How To Be A World-Class Instructor

Lessons From Titans Of The Training Industry

I recently visited Witchita Falls, Texas, where I had the honor and opportunity to work with the world-class professionals of Starting Strength in their first-ever LIFT, SHOOT, FIGHT camp.

 

The class was great.

 

Everyone was safe, had a good time, and learned lots.

 

However, I’ve realized a much deeper takeaway from the class.

 

I’ve enjoyed working with and training under many industry leaders with decades of experience and insight into what works.

 

So it’s enriching to add Mark Rippetoe and Nick Delgadillo’s names to people like Tom Givens, Craig Douglas, and Matt Larsen in that catalog and help with my breadth and depth of instructor experiences.

 

The parallels in watching the top professional instructors in the world with a body of work so significant have taught me a few things.

I. The Customer is Usually Wrong

 The maxim of “the customer is always right” couldn’t be more wrong. The customer/client/end-user almost always prioritizes aesthetics first.

People get into fitness to try to look like bodybuilders.

People get into martial arts to do what they see in movies or on UFC.

People think Combatives is about empty hands fighting or hand to hand combat.

And of course, instead of investing $2000 in training, people will spend $2000 on a gun.

These are the type of people you will NOT see at courses because they are too busy looking for a proverbial silver bullet.

They have no idea what they need or how to apply skills to their specific operational context.

As a result, they all predictably fail because they are all doing the WRONG things.

II. Motivated People Find Experts

Although subject matter experts (SME) can inspire motivation, that is not the job of the SME.





Instead, it is the job of the SME to produce a long-term, reliable and consistent performance in the shortest amount of time possible.




The SME also creates a community and culture that demands excellence in all the essential tasks.

III. Fundamentals are Essential

Not just “fundamental.” Essential.




Fundamental skills are often confused with easily or quickly done because of the simplicity, but this is a huge mistake.

 

If you believe this, you are wrong.

People interpret high-performance levels via “breaking the rules” and can’t see that the individual has mastered the rules to the point where they can break them like an artist.

 

IV. Aesthetics Are The Byproduct

Most people seek the “aesthetic” byproduct of adherence to a long-term process that reliably and predictably produces a specific result.

 

Therefore, it’s essential to maintain in the forefront of a quality product that superficial goals lead to superficial results. Not the goal.

 

“How do I address the novice looking for that aesthetic result?” is the question that remained with me.

 

Now for the novice, the good news is that tangible and measurable progress comes very fast with just a little bit of adherence to the process as a novice in any given area with quality coaching.

 

It’s at the advanced level where it’s difficult to improve because the stakes are high.

 

However, the people who need that are so far and few that it’s almost not even worth discussing because they are informed consumers.

 

They likely already know what they need and will probably not be the clients asking these questions.

 

V. From Good To Great Instructor

The difference between the good and the great, or in this case, good amateur and professional, is the degree of subconscious competence of the fundamental skills applied.

 

Simplicity will always be superior to complexity.

Simple does not mean easy.

 

In fact, doing something simple over and over again like you love it is the hardest thing to do.

 

If that weren’t true, then everyone would be a world-class performer or a world-class instructor.

 

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