Leadership

The most important thing I learned in martial arts is not punching, kicking or swinging a stick. It wasn’t the camaraderie, the smiles and sweat, the love of the art or anything you expect.

The most important thing I learned from martial arts was leadership.

Leading others to martial art success is a huge responsibility. As an instructor, it can be overwhelming to teach a class of wide-eyed martial art students with one goal – black belt. How do you bring them forward to success so they can achieve this tremendous goal?

Communication

First, good communication is key. Clear instruction. Praise. Feedback. Encouragement. These same key ingredients are used by the best leaders in the world. You cannot become an effective leader without strong communication skills and martial arts set you on the path to learning to communicate effectively.

Goals

Next, martial art instructors must understand the tasks and steps that each student requires for their goals. If you have no goals, you have no direction. Consider a job you have had where there was no discussion about your path forward. You feel like you are in limbo and have no direction. This lack of goals creates ambiguity and negativity.

Martial arts help you set goals for yourself and your students. For your students, you learn to appreciate  their unique and varied talents and accomplishments. You provide them with direction and a succinct path forward. The best leaders are goal oriented and help their teams stretch toward success.

Mentorship

Martial arts allow me to be a mentor, coach and cheerleader, all of which are incredible leadership skills.

I was the biggest fan of my martial art students. Watching them flourish, learn and grow was exciting. Many children students were so shy, bullied and scared at first and within months, sometimes weeks, they stood with their heads held high. Many adults came to class with preconceived notions that they can never achieve a black belt. They quickly learned that anything is possible. The transformation over a short time is astounding and amazing and I helped them get there.

I’ve promoted many martial art students over the years, and many black belts, as well. Their grit and determination pushed them forward. I can’t give anyone perseverance or confidence, but I can give them the tools they need to find these skills for themselves of martial arts.

Appreciate

Leaders who treat their teams as a group of talented individuals working together toward a common goals allows them to accomplish great things. Cheering them on toward success is a leadership skill prompted from my years of teaching martial arts.

I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to own and operate my own martial art programs for more than 20 years. I’m a better person for it in so many ways. The leadership skills and attributes that I learned as a martial art instructor connect to my career, my personal life and beyond. One of the most important is simply that I appreciate the efforts of others far more than I appreciate my own.

The best lesson martial art instructors teach to others is that wherever you are in your journey, keep pushing through the obstacles and frustrations. Martial art instructors do not put their own success above their students. Instead, they teach what they know so others can achieve.

xoxo

Andrea

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