sensei8

One other reason for students to drop out after reaching Green belt is many students believe that they've learnt enough up to that point to defend themselves.

You're killing me!!

Nice size...and...I hate math, too, if that helps at all!!

Having spilled my water... 500 - 800 is small.

What...that's not true?? Ah, man!!

Great posts, thus far, everyone; thank you!! Ever since I started to teach, I've been saddened to witness the next Armchair Instructor. PARENT/GUARDIAN Not all parents/guardians fall under this category, and that's because they don't try to "Co-Teach" with any Sempai and/or myself. I've no percentage/ratio to spout, but, imho, if even ONE parent/guardian exercises their good intentions for either their son and/or daughter, that's one way to many. Help!! YES!! Support...hold a focus pad...stabilize the hanging bag...hold a shield/blocker...give High-Fives. However, please don't counteract what I'm teaching your son and/or daughter; it'll backfire, and their son/daughter will suffer for it in the long run!! Why? I'm the CI...you're the parent/guardian; both of us should, at all times, know our roles; I know my role quite well. How so? Because I'm being paid to TEACH, and I don't EVER share the floor in any shape, way, and/or form. Dad, while watching his son/daughter practice at home, offers some advice concerning what they're doing during practice. The Dad misunderstands what I'm taught during class. The Dad, therefore, offers his advice. The son/daughter listens to dad, and the next time they're in class, I immediately notice that my student isn't executing said technique properly, yet they were last time I observed them. After only one question, I then realize that Dad, with all good intentions, instructed his son/daughter on how it should be. Now, I've got to, for a lack of a better word, fix 'it'!! A CI's job is to put out fires...all day/night long!! A well intended parents/guardian starts the fire, and now, I've got to extinguish it...again. No problem; that's one of my duties! After having a small reminder conversation with said parent/guardian, my student is good to go, until, and it happens again...and it will. Not often, but, a new parent/guardian will shout out "Instructions" to their son/daughter, and "help me" teach...from where they're sitting comfortably on a chair. That's squashed immediately by a Sempai!! The road of the Armchair Instructor is paved with good intentions!!

Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!!

What does the MA teach the PARENTS of the kids??

Alex, Sounds to me that your square footage is about 1000, right? That was the exact square footage of my very first dojo, it's a nice working space. Some that took some time to get it right. Do we face this way, or do we face that way!?! What's the square footage in the basement and what will that space be used for? Thank you, in advance!!

First of all... Deep respect for you, Alex; now and forever!! Secondly... Congrats to Clint and Josh for their promotions; admirable across the board...respect across the board!! Thirdly... I noticed that their stripes were placed on different ends of their obi's; Clint's stripe was placed on his right, and Josh's stripe was placed on his left. Is there any significance to that? Thank you for sharing the video!!

For grins and giggles... What is the square footage of the school(s) you train at??

You might not understand this bit of advice, but, I believe it might help you. So, here it goes... Step completely away from the roundhouse kick, but only for now!! Train some other area, but step away from training your roundhouse kick. Then, when the time is right, come back with a FRESH eye and mind, and then, and only then, train the roundhouse kick as it was meant to be.

I placed this topic here because, imho, the topic is about as general as it can be...Armchair Instructors!! All of us, no matter how long one's been on the floor, have witnessed their own fair share of good intentional people that seem to think that they know much more than your own Instructor(s)!! One doesn't really have to look that far and hard to find some of these Armchair Instructors. I've ran into them myself over my past 50 years in the MA, and whenever I encounter them, all I can really do is smile and walk away...but not before I've invited them to visit my school. FAMILIES: Sometimes, it's not that easy to avoid said Armchair Instructors because they're in YOUR OWN FAMILY!! Sometimes, it's sweet! Sometimes, it's belittling! Sometimes, it's frustrating! Sometimes, it's enough to make you want to disown them right there on the spot! But, I begrudgingly listened because I was raised to respect those older than me. OK!! Older, yes! More knowledgeable than my Sensei?...I don't think so!! In my ENTIRE family tree, on both sides of the family, I'm the ONLY ONE who's ever trained in the MA. Yes, I had every uncle offer me their unsolicited advice as how I should be doing it. And whenever they'd "show" me, it would be directly against what was being taught to us by our Sensei. The only good news about this type of Armchair Instructor is two-fold, after time, and I wish it had been sooner, for my sake, the advice from any of my uncles would stop because they were seeing that what they tried to impart upon me, while it was filled with great intentions, was nonsense. And, thank God for mom!! She stepped in, and told all of my uncles to..."Please mind your own business, and if you don't...I'll have his teacher TELL YOU!! So, Please...SHUT UP!!" Better later than never!! YOUR OWN BACKYARD: This one gets me each and every time I witness it. One student will tell another student something the total opposite of what I've taught them; not even in the same vicinity. This is usually done when one student will either whisper their ill begotten advice or they'll confidently expound it proudly; not realizing that I hear everything, one way or another. My advice is over ALL!! My advice came from Soke, then to Dai-Soke, then to those who've been with them for quite a long time. We didn't make it up as something that sounds great, but we got it from the Lion's mouths!! One of my duties as Kaicho is to un-teach that which has been taught by one of the instructors of a Shindokan dojo's CI. I do it each and every year. Somewhere and somehow and someone will inform the Hombu with a question that's about as far fetched as one can ever imagine. We quickly squash these via Video Conferences with that said CI in the hopes of getting ALL of them on the same page as the Hombu. Our brand of Tuite is NOT the brand of EVERYONE ELSE'S Tuite. We move differently, and if you've ever seen Master Toma of the Seido Karate, you get a general idea of our brand, but Soke peppered it his brand up. No, the Hombu NEVER interferes with creativity of the individual practitioner of Shindokan. What the Hombu approves of is a wide berth, but what the Homub doesn't tolerate is changing the syllabus/curriculum as it was created by Soke, and refined by Dai-Soke. That's the un-teaching that I encounter each and every year, and it shouldn't be so because Soke said so!! Neither, our Teaching Department, Instructor Department, and Curriculum Department hasn't, as of yet, amended not one dot or dash or word or anything from what Soke approved back in 1950. We just don't want, nor do we need Armchair Instructors; thank you!! EVERY ONE WANTS TO BE THE BOSS: From time to time, MAists and non-MAists alike decide, on their own, to be YOUR Armchair Instructor, for some reason or another, as though your journey is their journey; that's impossible across the board. I can't wear the pants if someone else is trying to wear the very same pair of pants that I am; we both can't fit into the same pants. Not going to happen! Again, as well intended as they might be, it can be quite damaging to many fronts. The Instructor front! The Family front! The loved one front! The friend front! This front and that front; they usually don't play nice together. Only one can be right, however, everyone wants to the one that's right...all of the time!! You can please some of the people some times, but you can't please some of the people all of the time!! Your instructor ISN'T the Armchair Instructor; he/she IS the Instructor ALL OF THE TIME!! Telling Family and loved ones and friends that you have one Instructor, and their not that one instructor seems to land of deaf ears more often than not. Why? Intentions...again!! Your Instructor has assistant Instructors, but, she/he have chosen them, and for all time, your Family, your loved one, your friends, and whomever else it might be, wasn't selected by your CI. So... Please, support is always wanted and needed, but, stop trying to be the Armchair Instructor!! If you've any Armchair Instructor stories, please, by all means, express them!! Remember, you're not alone in this fight!!

Yeah...beer doesn't hydrate the body, if I remember, beer will work opposite for the body compared to what water can do. If there's a lesson to be learned here, then possible that might be it...maybe.

Good report, Karate_John. I'm thinking that if ground grappling, for the moment, is unfamiliar territory for you, then I see really no reason to not join their school. Another way to increase your MA betterment.

Solid post!!

Good advice...as a reminder, don't forget to pay attention to proper mechanics and the like at all time. To flail or not to flail, that's the question. Imho!!

Did you have a big meal right before training?? Ingredients can trigger an upset stomach while training. Some things to ponder. I hope you'll be ok!!

Fantastic tutorial, Alex; as always!! I'm an proponent of choking, both standing and on the ground; it's my bread and butter. And what you're teaching in this video is simple and direct, yet effective. I use to fear anything having to do with choking because it can be debilitating, and therefore, loss through the fear of being choked. The beauty of any choke, imho, is the control one can have over their opponent, and many are surprised at just how fast a choke transition can happen. EXCELLENT tutorial, Alex...EXCELLENT!!

Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!!

Having a disclaimer on your registration forms MIGHT be an effective way to protect yourself, and/or the tournament in general. Possibly having a Lawyer prepare the disclaimer the only way a Lawyer can. Does this take care of the insurance issue? I'm no Lawyer, but, it might, but then again, it might not. That answer is for a Lawyer!!

Congrats; well done!!

I think you're answer my question about what Dai-Soke taught us...I think...the underlined above, has me confused... "Each time you move, you open up other possibilities to your opponent to capitalize upon; don't be moving just to be moving: have consciousness while moving" ~Dai-Soke What Dai-Soke IS telling us is to move with a purpose, per the bold type above!!

Very nice!!

ozm8, do you actually enjoy the classes? Do you value your sensei's instruction? If so then just keep training. Could just be a lull due to holiday season... Also first few months of the year you do see a drop off; lots of people make it their new years resolution to get fit, maybe learn a martial art, by the time Easter comes around they're bored of it and move on to the next thing. If class being small is an issue, why don't you offer to help promote it for your sensei? Bring a few friends for a trial session or ask if you can distribute leaflets of help in some other way. Solid post!!