How long to become an "A+" teacher?

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ggsjpc

ggsjpc

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Brian and academy instructors,

How long do you think it takes to reach the "A+" level in Brian's teaching grade scale and how do you go about trying to reach that level?

Do you recommend learning the different methods from the method teachers while working with you?

After 27 years of teaching, looking back, when do you think you reached that level?
 
B

Brian Manzella

Administrator
Self Grades

ggsjpc said:
Brian and academy instructors,

How long do you think it takes to reach the "A+" level in Brian's teaching grade scale and how do you go about trying to reach that level?

Do you recommend learning the different methods from the method teachers while working with you?

After 27 years of teaching, looking back, when do you think you reached that level?
Click to expand...

Just for clarity here is the scale:

The Brian Manzella Scale of "Real World/Live Lesson Giving" Golf Teachers.

F = Can't teach, Can't demonsrate, teaches bad information, doesn't relate to students, everyone who works with them gets worse.

D = Every Day, run-of-the-mill, guy at the local course. Doesn't know any theory, doesn't want to. Can demostrate some. Can relate some. Some students get better.

C = Knows some theory, has studied under someone who has a clue. Maybe has their own method. Can relate to 50%+ of their students. Has developed some good players from scratch. Can help Mrs. Fabersham get it in the air AND not mess up Nicklaus before he tees it up.

B = Very Good teacher. Knows multiple theories. Has some undersatnding of science as it relates to golf. Can teach 75% of all players to improve without bastarizing. If their method is a good fit for a Tour player, they will help them. Often has just one basic appraoch for all, however.

A = Great teacher. Knows a lot of theories by heart. Knows plenty of golf related science. Can relate to 99% of students and help 90% of them in MULTIPLE WAYS. Can get Mrs. Fabersahm to break 90 AND HELP a TOUR PLAYER go win today.

A+ = Knows just about every theory that ever came down the pike. Could teach them all by him/herself or along with the person who "wrote the book." Can relate to 99.9% of all students and can get them ALL to hit it better today without BASTARDIZING. Teaches multiple patterns and multiple ways. Usually good with Juniors of any age and could tell you why every teachers stuff works and why it doesn't.


To answer your question, yes I feel like I am an A+ teacher.

But on that "grading scale," I think you can be an A+ teacher and...

(a) Know about 50% of everything there is to know,
(b) Be about 60% right about knowing exactly what to teach in a certain situation

and...

(c) Be about 70% as good as possible getting people to do what you want them to.​

Here are my self grades on these three elements of teaching golf:

(a) The What - 65
(b) The When - 75
(c) The Get-em-to - 85​

I have a long way to go, in my opinion.

How long to get to a minimum of a "low A+"? (i.e. 50-60-70)

Depends on who that person knows, where they get to teach, who they get to teach, and how bad they need to be good at it.

Best case scenario, 10 years.
 
B

Brian Manzella

Administrator
Brian Manzella said:
Just for clarity here is the scale:

The Brian Manzella Scale of "Real World/Live Lesson Giving" Golf Teachers.

F = Can't teach, Can't demonsrate, teaches bad information, doesn't relate to students, everyone who works with them gets worse.

D = Every Day, run-of-the-mill, guy at the local course. Doesn't know any theory, doesn't want to. Can demostrate some. Can relate some. Some students get better.

C = Knows some theory, has studied under someone who has a clue. Maybe has their own method. Can relate to 50%+ of their students. Has developed some good players from scratch. Can help Mrs. Fabersham get it in the air AND not mess up Nicklaus before he tees it up.

B = Very Good teacher. Knows multiple theories. Has some undersatnding of science as it relates to golf. Can teach 75% of all players to improve without bastarizing. If their method is a good fit for a Tour player, they will help them. Often has just one basic appraoch for all, however.

A = Great teacher. Knows a lot of theories by heart. Knows plenty of golf related science. Can relate to 99% of students and help 90% of them in MULTIPLE WAYS. Can get Mrs. Fabersahm to break 90 AND HELP a TOUR PLAYER go win today.

A+ = Knows just about every theory that ever came down the pike. Could teach them all by him/herself or along with the person who "wrote the book." Can relate to 99.9% of all students and can get them ALL to hit it better today without BASTARDIZING. Teaches multiple patterns and multiple ways. Usually good with Juniors of any age and could tell you why every teachers stuff works and why it doesn't.


To answer your question, yes I feel like I am an A+ teacher.

But on that "grading scale," I think you can be an A+ teacher and...

(a) Know about 50% of everything there is to know,
(b) Be about 60% right about knowing exactly what to teach in a certain situation

and...

(c) Be about 70% as good as possible getting people to do what you want them to.​

Here are my self grades on these three elements of teaching golf:

(a) The What - 65
(b) The When - 75
(c) The Get-em-to - 85​

I have a long way to go, in my opinion.

How long to get to a minimum of a "low A+"? (i.e. 50-60-70)

Depends on who that person knows, where they get to teach, who they get to teach, and how bad they need to be good at it.

Best case scenario, 10 years.
Click to expand...

I self scored myself 65-75-85 and I get no comment?

:confused:
 
tongzilla

tongzilla

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Brian Manzella said:
I self scored myself 65-75-85 and I get no comment?

:confused:
Click to expand...
hey this is your forum and most people who hang around here thinks you're a great teacher regardless of your score...they know you're great (either directly via your teaching or from reading your posts lol), you know you're great, they know you know you're great ...what's there to comment about.
 
B

Brian Manzella

Administrator
tongzilla said:
hey this is your forum and most people who hang around here thinks you're a great teacher regardless of your score...they know you're great (either directly via your teaching or from reading your posts lol), you know you're great, they know you know you're great ...what's there to comment about.
Click to expand...

You are right of course about all of that, Leo. ;)

I was just commenting that we must be purging all the haters. :D

Cool, huh? :cool:
 
S

softconsult

New
I have a comment. It doesn't matter how much you know if you can't communicate. I think a fair amount of the problem with golf instructors is that they tend to be jocks. Jocks have never been known to be the brightest bulbs on the tree. That's been my experience. People are generally terrible communicators, my golf instructors have been equally bad. Brian is a great communicator. Try making a video without screwing up about every two minutes. Very tough to pull off.
 
B

Brian Manzella

Administrator
golfspike said:
How would you rate Mac O'Grady with these numbers? I heard that he can pretty much copy a persons swing and tell them how/feel to change it
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I think you don't quite understand.

100-100-100 would mean....

a. You know EVERYTHING there is to know about how the golf swing works and doesn't. From the pure science of REAL physics, the golf science of the D-Plane vs. the true path vs. the plane line + true clubface, to the reaction of multiple types of golfers to different mechanics, suggestions, and stimuli.
Not to mention all the stuff in 3D world. Etc. Etc.

b. You know EXACTLY WHAT to tell ANYONE at any particular time in their development, for maximum benefit.

c. You can get ANYONE—that's Tour Players, celebrities, college players, new golfers, 10-handicappers with short attention spans, little old lady school teachers, kids who don't want to be a the lesson, housewives crying about cheating husbands, superior athletes, folks with disabilities of all kinds, guys who don't want to actually change anything but want to improve, guys with zero flexibility and zero athletic ability, gals with maximum flexibility and little strength, etc—to do anything you want them to.


I really don't want to grade anyone else on this scale.

But, if you have some basic knowledge, you can take some educated guesses.
 
ggsjpc

ggsjpc

New
Thanks for the input. So, if you were mentoring someone, how would you recommend they go about it?
 
B

Brian Manzella

Administrator
ggsjpc said:
Thanks for the input. So, if you were mentoring someone, how would you recommend they go about it?
Click to expand...

You need to start by finding the best teacher you can, and learning everything they will teach you.

Then you need to teach as many different kind of people you can.

Then you need to want to be way better than you are now—everyday.
 
StewartBannatyne

StewartBannatyne

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Brian Manzella said:
Most of the guys started as students of mine.

But, later this year, we are going to make the process easier.
Click to expand...

That's one of my pet peeves about the PGA and CPGA... I love teaching, and would love nothing more than to be a teacher, but to have the certification to look reputable and get a job, I need to do three years of apprenticing to learn all sorts of things I don't want to learn?

It blows me away that the PGA's of the world haven't split up the certifications. My belief is that Pro Shops and golf clubs would be run a million times better if there were no head pros, but a group of four or five people whom specialize in different aspects of the day to day work. Pro Shop Manager, Director of Instruction, Tournament Director, one person whose main focus is to do the best that they can at one single aspect.

Imagine if there was a two or three year certification program to become a PGA Class A Teacher, and for the duration of the program, you actually learned information that was correct, and would actually help golfers! I went to a college where there was a large PGM program, and if some of those guys will be the future of this game, we are in trouble.

Kudos to you, Brian, for potentially sending this game in the right direction.

Stew

P.S. - Great job with little Derek thus far too. The kid's come a long way.
 
birdie_man

birdie_man

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A good thread.

The funny thing is, Brian, that a lot of teachers I'm sure will give up on the people you just listed. "Golf misfits."
 
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