other students, we have to tell the students or the parents of the students that we can no longer teach them and that they need to find another school.

Students have different needs. All people have inherent instincts that guide their lives. These instincts manifest themselves to different degrees in each individual; one or more instincts may be expressed more than the others are expressed. The prevailing instincts determine a person's personality type. If a person has one prevailing instinct, he or she belongs to a pure type. If a few instincts are equally strong, he or she is a combined type.

As instructors, we must be aware of the different types of students and tailor our curriculum and teaching methods to attract and retain as many of the types of students as possible. Students may be classified into types as to their instincts as follows:

Egophylum (self-preservation). Students of this type are careful and sober-minded, and tend to be distrustful, suspicious, and egocentric. They avoid risk, are unadventurous, and prefer stability. They tend to worry and be hypochondriacs. They tend to afraid of height, water, and high speed. They mostly value their security and well-being. If they are able to overcome their insecurities and fears, and sign up for a martial arts class, they constantly fight their own fears and torture themselves. They are very sensitive to insult and are very proud, so therefore, quite vulnerable to hurt.

Instructors and other students must be careful what they say and do around this type of students, since even the smallest thing may cause them to quit. As an instructor, you cannot cater to their needs at the expense of other students, but you should be aware of their presence. If you do cater to their insecurities, you will lose other good students.

Page 1 of 5:  NEXT  Back  First  Last | Share | Errors | Last Modified:

Subtopics:  NEXT | None 

Topic:  Comments: Add View | Sources | Related: None