April2014.pdf April 2014 | Page 48

Fitness who care about people. It is the responsibility of your instructor to keep your students safe and in order to do this most effectively, they have to have a genuine concern for each student. Authenticity, empathy and compassion are qualities that someone shows up with so don’t make the mistake believing that you can teach an instructor to care. They are either wired that way, or they are not. ‘Nuff said. Enthusiastic Passion and enthusiasm is the #1 thing that I look for in a kickboxing instructor. The best instructors are excited about life and their enthusiasm is contagious. They encourage their students to have fun and try harder just by their presence. An enthusiastic and excited instructor is more motivating than the best technical fighter, hands down! Reliable Okay, so maybe reliability is the #1 quality I look for in an instructor. How many times does it take for an instructor to show up late (or not at all) to a class before your students lose trust in you and your school? 48 Dojo Digest • April 2014 Just once. Find your leaders, who already have a strong punctuality standard and train them well. Where do you find these EAGER people? They are probably right under your nose. More than likely, they are already in your own school. Look at your martial arts students. Who is E.A.G.E.R.? Find them, train them, encourage them, track them, train them some more and you’ll build a strong team that will attract more students without you ever having to sport your spandex. (Thank goodness!) For more information about how to build a kickboxing program at your school, contact Melodee Meyer at [email protected]. Melodee Meyer Creator of the Kickboxers Ultimate Training (KUT) system, a 9-week award winning fitness program designed to transform your body and transform your life.