Instructor Fitness

[47MartialMan]

I was weight training with an associate in a health fitness gym when we had taken notice of a large man, oddly shaped, but not grossly corpulent.

My associate stated that the fellow was the center's Tai Ji instructor. Followed by another on how he did not approve that such a person be capable of teaching Tai Ji.

My question to him was;

To be a teacher in such, one has to be in top shape?


Followed by another,

Does a teacher has to have been a student or a person of example?

In other words, can a teacher or coach be one that has not played the game? (In this instance-be in shape)

Respectfully looking for replies.,

[Chief Fox]

In other words, can a teacher or coach be one that has not played the game? (In this instance-be in shape)

Would you say that the person in the link below is in shape?

http://www.neijia.net/obrazy/galeria/yang_chengfu.jpg

He's got pudgy cheeks, a double chin and a very thick neck. Many people would consider this man to be out of shape by today's standards.

Here's another picture. His name is Yang Chengfu. Yang Tai Chi master.

http://jianluo.schloss-voss.de/Lehrm...20Peitsche.jpg

[samson818]

To be a solid practitioner/instructor of many martial arts, you do not have to be in "shape" or resemble a bodybuilder.
I know many instructors who teach Taiji, Bagua, Hsingyi, etc. who can throw most physically fit people around like ragdolls - past and present.
You may also want to try his hands out before you make any assumptions based on his appearance. He may be good, he may be horrible....
His focus may be on solidifying the foundations of his art (body mechanics, form, pushhands...), rather than fitness.

That being said, I personally feel like one should be a presentable representation for your style/school/lineage.
In actions, abilities, and appearance.

Different strokes for different folks.

[laugarkuen]

I feel as long as the instructor can do what he says he can then there is no problem, though I agree with samson818 that you should also be presentable.

If you are a tai chi instructor then there is no need to be able to run around like a maniac but you should be able to perform your forms without collapsing (including cannon fist).

If you are a kickboxing instructor on the other hand I would expect you to be very fit but I would wonder how you would do with pushing hands for example.

[BoulderDawg]

I think it's a little difficult to really teach a high intensity MA if you are out of shape. So much is done by example and a good teacher works hard.

I think it even goes to other sports. The football caoch at Notre Dame is a good example. I know he's an excellent coach however if I was being recuited I would have real concerns that this man would not make it through my fours years in the program.

[samson818]

I wanted to add that many oldschool Kung Fu Sifus get pretty out of shape as they get older.
If you look at pictures of them in their youth, most look pretty lean and mean.
They probably trained harder than most of us.
This is not to excuse their appearance, but I guess its about prioritization.
You only have so much time during the day to teach, make money, family, and train yourself.
That being said, their skill level has also increased dramatically despite their considerable bulk.

[samson818]

I wanted to add that many oldschool Kung Fu Sifus get pretty out of shape as they get older.
If you look at pictures of them in their youth, most look pretty lean and mean.
They probably trained harder than most of us.
This is not to excuse their appearance, but I guess its about prioritization.
You only have so much time during the day to teach, make money, family, and train yourself.
That being said, their skill level has also increased dramatically despite their considerable bulk.

[David Jamieson]

martial skill and being buff are not hand in hand.

tank abbot. there you go.

being fit and looking like a body builder also are not communed.

many body builders look good, but are seriously crappy fighters even with their strength. what are they gonna do? Curl you? military press you? they have jaws like anyone else.

don't judge a book by it's cover, it's projecting and it's a shallow view and you will wind up with crappy instruction if that's your only criteria.

I know more than a few sensei and sifu who are fit, but look just average.

anyway... not saying it's a black or white thing, just saying if you want to look buff, then go do that, but if you want to learn martial art, then do that. they are not the same regimens by any stretch.

if you fight competitively you will likely get pretty buff because of the amount of training and conditioning required.

if you practice martial arts as a life thing, you will be fit, you might even get buff, but body form doesn't mean a punch won't work.

[47MartialMan]

So could it be said, the only way to absolutely know and instruct about something is to experience it?

Should someone have been good at whatever in order to teaching?

Would one ever learn swimming from somebody who cannot swim??

Some doctors smoke and do unhealthy habits, yet tell patients not to.

If you were to seek health advice, would you expect the person to be very healthy.?

A teacher should know what he is talking about and could the only way you can trully know something is to have practiced that knowledge yourself?

Although some boxing coaches were not boxers, could you ever learn fighting from somebody who could not fight?

Swimming from somebody who could not swim?

And not take health advice from somebody who is not healthy?

[Chief Fox]

Mike Tyson & Trainer Cus D'Amato

http://www.boxrec.com/media/images/t...0px-Damato.jpg

[SevenStar]

I think it's a little difficult to really teach a high intensity MA if you are out of shape. So much is done by example and a good teacher works hard.

I think it even goes to other sports. The football caoch at Notre Dame is a good example. I know he's an excellent coach however if I was being recuited I would have real concerns that this man would not make it through my fours years in the program.

good teachers also age. look at a lot of the older boxing coaches. They can and will train the bejesus outta you based on their experience, though they may no longer be able to work at the same level themselves. Sticking with your example, You will be hard pressed to find ANY football coaches that could keep up with the regimen their players go through. But that doesn't mean that they couldn't back in the day. You can't overlook experience.

If whomever your teacher is in whatever style you train in was no longer able to train at the same intensity himself, but was still teaching, would you leave him?

That said, if the guy is fairly young, yes, I can see your point. However, once the youth starts to fade, performance will also.

[SevenStar]

I was weight training with an associate in a health fitness gym when we had taken notice of a large man, oddly shaped, but not grossly corpulent.

My associate stated that the fellow was the center's Tai Ji instructor. Followed by another on how he did not approve that such a person be capable of teaching Tai Ji.

My question to him was;

To be a teacher in such, one has to be in top shape?

one thing to note here - you are looking at classes being held in a gym. People will not be as quick to want to work with a trainer that is (or at least looks to be) in worse shape than they are. Teaching and training in a gym, you will fare better if you are in top shape.

Followed by another,

Does a teacher has to have been a student or a person of example?

In other words, can a teacher or coach be one that has not played the game? (In this instance-be in shape)

Respectfully looking for replies.,

I personally would not train under anyone who had not had first hand experience in what he was teaching me at some point in his career. How can you accurately teach me something that you have not done yourself?

[47MartialMan]

But, we are not talking about a "health-fitness" instructor like an aerobics or weight training.

[TenTigers]

Frankly, I feel that you must 'Be the Product" you should look like a Sifu. I teach Hung-Ga, and although I am nearly 50, I am in good shape and am still working out, still trying to improve myself, my art, my performance, my knowledge, etc.
I also find that the harder I train, the more motivated I am as a teacher. It's like getting your batteries chasrged.

[47MartialMan]

So, in the essence of teaching,

If your going to teach ANYTHING to ANYONE you should be good at it.

If learning Spanish, it is expected that the instructor speak it fluently and have spent a good portion of time in a spanish speaking country.

If teaching someone how to fight and get in shape for competition, is it to expect that th teacher have competed before, and are in pretty beastly in also?