#13: Fariborz Azhakh – How To Be A Master Teacher

“I never wanted to be the greatest martial artist ever, I always saw myself as a teacher.  I want to influence people, I don’t want them to be impressed by what I do, I want to be a vehicle for them to learn. To me integrity is a moment by moment choice.  My work is to challenge myself to choose the way I respond to situations.  Who we are is more important than what we do.”

My guest this episode is Fariborz Azhakh, who is a master of Hapkido and a student of Master Steve Sexton.  He is the founder of Team Karate Centers and over the years has built on the foundations of Hapkido to develop a system of multicultural martial arts based on usefulness;  one that draws upon principles from a variety of fighting styles and ranges, including kickboxing, grappling, trapping, weapons, joint locks, and meditation. The “Hapkido Blend,” allows all students to cultivate their own individual art within the traditions of Hapkido. Throughout his journey, he repeatedly cites his teachers and heroes as his greatest inspirations, among them: Benny Urquidez, Ji Han Jae, Ron Balicki, Stuart Quan, and Simon and Phillip Rhee.  Sensei Fariborz is also a pioneer of martial arts on the internet, he created the first major martial arts resource website and online magazine back in the 1990s when websites were almost unheard of. 

This episode is all about becoming a master teacher.  My key takeaway is that self-defense and self-development must be taught as in integrated curriculum.  As martial artists and martial arts teachers we have a responsibility to our students and to ourselves, to learn, practice, master, functionalism and maintain not only our physical skills but also our personal and interpersonal skills as a combined approach.  We also dive deep into the distinction between a Teacher, Instructor, and Coach.  Sensei Fariborz and I also discuss that the common thread amongst the great masters is that they are real.  Their character and competency are congruent on and off the matts.  Martial Arts is a way of life, and to truly understand the life changing benefits of the Arts we must have great teachers that can be pointers to the way.  I had a great time talking story with Sensei Fariborz, his knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the way of martial arts is truly inspirational. Tune in for another fantastic episode.