ninjanurse

Here goes my 2 cents: Some students do not breathe properly and get winded and/or hyperventilate -easily fixed if you are trained to recognize it and can coach them through breathing exercises. Without knowing the students background and details it is hard to speculate what the sempai was doing but I do feel that first aid and CPR skills are a must for instructors. Any instructor who sets a bad example is a bad example period. I say put your money where your mouth is! If you are going to teach physical fitness, good character, respect, etc., you should be living it yourself. Knuckle pushups are not my favorite as I have arthritis but I will have to say they are better on your wrists!

The way I look at it is this: 1) If you want to be respected you have to earn it by setting a good example for your students-they will do what you do inside and outside the dojo. And... 2)The more you give to others the more you get in return. Certain formalities may not be expected outside the dojo but that does not mean that they go un-noticed.

I had a student once, an orange belt, who after he obtained his Doctorate insisted that everyone address him as "Doctor" in class. Not that I would have minded but he would correct the instructors in class all the time! Needless to say his ego finally got the best of him and he eventualy dropped out.

Definitely similar!! I started in TSD and had a very easy transition to Moo Duk Kwan. I believe that all styles share similar characteristics, and that while the journey may be different, the goal is the same. We all arrive at a place where the blending of styles becomes indistinguishable!

What????

Thank you. While these qualities are inherent in most martial artists I think we, as a community, are the best on the net too! But then I am partial.....

Personally, I opt for the natural method. Putting the right thing (naturally) into your body everyday is better than adding additional stuff. This is my granola crunching, tree hugging opinion only!!

Gotta love 'em!!!!!!!

The desire to be something that I thought I wasn't. In the process I found myself!

I greet instructors and students with a bow wherever I am. Close friends I also train with....depends on where we are.

Thank you all for the input so far. Am I charging too little? Probably. Am I getting paid what I am worth? Yes.....in smiles, hugs, thank you's, and "aha moments". I don't get too much of that in my "real job" ...and the money isn't good either!

Thanks for the reply. He has no financial stake in my school other than testing fees and a yearly association fee, and there is no pressure to change this aspect of the arrangement. He truly wants me to be successful in what I do and his advice does not fall on deaf ears. I think we just have a philosophical difference of opinion on the business of martial arts. Too bad about your Y program. I ran a similar one for another school years ago that met the same fate. It was only a feeder prgram (one of many) for our school but the experience taught me a lot.

Nice article. Thanks!

Welcome!

I have a Washburn Acoustic with an electric pickup. These days I only play occasionally but my kids play it alot-eventhough they have their own!

I agree with everyone. Hopefully he will take responsibility.

I agree here...one step closer to a rule change about hands!

What makes a successful martial arts school? I believe that success is measured by the quality of the fruit that falls from the tree not the quantity. But does the grower who spends more money in his orchard always have better fruit? I have been asked by my Master Instructor to "redefine my goals" regarding my school. He has a Masters in Business and wants his charter schools to be "successul". His point seems to be that in order to run a "successful school" I must quit my job and take it on full-time-which also includes going into debt opening a primo facility-and raise my prices so I get paid "what I am worth". I measure success by the "aha moments" rather than the "bottom line" and while it is my eventual goal to teach full-time I have chosen a different route. Right now I have 2 part-time programs (2 days a week in each location) that are affordably priced so that they are accessible to most if not all interested students. I have no business debt at present and would very much like to keep it that way. As the programs grow I will adjust accordingly. I would like to get input from school owners that have taken both routes-the pros and cons of each, etc. , and students who have studied in either situation or both. I am not looking for validation of my choices just information and discussion as there is not a right or wrong way just a different way.

I studied Moo Duk Kwan at one time and it was TKD. I don't recall TSD ever being mentioned and the forms were not even close to the TSD forms I already knew-I believe they were ITF but I could be wrong...that was 26 years ago!

You are right GOM. When it really comes down to it what matters is what's inside.

Unfortunately a very common occurrance...as instructors we try to instill certain values/ideas into our students but not all hit home. One wonders then what their true motivations were and if the belt was truly deserved (in a philisophical/spiritual sense). While lapses in training can occur at any belt level I have found that true students of the art eventually make their way back.

Welcome!

Arnica is a homeopathic remedy great for bruises and muscle aches. It usually comes in small pills. You may need to go to a whole foods or health food type store to get it.

Welcome!