| As a Martial Arts instructor, there are two | | | | well, and it's hard to practice. There is a lot of |
| consequences to having too many "shoulds" in your | | | | speculation, "I do this, which will make him do that..." |
| curriculum. | | | | in self defense that is style based. Realistically, a |
| 1. Each requirement will have to be covered in class | | | | headlock escape practiced at 50 percent speed and |
| to prepare students for their exams. | | | | power works 100 percent of the time. A headlock |
| 2. With so many requirements, students will have less | | | | escape practiced at 75 percent speed and power |
| time to work on each, so quality will be difficult to | | | | works less. But how well does it work when both |
| obtain and maintain. When you have too many | | | | students are going at it 100 percent? Most of us |
| requirements for each belt, you are strapping | | | | never do that, so who knows? |
| yourself to covering those techniques in each class. If | | | | Students have a finite amount of time to practice |
| you don't cover them, students will not be ready for | | | | your curriculum. If they have 20 techniques to |
| exams, and it won't be their fault. If you have 20 | | | | master in order to pass your orange belt exam, they |
| requirements for an orange belt exam, you have to | | | | will spend half the amount of time on each technique |
| spend a large amount of class covering these 20 | | | | than if they only had 10 techniques. For example, in a |
| techniques. With that many requirements being | | | | 12-week testing cycle you expect students to attend |
| covered each class, your creativity is hindered. Your | | | | class twice a week. This is a total of 24 hours in |
| classes will tend to be the same. This level of | | | | class. In each class, you devote 20 minutes to |
| repetition is good only to the degree you don't lose | | | | requirements. That is a total of eight hours working |
| students to boredom. | | | | on test requirements. Some requirements, like forms, |
| The key is to require only the base skills on exams. | | | | take much more time to master, while others, like a |
| You'll have to decide what those base skills are. You | | | | ridge hand, take less time. |
| can still teach the other 100 techniques you think | | | | It only makes sense that a student who has 10 |
| students "should" learn, but you don't box yourself in | | | | requirements to learn in eight hours will spend twice |
| as a teacher. For instance, I can teach a spin hook | | | | as much time on each one as a student who has 20 |
| kick to a class of blue belts but not require it on an | | | | to learn. Conversely, an instructor will have twice as |
| exam. It's not a core technique, but it is fun. | | | | much time on each of 10 requirements in eight hours |
| Self-defense escapes can also fall into this category, | | | | than one who has to cover 20. Odds are, the |
| though it depends. Self defense is at the core of | | | | students with 10 requirements will have a higher |
| most programs but, typically, it's not taught very | | | | competence level than those with 20. |