In past articles, I wrote about the curse of the blue belt
and the many reasons why people quit training
after the blue belt.
In this article, I would like to introduce
the concept of the pyramid of needs.
Yes, it sounds like an Indiana Jones movie
title.
It is about understanding what drives the
students and at what stage of the pyramid each individual is at.
Therefore you can understand their needs
and help them.
You will be able to retain them by helping
them reaching to the different layers of the pyramid.
Instead of expecting them to fit in your
"mould".
Everyone is different.
What is the pyramid of needs?
It is actually called the
"Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a
theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human
Motivation" in Psychological Review.[2] Maslow subsequently
extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His
theories parallel many other theories of human developmental
psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages
of growth in humans. Maslow used the terms
"physiological", "safety", "belongingness" and
"love", "esteem", "self-actualization", and
"self-transcendence" to describe the pattern that human motivations
generally move through."
Level 1 is Physiological.
I do not think we can do
much in that part. However, there is couple of cases which come in mind. Jose
Also moved to the Favelas of Rio in order to train BJJ at Nova Unio, the instructor realised that he was hungry and fed him.
Also, Jacare was rescued from the
streets by his BJJ instructor as he ran away
from the local mafia from his town.
Level 2 is Safety
This is where martial
arts come to play. The need of the individual to feel safe and therefore seek
to protect themselves by learning a martial art. How many BJJ gyms are just interested
into sport only and are not interested in self-defence?
Level 3 is love and belonging
This is where BJJ strives the best at. They
actually go overboard sometimes. But a strong feeling of friendship, team and
family is present to most BJJ gyms. It is a great
feeling and intoxicating. The team is stronger than the individuals. Sometimes
people do not want to leave their gym in fear to be labelled as a traitor.
Level 4 is Esteem
"All humans have a
need to feel respected; this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem presents the
typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People often engage
in a profession or hobby to gain recognition. These activities give the person
a sense of contribution or value. Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex may result from imbalances during this
level in the hierarchy. People with low self-esteem often need respect from
others; they may feel the need to seek fame or glory. However, fame or glory
will not help the person to build their self-esteem until they accept who they
are internally. Psychological imbalances such as depression can hinder the person from obtaining a
higher level of self-esteem or self-respect"
Level 4 is Self-Actualisation
Every students has different views on self-actualisation.
One person will like to be a good parent
or a good competitor or an instructor.
Some students just want to stay fit and do
not want to get involved with gym matters.
The instructor need to assess the need of
each individuals.
Not everyone wants to be a full time
competitor or earn a black belt in order to open a BJJ gym,
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