Responsible tournament training?

[Anthony]

Do you think that someone who trains people to compete should have a successful tournament record themselves? I mean major tournaments and titles? I somehow don't think it's very responsible for TCMA instructors who have little competition experience to train students to fight in tournaments.

[MasterKiller]

How many NFL coaches played in the Superbowl?

Or an NCAA Bowl game?

A lot of them never even played for a Division 1 team in college, IF they played at all.

[GreenCloudCLF]

I agree with MK.

Some people are great MAist....but can't teach for sh!t.

Then you have great teachers who aren't top-notch competitiors (everyone knows at least one overweight SIfu...)

But that doesnt mean they can't teach you what you need to know to compete...

[Green Cloud]

there are great fighters and there are great coaches, being a great fighter doesn't nesesarily mean that youre going to be a great instructor.

Personaly I teach fighting by getting down with every student, if they do well it's due to the fact that they have had ring time with me.

Some sifus have been known to create good fighters by simply conveying their ideas.

[PangQuan]

it all depends on whether they know what they are doing or not.

if they have a comp record it will give them some insights as to what can be expected.

but you can learn that from watching enough competitions.

if someone knows what they are doing then they know. doesnt matter thier past.

[Green Cloud]

I agree, Coaches should have a good fighting backround.

[SevenStar]

If you are going to teach someone to fight, compete, etc. you need to have done it yourself. I personally wouldn't train under anyone who had not competed, as he can't tell me first hand about ring strategy, what to expect, etc. his knowledge would be coming second hand at least. that said, you don't have to be a great fighter to coach, but you need to have done something.

[MasterKiller]

If you are going to teach someone to fight, compete, etc. you need to have done it yourself. I personally wouldn't train under anyone who had not competed, as he can't tell me first hand about ring strategy, what to expect, etc. his knowledge would be coming second hand at least. that said, you don't have to be a great fighter to coach, but you need to have done something.

Here is the total football experience of Bill Belichick, the only NFL coach to ever win 3 superbowls in 4 years: center/tight end at Wesleyan High School 1971-74.

[SevenStar]

which is fine - he played. find a pro football coach who never played ball. heck, find a pro boxing coach who never boxed.

[Scott R. Brown]

Teaching ability is not necessarily related to the teacher's actual ability to perform what he is teaching. We have seen the reference here made to Football Coaches, but my favorite is:

How many people have seen Bella Karoli even STAND on a balance beam, much less perform a double back somersault with a twist? Karoli trains world class gymnasts and has done so for many years. Even if he had been a gynamast in his youth, he is a man and therefore would not have trained on the women's apparatuses!

Having said that it doesn't hurt and can be a definite advantage to have practical experience in what one is teaching.

Successful coaching is a partnership between the coach and the athlete. A talented athlete may make a mediocre coach look good and a mediocre athlete can beneifit from a good coach. However, even a good coach can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear!

[MasterKiller]

which is fine - he played. find a pro football coach who never played ball. heck, find a pro boxing coach who never boxed.

I played RT in highschool. I'm sending the NFL my resume!

[Merryprankster]

They need to have competed in the sport.

They don't need to have been the world's best.

The criteria I would look for is whether or not they consistently turn out champs.