OhioShodan85

Thank you for all of your responses! I'm glad to know that others can see where I am coming from, and to know I am not overreacting. I will definitely take the advice of a few and sit down one on one and discuss my concerns with him. More than likely I will have to call him. His brother is always there early and stays late, so I wouldn't get privacy. I certainly won't argue, or try to tell him how he should run his class, but just tell him what I am observing and feeling. I'm sure you all know how your club becomes like family, and leaving always hurts so I'd like to avoid it if possible. It's a small town too, so leaving and joining somewhere else will definitely become known to everyone in my current club very quickly. Everyone in town was trained back in the 60's and 70's by my original instructor (my current instructor was actually trained by one of his original students)! But I'm in my 30's so I've definitely reached the point in my life where I know I'm the one in charge of my experience. I'm not wasting time playing around. An added complication is that my oldest childhood friend is new in the class, and voiced the same concerns to me this weekend. After YEARS of trying to convince her she joined last winter, and took her very first belt test on the same day I took my black belt test. It felt special that day. When I told I shared her concerns she said she was relieved, because she was thinking about quitting and she didn't want to let me down. I hate thinking that she's just sticking around because I am there. It's tough. My last school I left was because I was moving from New Mexico back to Ohio. I was HEARTBROKEN and still miss them very much (such an amazing school!). The people always have an impact and stay with you. And to answer whether or not its expected that black belts train on their own; it's never been discussed at any point. We do not have any formal expectations written out of what is expected of a black belt aside from the tests themselves. Several of our black belts are retired individuals and keep coming simply because they just like being there (I think that's a fair reason to come), and others have literally grown up in the club and have been coming for 20+ years. A few weeks ago a few of them were struggling to remember certain parts of heian katas, so I know they are not working on their own. Katas get sloppy if you don't practice regularly! Compared to other schools I've been too, this one has always felt less structured. I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes. Wish me luck!

I have recently found myself in a bit of an uncomfortable situation, and it's been eating away at me this week... To give you a bit of background I am coming from a school that was more or less stripped of all its intermediate and advanced students by one student that bullied everyone (literally chased everyone away). That student left our school no more than a week after he got his black belt (good riddance). We have been slowly building up our numbers again this past year, and have hit growing pains. We have a lot of beginners, and I'm sure you are all aware of the challenges and blessings that beginners bring. Some are naturally inclined and require very little correction, while others try their darnedest but never seem to get it. We are not a competition school, and we have a lot of parents and children in class together. Our focus has always been learning and growing confidence. Until very recently our approach with these students has always been they are promoted/allowed to test if they put in the time, make an effort, and are showing continued improvement in the scope of their rank. We were not looking for perfection, and mostly used positive reinforcement. I'm not going to lie to anyone, these white-yellow belts very much look like beginners. Their stances aren't perfect, they open their fists, the drop their hands. Typical beginner stuff. Most of these students are young children so we really focused on leading by example, while also being realistic with expectations. Well now our lead instructors (mostly the head instructors brother) have decided to adopt a more firm stance, and what was once a pep talk to encourage students to want to be better, is now barking corrections and threatening push ups. We are going back to "the old days of karate". Kids are on the brink of tears, and I've noticed our attendance drop. I'm not going to argue which teaching style is more effective, that's not the point I am trying to make. The point I am hoping to get across is that their has been a very noticeable negative shift. People no longer show up early to catch up with each other, and leave the second class has dismissed. I don't think our head instructor has noticed it, because he gets caught up in the lesson he is giving. He is a NICE GUY. I work several towns over and people I work with know him. He's that kind of guy. He knows everyone and loves to talk. Some background about me: I've been training in Shotokan karate on and off since I was in my pre-teens (in my 30's now). I FINALLY earned my black belt this year and have been getting to know the ropes of instructing and assisting in class. To me karate is a fun hobby, and a great way to wind down after a stressful day at work. I want to show up and sweat, learn, and help. I've invested enough time in it that it's become a significant part of my life and who I've become. I love it, but it is not my entire life. This is my 5th school through the years, but my first since finishing college. Up until a few weeks ago my role in class(as well as the other black belts) was primarily that of a participant, that assisted with instruction when asked. I teach for a living, so instructing has never been on my wish list as a hobby. Mostly I would run warm ups for the first 10-15 minutes, and would help the newer guys with their kata. I was happy with that. Now we have been asked (literally told to get off the mat) to stand aside and watch the other students, and make corrections whenever they screw up. In my last class this week I did not break a sweat once, but almost had a white belt in tears over the corrections I was told to give her. I love the people in the school I am currently in, and have been there for a few years. But I just don't like where this is going. So here are my main issues: 1) Plain and simple I pay a fee to be in this class. If I am instructing and not participating should I be paying to be there? We do not have a separate advanced class to attend, so now I feel like I am paying to work. 2) The negative shift. This isn't nearly to the level of Cobra Kai or anything, but this is a student body that was built up on positivity and it has been noticeably removed. This is not my teaching style (in my own classroom or in karate) and feels foreign to me. 3) I 'm not getting a workout standing on the sides making corrections. Most of the other black belts seem to content to step back and take a passive approach, but that's not me. I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything if I don't need blast the AC as soon as I get in my car. 4) I really like these people. While I don't agree with the new approach to teaching, I do respect and genuinely like all of them. So what would you do? Should I approach it with my instructor, and if so how would you do it? This shift seems to be product another instructors return after a long hiatus. I don't want to tell him how to run his class, that's not my business. Or should I respectfully step out, and find another school in town? Genuinely on the fence...