Principle-Driven Skill Development: Teaching 101

by Russ Smith

Teaching the fighting traditions of the past is both more difficult and more essential than ever before. Where Principle-Driven Skill Development laid the foundation for understanding how principles shape movement and effectiveness in combat, this new volume carries that vision forward—showing how to turn skilled practitioners into capable, effective teachers.

Drawing from decades of study in fighting traditions as well as modern educational methods, the author lays out a comprehensive framework for teaching as an “overlay skillset.” Readers are guided through the full spectrum of responsibilities a teacher understanding student motivations, setting expectations, balancing safety with growth, and fostering a supportive yet disciplined community. Parents, peers, and aspiring teachers all enter the picture, each with their own roles and responsibilities in sustaining a living tradition.

At the heart of this work is curriculum design. Readers are shown how to catalog the building blocks of a fighting tradition, organize them into knowledge, attribute, coordination, and skill development categories, and then transform these into training goals, measurement systems, lesson plans, and class structures. Step by step, teachers learn how to create a curriculum that is not only true to the art but also adaptable, measurable, and sustainable for the long term.

The book then bridges theory and practice. From practical teaching processes to the deeper “art” of instruction—constructivist learning, andragogy, adapting to individual goals, teaching children and adults, and even online instruction—this volume equips instructors with tools to move beyond rote transmission into guided discovery, progressive learning, and genuine student empowerment.

Whether you are a seasoned martial artist stepping into teaching, a teacher seeking to refine your approach, or an organization working to stabilize and improve your curriculum, this book provides the roadmap. By combining timeless martial principles with modern educational insight, it shows how to preserve, promote, and transmit martial traditions in a way that is both faithful to the past and effective for the future.

156 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

I've have been lucky to have lived and worked in many different countries in Europe and Asia. The characters in my books are often inspired by people I have met on these adventures.

I have always been intrigued by ocean liners and cruise ships, their history, and in the people who work and travel on them. I have done readings while traveling on cruise ships to obtain input from fellow passengers on my books. My latest two book are different. Murder at Beulah Crest takes place in a small resort town in rural Michigan and explores how the Internet can influence a criminal and the investigation of crimes. My latest book, The Pointe System take place in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. The murderer uses the pointe system that was once used to keep the community restricted to select victims.

I studied at Michigan State University, where I received a B.A in Hotel & Restaurant Management. I also attended Arizona State University, where I earned an MBA in Finance and Labor Relations and later a Master of Education, focusing on Educational Media and Psychology.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellts...