ninjanurse

Welcome to KF!

Absolutely Nidan! All students are required to Teach and Grow....and as they do they may develop the passion to become a teacher and at the very least improve their own technique.

First of all WELCOME! Our industry has fallen victim to the quest for the almighty dollar and hence many dojos are just belt factories that cater to entitled kids and parents because it makes them money. The results are rich instructors and Black Belts with no skills....and a bad reputation overall for certain styles. There are those of us however that have learned to balance the two and run great programs inspite of this. And, I know there are parents and adults out there that appreciate the old school mentality and discipline that we can provide. It all comes down to packaging what you have in a way that keeps discipline at the forefront and setting expectations the moment they walk in the door.

I stay open year round except for Major Holidays. Once in a great while I take a vacation but always cover the classes with visiting instructors or my sempai.

Time in grade is a guideline. Students who excel and meet all other requirements should not be held from rank unless there are other reasons for doing so-sometimes they just need to wait a little longer than usual to settle their ego down .

Each student is different and should be taught when ready but essentially without bunkai tecnique/kata lacks depth and understanding is superficial. There are no secrets to be saved for Black Belts-we are all white belts just trying to improve our technique on a daily basis.

Falling skills area must! Protection from slips on the ice, trips, bicycle crashes, waterskiing crashes, snowboarding falls, car crashes..... oh, and throws too!

No!! Students don't teach; they learn!! Students will, as part of their Sankyu to Ikkyu, will assist, not teach, in classes with an instructor that possess no less than a Sandan. Shodan's and Nidan's also assist. Assisting isn't teaching, and teaching isn't assisting. I suppose it also depends on how you define a student and instructor. Is a Sandan that lines up with class not a student themselves, when they elect not to teach but train? But anyway, I feel a black belt 4-5 years of experience in most arts is capable of teaching when needed. To the bolded above: even then there are some Black Belts with that experience may not be suited for teaching, even in emergencies. For instance I know a few black belts that are either very talented but can't teach because they just can't explain how to do things (even kihon). Then there are some that I know that can't teach because of their behavior and attitudes aren't designed to suit being teachers, and they take their aggression out on the students. Well in relation to your question; an instructor and student are not restricted to two distinct roles like in Schools where there is an adult as the teacher and students are children. In Martial Arts; Instructors are at times even when teaching become a student and vice versa. When I train, I have my 'senpai hat' as i help other students whilst training; even when I teach i still have my 'Student Hat' on because there are times that I'm teaching and they [the students] make a comment or suggestion to techniques or anything that we are doing and it makes something just click for me. I agree here. Rank does not make you an effective teacher. Students with the gift should be (and are at my dojo) encouraged to take on an assistant instructor program to develop their skills while they advance in rank. "TEACH AND GROW" is a principle we emphasize and everyone gets an opportunity to do so. Also, lesson plans can be designed to facilitate a color belt covering a class once in a while-as long as you know your student and his capabilities well.

There are many out there with great skills but whose character is questionable, and many with questionable skills whose character is exceptional. While there has to be a physcial standard to be met I am of the opinion that Black Belt is more about the person wearing it.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Yes, welcome!

Welcome to KF!

Welcome back!!!

Welcome to KF!

Congratulations!

Congrats Brian-well deserved! Looking forward to many more years of your contributions to KF!

Two different techniques-many different applications. Like any tool you need the right one for the job! Experience will be your teacher.

Congratulations!

Time to celebrate! Congratulations!

Great article! Thanks for sharing!

Nice!

Repetition is the mother of skill.

Congratulations!

Welcome to KF!