What is a PROFESSIONAL martial arts instructor ?
Why is one instructor a "professional" and another something lessor... or not "professional" at all?

Thoughts anyone???
J

A couple of years ago, when I had been running my own classes for around 6 or 7 years, my mum came to watch me teach and my daughter train.

During the break, in a loud voice, she told me "ooh, that was really good, you looked like a real karate teacher" I saw several students snigger and a few look gobsmacked

To answer the question, I gues a proffessional teacher is one who does it full time, or at least that is what most people mean when they say it.
Sharon

Not sure what you are looking for here.

I would genererally expect that anyone that made their living teaching martial arts would be called a professional.

Notice I did not say anything about skill level. There are many "professional" Martial artists that don't know jack. And many "non-professional" that do.

If you can find a way to pay the bills with martial arts you are a professional regardless of skill. Some can not or don't want to.

Page

Ronin,

Budoc hit it on the head. The term itself is defined by making a livining from whay you are doing. Some of us are only serious hobbyists. Many, because that is all we can afford to be.

I'd say it depend what your definition(s) of 'professional' are. I was once told 'unpaid does not mean unprofessional', likewise paying for something is not a guarantee of 'professional' service.

I'd say you could mean an instructor whose primary(?) income is from MA

OR

An instructor who provides a high quality service.

Ok, let's add a new dimension to the question, what would you consider qualifying to be a "professor" of the MA. To be an education professor has some stringent qualifications, not just the PhD. So, considering that both words have the same root, perhaps the meaning might be related.

Hello Still Wadowoman:

It is amusing given the amount of time many of us spend, and the years, decades that many of us spend... I am always appalled and severely amused by the reaction of ones parents, IF, if and when they finally observe a class...

Complete strangers come to us, but people whom we know and love remain... uninterested, oblivious, ignorant or something else. A strange challenge....

In answer to others responses I suppose, I am seeking others perspectives, others views concerning what the term means from fellow practitioners of many assorted arts. We toss the term "professional" around pretty loosely... many of us, so I was curious if there were other facets, other aspects concerning "professional" which I had not as yet considered...

"Professional" being defined as being ones "day job"... fairly standard, I was hoping for some other aspects/factors to the concept/term perhaps.

J

A professional is one who answers the question: "What is your profession?" when they are doing their taxes.

consider the answers:
'fitness consultant'
'business owner'
'art instructor'
'sport coach'
'ring fighter'
'entertainer'
'coreographer'
etc...
wouldn't being in those professions (which all could be Martial Artists) make you a professional?

I answer 'software engineer'. so I'm not a professional martial artist.

now, what about the instructors that teach at night/weekends and have other full-time professions by day? people can have multiple professions: Congressman/adult night-club owner, for instance.

lets make it more complicated and say an MA instructor teaches for free and doesn't need to claim it. then you have to turn to the death certificate...if that person died today, how would the same profession question be answered by the family?

taxes and death...the two sure and defining things.

Hello Kickinuggett:

Wow ancient thread!

<< I'd expect him/her to BEHAVE professionally

Meaning what exactly? What is professional ~martial behavior~ per se? I obviously have ideas but I'm hoping to hone-solidify them hopefully via more discussion...

<<and have very sound knowledge in his/her art.

Again no quibbles here, merely curious as to your details...

<<Whether the teacher makes teaching MA his/her only income is a non-issue.

Truly? I beg to differ, rather strongly actually... I want my Neuro-Surgeon, to do that, and ONLY that, not have another "primary job" as a... plumber! Identically I want the professional instructor to do that and hopefully only that... because that is their profession?

Jeff