Obviously I am partial to all things USMC (Once a Marine… ) but in this case it is also a good example of the difference between
training instructors vs. training ‘martial artists.’
This is a short (and obviously promotional) video on the Instructor Training Program at Quantico, Virginia for the MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). These ARE NOT ‘martial arts’ students. They ARE instructor trainees.
What’s the difference?
The focus is not primarily on technical skill, it is on how to teach these skills. Notice too that there is strong emphasis on role modeling (teaching by example) from personal behavior and historical examples.
Most recreational martial artists are really teachers first and practitioners second. But, how much ‘teacher training’ have they received or sought on their own?
You can’t teach well if you don’t know what you are teaching, true. But how many of our fellow ‘martial artists’ (who really are teachers of martial arts) have not spent even half as much time on learning to instruct/coach/mentor as they have on perfecting their technical skill?
Tactical Arnis 