In the perfect world you would be able to walk into any gym or any martial arts studio and receive the best of instruction and training .
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
The martial arts world is almost completely unregulated and is fraught with politics and ego’s. The fitness industry is little different.
Many times over the years have I met instructors who are teaching information that they have no experience of and people who have been on a weekend course cashing in on their new “expertise”.
I have personally witnessed instructors checking out video footage before stepping onto the training floor to teach the same thing they just learned from the screen. I’ve seen instructors try to teach things that they read in a book the day before. And I’ve seen instructors teach things that if tried for real, would get the student badly hurt. That’s not all.
There are Martial Arts instructors giving themselves and their buddies grades, fabricating tournament results and fight experience on order to make themselves look cool. This is both disrespectful to their own teachers but also to the students.
The gyms are no different. Spotty skinny teenage personal trainers? It has taken me 15 years to build the knowledge and experience to train other to a high level of fitness and performance, and you know what, I’m still learning every day (check out my inbox, there are around 20 newsletter updates from top trainers around the world every day!). Gym instructors who have no knowledge of correct bodymechanics, of how to perform the basic lifts and are limited to aerobics and machines. Ask one of the regulars at the Kettlebell class, he was the victim of one such gym instructor. The instructor refused to teach him the Deadlift, as it is too dangerous, the lad was left to his own devices and got himself hurt trying to do it on his own.
OK, you could blame the lad for trying on his own, but seriously, the deadlift is a cornerstone of any strength program and is one of the simplest, most basic moves in the world.
I strongly advise you to check out your instructors. After all you will be paying them a substantial amount of cash to get you fit, strong and fight capable.
You wouldn’t employ somebody at work without checking their references, so why not check your instructors certifications and claims. Just remember, look at who signed the certs.
Certificates are easy to forge, signatures not quite so. Plus, why not contact the people who issued the certs? I know of several notable instructors who show off false certificates, one even has a cert signed by an instructor who can’t write! How is that right?
If you are looking to train, you are looking for quality instruction.
Make sure you get it.
Self Defence is about a lot more than hitting people, it’s about protecting yourself from all forms of attack, and that means scam artists and shams.
Regards
Wild Geese
every cause but our own
Kenpo / Eskrima / BJJ / Strength & Conditioning www.wildgeesema.com/ wildgeesema.blogspot.com
+353 87 672 6090