Respect on the Mat: Martial Arts Training in Redondo Beach

While respect is key to all martial arts training, today I want to address respect for the teacher on the mat in any class, from Muay Thai kickboxing to Kali Silat to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) to Krav Maga to BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). New students don’t always understand how this respect works, and even experienced students sometimes need to be reminded. A good instructor always treats his or her students with respect on the mat, and it has to be mutual. At Elite, we address the instructors on the mat as “Sir” or “Ma’am,” generally. This is not an ego-boosting thing for the instructor…its purpose is to emphasize a teacher-student relationship while training. It’s a recognition that the instructor has something to teach you, and by addressing him or her with courtesy and respect you’re expressing gratitude for the knowledge they are passing to you, knowledge they spent years learning and paying for with sweat and occasionally blood.

Whoever is leading the mat deserves the respect of everyone present; if a white belt who is experienced at yoga is asked to come stretch the class, that student must be treated properly while he or she is leading the class. Even the head instructor will address them as “Sir” or “Ma’am” and listen to instruction during that time.

Besides the manner of address, how else do we show respect on the mat for the instructor? It’s fairly intuitive: Be attentive when he or she is speaking or demonstrating; change your gear before or after the instructor addresses the class; don’t discuss things with your partner while the instructor’s talking; keep off-topic chatter to a minimum; do the drill or technique that the rest of the class is doing… Ask questions! Questions are awesome! But use judgment; it’s disrespectful to challenge an instructor. For example, if you have prior martial arts experience and don’t agree with a technique being taught, don’t challenge the instructor at that time. It’s never appropriate; it makes other students uncomfortable, and you’ll look silly if you end up being incorrect in what you’re saying. Any good instructor will welcome a rational discussion after class, so bring up concerns at that time.

Occasionally lines between instructor and friend can be blurred and can make respect on the mat more difficult. Sometimes friends or family members of an instructor join a school. Sometimes a student becomes an instructor to his or her friends who are still students. No matter the relationship off the mat, when we step onto the mat we must fall into the appropriate roles of teacher and student with the proper mutual respect. This formality may seem silly to some, but respect for the mat, for our partners, and for the arts themselves are all tied together and respecting the teacher is essential to all of them.

~Katie Toney

Elite Training Center
1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-1600
www.elitetrainingcenter.net