Sensei Rick

How about a plan..... you need a plan to get someone from white belt to black belt. You need a curriculum. You need communication skills. You need to understand your own black belt before you can give someone else one. You need to understand feedback. You need customers. You need time to think about whether or not you wanna really get into this. And you need a reason.... a darn good one... why people should stay with you for 5 years and earn a black belt. and the reason shouldn't be so i can make some extra money and I have a black belt. If you need money go to work at wall mart. I've been a teacher full time for 7 years and part time for my whole adult life. It's tuff and it gets tuffer every year.

This topic is a very dear and frustrating one to me. I too am a bit older (42) and I am old school in many aspects of my life. I remember getting paddled in class!!, by my fifth grade teacher. All in total i recieved about 6 swats in my school career. I wear them as a badge f honor that contributed to my character developement. I can remember the start of the " Wimpification of America" In eighth grade I got into a small scuffle in my reading class. We got sent to the office by our teacher who was a little old lady but wasn't taking any poo from anybody. In the office I was given an option: 1 swat or.... 2 days suspension!!(woohoo!!!) I chose suspension..... who wouldn't... I could cruise around all day and not worry about the truant officer. They had to call your parents though, and mom made me the the swat. My wife is a school psychologist and works in a title school here in phoenix. I hear all the time about bad students going unpunished and how they can't do anything about it any more, and how teachers used to be barrbaric and how Sorry she feels for me and what happened to me was wrong blah blah blah. There was even a day when 2 girls, 10 years old, left campus, and broke into a car, stole stuff out of it... and that car was in a parking lot of a bar!!! They didn't get a swat So now I have students in this world. I have one that is a great fighter. He is rather small for his age and it's easy to see why he is attracted to MA. He is such a great fighter, speed and power and he thinks his way thru matches, never sloppy... blah blah blah. Well, one day he was a target of a school bully. they beat him up. hit him over and over, and he didn't fight back. not at all. Hearing the recount of the story, I was heart broken. I love this kid and I could tell he was even embarrassed by what had happened. When I asked him what happened, why did he just stand there, he said he didn't want to get suspended and didn't want to misuse his karate. I did my best to explain the difference and build him back up etc.. but I can't fight the world that he lives in. A time out world. A world where students can talk back to teachers and they have to take it. (which kept my from becoming a public school teacher) A world in which you get punished for defending yourself. Punishment for defending yourself..... How can a kid in 6th grade see the bigger picture in these situations. When I talk about misusing your karate now, I talk about not practicing on mom's couch, not kicking your dog... etc. This "time out world", with no more spankings, contributes to these bad school shootings to. These children are raised without consequences. They never have accountability and as you know children will always test your boundaries. So why not shoot everyone in your school, they're a minor and they'll be on the streets as soon as they turn 18. ( I KNOW THIS IS EXTREME BUT IT ILLUSTRATES MY POINT)I love this quote that I heard on a pod cast. "you can spank your children, or the world will" Show your kids you love them parents, when they get out of line, spank them back into line.

I have a good one too. I put up a barrier in the middle of the floor.....Tape or cones are just fine. and you put the teams on either side of the tape. The object is to get all the balls of your side onto the other side. so the team with no balls, wins! It's a good way to stop ball hogging and get's them to work out like crazy... although no one gets 'OUT" So I use it when I have small kids that might feel bad when they get out, even if they only do 10 kicks to get back in, they still need a team building event. You have to stop the game and take a ball or two from each side till your down to about1 or 2 balls on each side. Then it's easy to tell who the winner is. I also punish the team that throws a ball after I say "stop" (don't take a ball from that side or take more from the other side, remember the idea is to get rid of your sides balls. I also do this with pool noodles cut in half, and call it NOODLE WAR The kids love it.

Yes, we are in much agreement, which leads me to believe you're very bright. But as important as technique is, communication is much more part of the learning process that many MA instructors are willing to admit. Mc DOJO's understand this, and that's why there clubs are huge and they make tons of money. They are business people first. Learn the communication skill's of the Mc DOJO instructor and combine it with your great skills and you can be an awesome instructor with a big club and lot's of cash too. Anyway, we got way off topic here, but it was fun.

Rateh, I like what this poster said about that. They said that they feel bad for the students. It's the students that suffer. Let's say that you as a kyu rank do understand the technique, what about the feedback. What about giving feedback to student in a effective matter. what about coaching a student thru their goals. what about identifying a students goals and tailoring your feedback to fit their wants and desires. Understanding technique is only half the battle. and I'll just repeat myself here. You do not learn how to teach by being a student. IE getting a black belt. Many of you have gone to school, at least high school, if not college too. If you graduate from high school, does that qualify you to be a high school teacher? No, it certainly does not. And...... teaching, or the act of running a class does not qualify you either. Putting anyone in charge of the class besides a chief instructor, even for white belts is a disservice to the students and not the best choice for the instructor. as a customer of a karate club, students should demand more for their money than having a 7th kyu teach them their 10kyu techniques. I wouldn't let a 4th grader be in charge of my sons kindergarten class, and neither would you. And if any of you reading this post are in a club where this type of training is done I would seriously consider another place to train.

Yeah, and don't even consider this UNTIL the student is a BB...... how can you expect a kyu rank to understand technique enough to teach it.

I'd like to add to what ninja nurse is saying. (love your handle BTW) And I'll admit that I have read this on another site, which one escapes me at the moment, but it definitely applies. You do not learn how to teach by being a student. IE getting a black belt. Many of you have gone to school, at least high school, if not college too. If you graduate from high school, does that qualify you to be a high school teacher? No, it certainly does not. And...... teaching, or the act of running a class does not qualify you either. To teach you must be trained as a teacher, for teaching and doing martial arts a very different skills. If your teacher just throws you in a class and has you teaching away without watching you and giving you feedback on your teaching then you are not learning teach. And conversely, if you are an instructor, and you do not babysit your assistants, and only use them to give you free time, then YOu are not using them effectively or properly training them too teach.

well, how would you qualify this "respect" that is demanded. If someone wants you to control them with YOUR actions, (ie, bowing, saying uhs... or whatever) then go ahead, and control them. If you are polite and the think you're being respectful.... well, so be it, right? Am i making any sense. You are just doing an action, what ever that action may be, if they choose to think you are respectful or not, well that is inside them. They are not you and they have no idea what you are thinking. you are just performing a behavior of politeness.

Bushido, please note that I would never charge YOU for lessons anyway, but you'd have to share your secrets with me.

to be a teacher, as opposed to becoming a bill collector. well, I am a teacher, and my students pay and I don't chase money. And I don't have contracts. If you are worth it, paying isn't an issue. no card needed...... if you live in az and want lessons.... look me up!!!

The confusion comes from interchanging the words respect with politeness. They are not the same word. You can be polite to someone without actually respecting them. The behaviors in a MA class give off the illusion of respect because of the formality of the behaviors. and to a westerner, the bowing and recitation of kun's give off the illusion of respect. If you return a bow, you might be doing it because you are just being polite, and you don't have to respect the person. The same goes for other styles. You can e polite to a person of another style without respecting them..... I may or may not be guilty of this myself I don't believe that you should respect a particular style, but if you meet another BB of another style, understand that they may have been thru much training to get where they are, and the self examining that you have done may not be taught in there club. some people aren't interested in getting better or examining their technique that minutely.... it's easier just to listen to the instructor and replicate it as you've been told. I try not to hold someone else to my standard if they are not my student, but my behavior toward them is almost always polite.....and I might not respect them. Or maybe I do, and that shouldn't matter to them. what should matter are my actions and what I do, not how i feel about technique or anything else. make sense?

Just one peace of advise....NEVER...EVER....EVER, and I mean NEVER!!! SIGN A CONTRACT. If the instructor wont let you train without one, leave. A good instructor will rely on his training ability to retain his students, not on an agreement with your debit card. That being said, don't look at the flags on the wall or the style, look at the people and find a good group of people. If you are going to be training 3 nights a week or so, you wanna have a good group of people to sit and commiserate with while your kids are learning. A finally, let the teacher teach, and do not try to coach from the side lines. leave the dojo if you have to in order to control yourself. If the insrtuctor likes you, your child will get the best training ever. If you try to be an arm chair blackbelt, then he will teach your kid till he quits, then he will do a happy dance, knowing that you're gone too.

I have a friend that has the same problem and he is a nidan!! I will tell you how I have helped him improve. Chamber your punch but have your hand loose, fingers closed but loose. punch out at about walking speed (not fast, totally loose though) at the very end of your punch, twist it (for snap) then squeeze the fist.... very tightly..... only for a second.... in fact, count 1... then release....draw it back to chamber..... loosely.. like before. Put your other hand out in front of you before each one, with the palm open, facing out... put it in front of your solar plexus....then do the punch again.....loosely out, then twist and snap... your success will come in doing it very slowly..... say loose, snap, punch as u do it. remember to twist..... just inches before impact. only tense as you are squeezing your fingers.... during the twist. Wish you were my student, my nidan friend wont listen to me!!! Let me know what u think.... and if you get better.

interestingtopic at my club.... a very traditional shotokan club, i have noticed two very distinct things. The clients are very, very upscale (rich) and many, and I mean many, are married and met in the dojo. and long term marriages too. the club has been going since 64 and two original members are still there and are still married, can you believe that. Wish I had joined before i met my wife, there are some cuties there.

I love to say god bless you to the people, or have a nice day.... something like that....it usually leaves them speechless...and that's a good thing.

wudang, it sounds like you're on the right path and so is your instructor. Hopefully he is watching you and giving you feedback on your teaching. Give your feedback in the same manner, and look at what will make a person a better black belt... or sash or stripe or whatever. careful to give feedback, not criticism and focus on what they do right too.... compliments keep the student coming back. I have just a point to add. I have some students testing for 2nd dan soon so I want to let you know my feelings. the difference between 1st and 2nd dan should be the same as white belt to black belt.. i look for that dramatic of a change. And yes the time is shorter because a BB knows how..... and 2nd knows why... and how a lot better.... the why isn't really expected of 1st dan, they just know how to do some stuff. A popular saying in my club is "now it's time to learn what you DON"T know about what you KNOW. Then 3rd should have a good teaching understanding. it's a whole different world when you start teaching. You will probably learn a new kata or two at these higher levels, but is one more difficult than the next.... I don't believe they are, at that point you should be able to learn a new kata rather quickly. above 3rd, it should be your contributions to the art... as someone stated earlier, how you can contribute varies, but you should have BB of your own and maybe they are teaching too..... hope i added a little something.

Dana abbot is the real deal, a genuine badd mama jama that has good knowledge too. I believe that he invented the action flex brand of chanbarra swords and hands down they are the best in the world for it's purpose. My boss took a serminar from him and didn't stay for various reasons though. He thought it was a bit monotonous. but make know mistake he is the real deal. not a fake or poser.

I enjoyed the training in the karate episode. Working out with that big metal round bar contraption was cool. They used it effectively and diversely.... they will get better as hosts, but they are gonna run out of arts before they hit there stride. For instance in the karate one, they pretty much covered the okinawan (I know I spelled that wrong) styles. If they want to last, they need to not shoot there was straight away, and get a little more comparative, but I realize they have to make it interesting too and only a true MA would enjoy the minutia. I wonder if anyone not in the arts is watching.... Your thoughts?

YOU can definitely tell...... if you don't look like a fighter, you might just be okay, but not great. the screen saver on my comuter is a pic of me, my best friend (black belt), my TKD instructor and my late sensei. My TKD nstructor was the north american PKA chamion in 1987, he defeated don nakaya neilson for the title. He fought Maurice Smith for the world title, but came in second.. A friend of mine... who is a martial artist, looked at the pic and said imediatley that Dino has fighters hands.. and he does. In the pic, we are all wearing suits. He knew he was a fighter just from his hands, and when you see him walk, you can tell too.

I do it because I love learning. If you stop learning, you die inside. The art that you may know is like one star in the sky, there is so much that you can learn and do, that you could study something new about MA everyday of your life and never do the same thing twice. I baffled by the amount of different art and ideas i come across all the time. The thing I am currently working on is healing. I can teach distruction in a short about of time, but healing take forever. And let me tell ya, the chinese styles are way ahead of the japanese style in this endevour. Health for a lifetime is available through MA.

I totally agree with your post about a gun and quitting MA. I have posted many times that a gun is a great tool for self defense and you should get one. But you should still train. Find the right style and instructor. it is a lifetime of exercise, not a flash in the pan thing. Work on your core things that make you stronger and more balanced. Do anything, but don't quit. There's a lot of good MA stuff out there for you to learn.... and what is the harm?

I imagine it would read like that, but he was a consttruction worker of some kind. He had a fellow employee with him that seemed to verify his story in a few ways. No, i'm sad to say, he was the real McDeal.

I went to lunch today with a fellow MA instructor. As many of you know, my long time instructor and best friend passed away in November. I had a patch made to commemorate him and was showing to my buddy while discussing it placement on our gi’s. A fellow diner asked us what the patch was for and I told him it was for my Gi. He asked us our style and then it took an interesting turn. He said that he was studying with a great master, who never lost in a tourney. He himself was invited to spar in his organization well before his rank would normally let him. He started to use all too familiar terms as to the status of his rank, but I will just let you know, he will be testing for his shodan in January. He talked of his many accomplishments and bragged in a way that led me to believe he was the star of his school. I asked him a few clever questions about technique, ones that a TKD stylist would definitely know. ( one of my BB’s is in TKD) His answer told me that he didn’t understand my query, so demonstrated the kick. (after I watched this pre black belt demonstrate his kick) We were doing different kicks, but that may just be a choice of terminology… I’ll let it go. I was above all… respectful to my fellow lunch mate. I admired his enthusiasm and love of the art and encouraged him as though he was one of my own students. Subtly, I inquired about his costs of training. He said it was a mere 4,200 bucks with many of the fee’s waived. Now keep in mind, he is too test in January. He then mentioned a few other Fee’s that were involved in his training. Just before we all parted company I asked,….. so how long have you been studying. His reply, he has almost completed 2 years. Not quite two years. In January it will be 2 years for sure…. That’s a quote. I told him that I was now studying with sensei koyama (who has quite a reputation here in phoenix.) I joined his school as a white belt, and told him that I want to train like the rest of his students and learn his way. I joined January 8th. I train 3 days a week for an hour a day. ( aside from being a full time karate instructor myself.) I told my guest that I haven’t yet received my yellow belt. He was taken aback. He asked me about it and I explained. I am still waiting to be told that I’m ready to test. He is still going to test in January. I might be a yellow belt by then…. We’ll see. I finally was able to see what a Mc Dojo did with my own eyes. I had been down on my self for having a bit of bad retention this summer. Not horrible, but off from last and previous years…. And I’ve been raking my brain about it. But I have a ton of students that have been with me for 2 years……most of them longer than that. It’s easy for me to keep a student that long, heck they aren’t even really understanding MA till then!?! If I gave all the students that have been with me 2 years a black belt, then heck…. They’d love me!!! I wonder if they’d give me 4,200 bucks too!!!! I have heard that term bandied about on these forums and used it myself and I know what a Mc Dojo is. I just hadn’t had it slap me in the face like that before. I hadn’t met the hamburgler or Ronald. But here I was…. Having lunch with an actual Mc Dojo student. It was quite a pickle….He should of sent his order back…. Okay.. I’ll stop now, I’m getting’ punchy. I also see a few people on here wonder if they are in a Mcdojo or not. I think if you have to ask yourself that, then you are. Cuz if you’re not in a mc Dojo, there is no question. Just some food for thought.

great point ps2, very good post.

no one mentined Krav Maga. there marketing has boosted them into the Art Du Jour.