How to Become a Martial Arts Instructor

Co-authored by Joseph Bautista

Last Updated: December 9, 2023 Approved

In martial arts, becoming an instructor represents the final step in your journey as a student and the first towards eventual mastery of a style. Helping new students hone their skills can be a demanding yet rewarding application of years of hard training, but becoming a teacher requires more than ability alone. Once you've gained a considerable amount of experience in your discipline, you'll need to apply for certification in order to be recognized as a reputable teacher of your chosen style. Your primary focus will then be to establish yourself in your area and train a new generation of talented martial artists to keep the tradition alive.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Gaining the Necessary Experience

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1
Choose a style. Investigate different martial arts to find one that captures your interest. There are hundreds upon hundreds of styles from all over the world, from traditional arts like Hung Gar, pencak silat, and Shorin-ryu karate to more sport-oriented disciplines like kickboxing, judo, kendo, and mixed martial arts (MMA). Each style distinguishes itself through its collection of techniques, tactics, training methods, and philosophical approach to combat and physical wellness.^{[1]
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- Once you've researched a wide variety of styles, narrow down your search to the ones that are taught in your area so you'll know what options are available to you.
- When comparing various disciplines, take your own physical strengths and limitations into consideration. For example, wushu is a dynamic style well-suited to young, athletic students, whereas a softer art like aikido may be better for people who have a history of injury.^{[2]
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2
Dedicate yourself to your training. Enroll in classes and get started on your journey. Absorb everything you can, making an effort to understand not just the performance of each technique but the intent behind it. It's important for you to take your training seriously if your goal is to eventually teach others.
- New students should make an effort to practice for a minimum of 3-5 hours a week.
- Put particular emphasis on the basics. These will serve as the foundation for everything you'll learn from here on out, in business as well as martial arts.
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3
Achieve a basic level of mastery. Train hard to earn your first degree black belt, or an equivalent rank in your respective style. Until then, put aside thoughts of teaching. Your main focus at this stage should be sharpening your own skills. Prospective students will be more willing to learn from an instructor who has demonstrated competency in their art.^{[3]
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- In most styles with ranking and promotion systems, attaining a basic level of mastery can take anywhere from 4-6 years.
- Kukkiwon Taekwondo, for instance, promotes students based on their ability to perform key techniques, which may be done in as little as 3 years, depending on your work ethic. By contrast, jiu-jitsu is a discipline where progression is notoriously slow, often taking as long as 10 years.
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Learn about the history of your style. As an instructor, you'll not only be responsible for helping students develop their technical proficiency, but imparting some of the unique cultural character of your style. Martial arts are many things—history, philosophy, art, ritual, and lifestyle. Each of these aspect has an important role to play in the discipline, and should not be neglected.
- Traditional martial arts are often viewed as a kind of heirloom, passed down from generation to generation.
- It's often necessary to understand the history of a style in order to understand how it has evolved to its current form.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Becoming a Certified Instructor

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1
Become a member of your discipline's national governing body. Most contemporary martial arts are presided over some sort of regulatory organization. These organizations create universal regulations, hold competitions, and offer guidance for proper business practices in schools where the style is taught. If you hope to teach one day, you'll first need to belong to your style's governing body.
- Contact the local chapter of the organization to find out more about their specific membership requirements.
- Getting your foot in the door is often as simple as being issued a special card or certificate. Membership fees may also apply.
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Apply for instructor certification. Now that you're a member of your style's governing body, your next step is to put in your request for an official coaching qualification. This will typically involve one or more intensive instructor training courses, as well as some sort of comprehensive exam containing both a practical demonstration and a written portion to test your knowledge of the style's history and theory.
- There will usually be a one-time or recurring fee for processing your exam results and receiving your instructor's certificate.
- In some cases, you may be expected to hold as assistant instructor's position for 6-12 months before being awarded full instructor status.
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Keep up with the requisite annual training hours. It isn't enough to simply earn your coaching qualification—you must maintain it. Many NGBs ask their instructors to provide proof of regular teaching hours each year. The exact number will vary from organization to organization, but is often somewhere in the 40-60 hour range.
- Make time to attend instructor programs, seminars, and competitive events regularly to stay on top of your game.
- No matter what style you represent, continuing your own education will improve your instruction immeasurably.
4
Apply for an instructor position. When you're first starting out, it may be easier to get your foot in the door at an established school than to pull together the resources needed to open your own studio. Visit schools in your area to advertise your services and see if they have a need for a new junior instructor. There, you can cement your abilities and begin developing your own unique teaching style.
- Getting some experience teaching at a well-known school can give you a decided advantage when it comes time to set out on your own.

Part 3

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Opening Your Own School

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1
Find a suitable space for your school. Lease a building to base your operations out of. While you're shopping around for the perfect headquarters, your first priority will be to secure a location large enough to teach a full class of students, with additional room for parents and spectators as needed. Other facilities, such a private office, store room, and restrooms and locker rooms for both men and women, should be provided for or added onto your existing space.^{[4]
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- Look for properties that are conveniently located and easy to find. This will make more your school more attractive to students coming from neighboring towns.
- Make sure you have the financial means to pay the monthly lease. Money may be tight for the first few months while you're first building momentum.^{[5]
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Fulfill the legal obligations for your state or territory. As with any other business, there will be a lot of paperwork to complete before you can open your doors. For starters, apply for the correct type of business license so that your school will be recognized as a legitimate business by your local government. Liability insurance is also a must to protect yourself in the event that a student or another instructor gets hurt.^{[6]
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- Read through the provisions of your business license carefully so you'll know what sorts of practices are acceptable.
- If you're feeling overwhelmed, consider hiring a lawyer to help you sort through the various forms and documents.
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Acquire the necessary training equipment. Make a list of all the material items you'll need to begin operating. This will include things like floor mats, punching bags, practice weapons, regulation sparring gear, and mirrors for analyzing the students' form. You'll accumulate more equipment steadily in the coming months and years, so just for stock up on enough to effectively teach your first crop of students for now.^{[7]
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- Once you've drafted and double checked your list, put in an order with a wholesale martial arts supplier, such as Tiger Claw, Century, or Asian World of Martial Arts.
4
Hire other qualified instructors. As your school flourishes, you might to decide bring in additional employees to take over a share of the teaching duties. Evaluate each candidate's credentials, then make time to interview them one-on-one to get a sense of their character. Expertise matters, but so do deeper intangible qualities like humility, patience, and discipline.
- Only align yourself with instructors who are compatible with your moral sensibilities and share in the vision you have for your school.
- When it comes to being respected as a martial arts instructor, the strength of your communication style is every bit as important as the strength of your technique.
- When you're choosing instructors to work with you, look for people who really care for and value their students. They should take their students' success personally.^{[8]
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  Expert Source
  
  Joseph Bautista
  Self Defense Specialist, Martial Arts Instructor, & 1st Aid/CPR Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 9 July 2020.}

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How can I be a good martial arts instructor?

Joseph Bautista
Self Defense Specialist, Martial Arts Instructor, & 1st Aid/CPR Instructor
Joseph Bautista is a Self Defense Specialist and a Martial Arts Instructor specializing in Filipino martial arts. With over 18 years of instructing and martial arts training experience, Joseph runs Legacy Filipino Martial Arts, a Filipino martial arts school based in San Francisco, California. He also teaches self-defense with Self Defense For the People, a self-defense program with clients such as Salesforce, Airbnb, Gap, UPS, and UCSF. When not teaching self defense he is teaching CPR and 1st Aid Skills to 911 Dispatchers and Local Police Officers in the SF Bay Area with 1st Five Minutes.

Joseph Bautista

Self Defense Specialist, Martial Arts Instructor, & 1st Aid/CPR Instructor

Expert Answer

In any subject in life, a great teacher is one who actually cares for their students. Don't just speak to hear yourself speak or teach your students how to show off. Take a personal interest in whether your students are learning to defend themselves.

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Whether you're a novice or a grandmaster, patience is key. Business won't take off overnight, but your passion and dedication to the martial arts will

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Surround yourself with other knowledgeable martial artists and take every opportunity you can to learn from them. Every practitioner has something to offer.

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Though not a necessity, enjoying a successful competitive career can be a great way to build your reputation as a capable martial artist, which can in turn draw students to your school.

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Warnings

Martial arts instructors often make the mistake of focusing too much on spreading their art and not enough on the business end of things. To make it as a school owner, you'll have to devote equal time to training, administration, financial management, and marketing.

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