Belegarth

What are the most effective techniques you've found when someone is training you or when you're attending a fighting class?

I usually teach by "teach, show, do" where I try to explain the technique as well as the positives and negatives, demonstrate the technique, and then have everyone break out to work on the technique. After giving everyone a few minutes to practice, I pull everyone back in to review and answer questions and then move on to the next topic.

Having a lesson plan and keeping things the same as you teach seem to help. Build on a base and keep revisiting the basics. Be able to answer the "why" to the best of your ability and avoid the "Do this this and this, got it? Good" syndrome. There is a difference between showing someone something and teaching them something. Both have a place, be aware of it.

I tend to do more or less what you already described, Kyrian: explain, demonstrate (these two are often combined as I'll talk about it while showing it in slow-mo), practice, then review. The review part works best when you're explaining a series of things, in my opinion, that way you can be more certain that people have retained what you taught them, and it will help them form connections more easily.

That also seems to be more or less how I learn new things about fighting, or at least how I learn them most readily.

My format is fairly similar to the one you outlined, Kyrian. Teach, show, do. But, I mix in a bit of explanation as to the why, not just the how. I like to add in peripheral information that relates to what is being taught, but might not be perfectly applicable. E.G. talk about mentality/aggression/thought process while showing.

I know I could refine my method quite a bit, but it's hard to break years of habit.

Use the EDGE method:
E-explain
D-demonstrate
G-guide
E-enable/empower