BBM Leadership Program                      

(Black Belt Member)

Designed to teach students leadership and instructing skills.

Vision: What we want to be

We are a family-oriented, life skills, martial arts school.
Our vision is to be a center of martial arts education, empowerment, and enlightenment where people become Black Belts, Champions, and Leaders in Society.

Mission Statement: What we do

Our mission is to help people be their best, make a difference in the world around them, and live life to the fullest through martial arts training and education.

Black Belt Excellence is About

• Being your best and doing your best, at home, school/work, and the community.

• Building a strong mind, body, and spirit through martial arts training.

• Smiling, sweating, and learning.

• Family, fun, and fitness in a safe, positive, and disciplined environment.

• Being the highlight of your day, the path to an empowered life.

Discover why Brunelle Martial Arts is renowned as a community leader and voted #1 choice for Family Martial Arts training in Essex County.

How to Become a Martial Arts Instructor

A martial arts instructor teaches people all aspects of a martial art, from tactics, self-defence and physical conditioning, to philosophy, history and decorum.

Since the times of the earliest recorded societies, mankind has trained in and developed the arts of war during peace time, as preparation for times of conflict. Before the advent of firearms these arts consisted of fighting with the hands and feet, as well as training with weapons such as cutting instruments (swords, knives), blunt instruments (chains, staffs) and projectiles (javelins, bow and arrow). Over time various countries' arts of war, literally translated as the martial arts, became highly stylised by their elite practitioners - a physical elite who organised them into learning systems encompassing physical conditioning, philosophy and etiquette.

With the advent of firearms there has been little need for hand to hand combat in most developed countries since the 16th century and yet the martial arts have continued to exert a lasting appeal over society, never more so than today. The reasons for this are manifold: the martial arts are challenging to learn; one must pass through physical, emotional and spiritual learning, none of which comes without a measure of adversity. Through adversity one can learn about oneself, one's limits, and how to exceed these. There is also a perceived need for personal self-defence in today's society and to a practitioner, the martial arts offer confidence, itself a deterrent to crime. There are many other reasons for learning a martial art, each one of them personal to the individual student.

Responsibilities

A martial arts instructor's working day will contain the following elements:

• Preparing class plans in advance.

• Teaching classes which will normally consist of warm up, skills training, conditioning, sparring, stretching and some lecturing - all in varying amounts on different days.

• Monitoring and noting students' progress, providing feedback for students on an individual and group basis where there is need for improvement/ grounds for reward.

• Keeping up to date on personal skills and training.

• Continuing study of martial arts theory and philosophy.

• Administrative duties.

• Promotional enterprises such as advertising, arranging new classes, demonstrations etc.

• Travelling to other clubs to give special workshops.

• Coaching and leading at events such as martial arts tournaments.

Qualifications

The exact qualification required to teach a martial art varies from art to art and therein between different organisations. Extraneous circumstance excepted, all arts agree that a teacher must be at least a mature, advanced student and have first passed through a period of apprenticeship.

Usually, dedicated students will be given increasing responsibility as they prove themselves capable. Once their skills are good enough to provide a correct example to beginners they will be invested with some teaching roles, such as taking warm-up or teaching absolute beginners. "Phase one"

Over time, an advanced student will go on to teaching his own classes with lessening amounts of supervision. Only a fully qualified instructor may conduct gradings; in the case of an assistant instructor with his own class, his superior will grade the students, though they remain in the care of the assistant. "Phase two"

There are qualifications available to teach gym based martial arts. These sport versions ignore the theoretical aspects of martial arts, focusing purely on fitness and a little self-defence. At the highest level and experienced over 10 years time many students will get the opportunities to teach their own programs at the dojo or even start their own Brunelle Martial Arts Schools. Gradings are always done by the Soke (the founder of the programs/Schools. "Phase three"

Skills

In order to teach the martial arts, an instructor would need the following:

• A high level of skill in his given art and the go-ahead to teach, or a nationally recognised qualification.

• Excellent fitness.

• Some anatomical knowledge.

• Confidence speaking in front of an audience.

• The ability to communicate complex ideas to a wide range of people.

• The patience to teach people of vastly differing physical ability.

• Good organisational skills; a martial arts instructor is responsible for running his own business or partnerships.

Working Conditions
Martial arts classes are taught from either a space in a sports centre or often from a rented out temporary space such as a school, church or community hall. Some martial arts schools are lucky enough to have their own dedicated training space but this is rare in larger cities where rents are high.

Classes usually take place at evenings and weekends outside of working hours. A class may take from 1 - 3 hours consisting of different elements. There is always the risk of danger at a martial arts class, and it is up to the instructor to minimise this via safe working practices and correct teaching. Protective equipment such as soft mats, foot pads, gloves and headgear can be used while sparring. For weapons work there are wooden and plastic training versions. Depending on the type of martial art, the risk of injury may be greater, though usually to the students rather than the instructor.

Teaching martial arts properly is an immensely challenging and rewarding job. Leading by example can effectively mean taking a very hard martial arts class at the same time as lecturing. It naturally follows then that a martial arts instructor's level of fitness and ability has to be in excess of his students. Working for only 2 - 5 hours per day may sound like an easy ride but doing so 7 days a week to a high level of excellence, in addition to the peripheral duties, can leave an instructor exhausted. Depending on the seriousness of one's students there can also be a large emotional factor. Some students invest a lot of emotion and hope in their training and an instructor can find themselves being a focal point in multiple people's lives.

Experience

As mentioned in qualifications, the main factor for teaching traditional martial arts is experience itself, that can only be gained through years of practice. For the dedicated martial arts student thinking of becoming an instructor it would also help to have experience in any other form of teaching, sports or otherwise.

Teaching children martial arts is hugely different from teaching adults, (there is a much greater responsibility and attention required), so any experience working with children is advantageous.

Employers

Martial arts instructors can often find work by hiring a space in a gym or fitness centre. Alternatively instructors may be able to set up classes in community spaces such as youth centres, meeting halls or churches.

For independent instructors the employer is the general public. Advertising in specialist magazines, sports halls, libraries, shops and other community spaces will draw in students.

Career Progression

Assistant martial arts instructors work their way up to be fully qualified instructors. After many years running one's own school, a martial arts instructor could come to head up his own organisation, comprising of other schools taught by his graduated students, operating under his guidance.