2. The ability to teach
- Meaning he must have the right knowledge to teach but also know that his rank does not necessarily mean he knows how to teach. His experience does so. 4th degree and above show you that he or she has been in martial arts for a while and may have the experience and time to teach. Beware of the “twenty five year old 4th degree.” Beware of the 10th degree who only boasts about himself with the "look at what I can do" attitude or "i am a Grand this or a Grand that".
3. Compassion
-There are no bad students, only bad teachers. All teachers must have compassion for his students. For example, you could have a student that is in a great physical condition and is able to do what the teacher teaches; then you could have a student who is over weight and has asthma or could have a disability. Both of the students could be a great student if the teacher knows how to handle the student properly. One of the students could take longer to learn a technique but with good guiding skills both students should be able to learn the technique correctly. The teacher must know how to understand a student as an individual and help them become the best they can be.
4. Respect
- This is a must have quality for both the teacher and the student. The student must respect his or her teacher and fellow students. The teacher must also have respect for the students. A teacher who respects his or her students will receive the same treatment back.
5. The ability to evaluate students
- The teacher must be able to tell if the student is ready to move on to the next level. A student may get bored or quit if the teacher holds them back. If you promote a student when he or she is ready you will keep that student, if not you will lose that student. But if you “give” away the rank when a student is not ready, you are also making the mistake and not helping the student.
6. Patience
- The teacher must have enough patience to teach those who don’t learn as fast as others. Not having enough patience could lead to the teacher giving up or losing his temper and may cause him or her to lose a student.
So if you are interested in martial arts, keep in mind the qualities and abilities mentioned above when searching for a teacher.
Good luck in finding a teacher for martial arts.
And yes martial arts is good for everybody, if used for its purpose "self defense".