Say less
When I was a young martial arts teacher, I watched my own teacher work with novices, give them one or two pointers, tell them they were doing fine, and walk away, leaving them to continue in movements that I could clearly see were filled with errors. Did I really see better than he did?
I recently observed a young teacher give instruction to a novice. This young instructor explained all of the novice’s movement errors and what should be done to correct them. The teacher gave this in good and solid detail.
I watched the novice understand the first point, follow the second, struggle to also keep in mind the third, and then as instructor continued to speak, I saw the student’s understanding slip. I am not sure he even remembered the first points.
And the instructor continued.
It is a teacher trap to think you can give all the information you need to give to a student, in any moment. No matter what the level of the student, it is not helpful to tell them everything they could be doing better. It’s too much.
Yet holding back can be hard. A teacher wants to give what they know, and a young teacher especially delights in this new way to express their understanding and love of the art. To hold back for the sake of the student can mean a sudden and uncomfortable struggle with your own desires. To be an excellent teacher, see this moment as an a chance for you to learn to teach better, deeper.
I recommend limiting points to three, preferably two, and ideally, just one. Which one? Look for the point that other points best pivot around. Ideally this is a nexus issue that most strongly serves the student’s learning at this stage on their path.
Or simply give the one point that occurs to you first. It is more important to limit your corrections than that to give the ideal correction.
Give them that one thing. Take your time. Look for the understanding in their eyes.
And then, if it is true, tell them they are doing well, and walk away.