As coaches we’ve all had those classes where it seems like no one got the technique right.

Especially the white belts. As much as they try, they just can’t put it all together.

Whether it's a double leg, triangle, or switch kick–what you show the class isn’t what you’re seeing during drilling.

How do we as instructors manage this situation?

We could call and audible and make the whole class about that one technique.

We could change our game plan and teach triangles for the next month.

All they need is more reps. They’ll get it after a while, right?

Yes… and also no.

Let me tell you why.

You made the decision to focus on the single technique until everyone gets it right.

The problem with this approach is that eventually your students get bored of shooting doubles.

Then they stop coming to class.

Then they never get the technique right, because they quit practicing altogether.

So how do we make sure students get the techniques right and don’t get bored?

We rely on our curriculum.

The curriculum gives us structure and a schedule to follow.

We know students don’t have to figure out a technique today, or even this week.

All they need today is reps on a few techniques.

Fundamentals Curriculum

Take our fundamentals curriculum for example.

The fundies curriculum is 16 units long, with each unit rotating after a week.

That means in 16 weeks our students have seen the whole fundies curriculum.

That’s a lot of new techniques. Most of our students aren’t able to execute many of them perfectly.

That’s okay.

We know that it takes at least 4 months to be eligible for any class above fundamentals. It often takes students longer than that to get promoted to their second stripe.

Which means that they’ll go through the entire fundie curriculum at least once, if not more.

That’s the key.

As long as students are improving and seeing new techniques regularly, they’ll stay engaged.

Engaged students train more often and stay members for longer than students who are bored.

We don’t need them to execute a perfect triangle today. They’ll have the opportunity to practice it many times while they’re with us.

Stop getting caught up that students aren’t getting it today. Martial arts are hard.

We just need to keep them coming to class and eventually they will get it.

Another benefit to having a curriculum is that we know the students are going to see the same techniques throughout the week, taught in a very similar way, no matter who their instructor is.

Each class gives them an opportunity to get a few more reps in.

Then we know they’ll get another dose of that technique in a few months, so another chance to keep improving.

Brick by brick we’re building skilled martial artists. The only thing that stops them from improving is if they stop coming.

It’s our job to stop that from happening.

A curriculum is simply a roadmap to improving students. As long as you know the way, you don’t need to panic when they’re lost in a class.

Just keep following the map.

If you don’t have a curriculum at your school, how are you certain that your students will continue to grow unless they get it down right now?

You can’t be. That’s why you need one.