bushido_man96

Welcome back to the Martial Arts, and welcome to KF! Glad to have you here!

Welcome to KF! I don't think you should worry too much about the legitimacy of your shodan grade. Opinions on age vary all over the place, so each has their own opinions and experiences. Also, its hard to tell from what someone writes in a forum thread, if you know what I mean. We can all only assume. What's really important is how you feel about it, and after 9 years in, I think you should feel pretty good. Others also differ on the thought that a shodan is a "beginner." I don't really buy into this train of thought, but others do. So, to each their own. It really boils down to a matter of personal philosophy, or what ever philosophies your instructors try to instill in you as a student. Once again, welcome to our community, and I look forward to hearing and learning from you.

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. Part of the American Taekwondo Association's instructor certification program is learning and applying what the organization has identified as 10 class management skills. Application of these skills is important in providing a positive experience to the students of each class and helps the instructor manage the class through positive methods of leadership. Let's review. 1. Set Mood and Tone of Class This is the first class management skill and for good reason. Starting with the bow-in, it's important for the instructor to present him or herself with a positive, upbeat, ready-to-work attitude. Presenting oneself in this manner serves to get the students excited about the class as well. 2. Create a Positive Climate/Atmosphere This skill flows right along with the first one. Even if the previous portion of the day has been the worst of our life, it's important to create a positive class atmosphere to promote the best learning experience possible for our students. As instructors, we probably see our students on average of 3-5 hours per week. It's imperative to make those few hours as positive as possible. 3. Use the Personal Approach/Individual Contact Although classes are a group setting, the individuals that make up that group each want and deserve an instructor's attention. It's important to approach students individually as often as possible to make a correction, give some praise or offer a compliment. In the same vein, it is also beneficial to make individual (and appropriate) contact by shaking hands, high-fiving a child or correcting a technique. This allows you to personalize the classroom experience for each student. 4. Set Direct Goals This class management skill is utilized by the instructor in class design. It's important to have a goal for the class and have the drills for the class lined out in order to reach that goal. It is also important to relate the goals of the class to the students, so that they know what is expected of them and how they will reach that goal in class. The goal could be to learn the first half of a new form. By stating this, the students get themselves ready for the task at hand and understand that by the end of class, they should be able to meet this goal and demonstrate goal attainment at the end of class. 5. Give Thoughtful Feedback to Each Student's Response Students ask questions, and it's great that they do. As instructors, it is important to be able to listen to these questions and provide thought-out responses to the best of our ability, to search out an answer and get back with them if need be or to provide resources for them to seek out the answers on their own. Students will learn soon enough if an instructor is feeding them hogwash, so i's best to be honest if an instructor doesn't have an answer. There is no shame in not knowing, as long as there is willingness to look for a response. 6. Reinforce Positive Behavior Finding positive behavior, and reinforcing it immediately, will let other students see what you expect out of them in class. This will shape the class. If a student answers up properly right away where others may be a little more shy, reinforcing that behavior lets others know that it is appropriate, and they will work to follow along. 7. Give Realistic Praise Everyone responds well to praise. It's important for praise to be realistic so that it doesn't sound disingenuous. For praise to be effective, it should be specific. Instead of praising a good kick, praise what made the kick good, like a proper chamber position and base leg pivot. Praising the student this way gives them specific feedback, and helps other students' understanding as well. 8. Give Positive Correction Rather than Criticism Positive correction goes a long way in keeping attitude towards learning positive. Avoiding negative language during corrections, like "that's a terrible chamber." Instead, get right to the heart of the matter by being specific; "you can make your kick easier and better by getting your chamber up high and tight." The student knows what to change, and the instructor can monitor the student's attempt to change and correct the technique. 9. Refer to Students by Name This class management skill is pretty straightforward. Learning and using a student's name individualizes and personalizes the classroom experience. 10. Teach the Concept of Personal Victory The idea behind this class management skill is to convey to the students that each class makes them a little bit better in one facet or another, no matter how small the gain is. Whether it is attaining the class goal of learning half of the new form, or making it through a class after a particularly hard day, the student that finds the victory within that day will be driven each time they return. Learning and applying these 10 skills has helped me throughout my career as an instructor. I'm sure many will read these and see that they use some of them already, and perhaps there are a few here that might be new to some. I hope they prove helpful.

Here is an article I found rather interesting, regarding BJJ point changes: http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/446250/BJJ-needs-rules-changes-to-increase-fight-relevancy I have to admit, with my very limited experience, I kind of followed most of it, but don't know about all the positions mentioned. But, I think I do see the point being made about increasing positional dominance and getting into good fighting positions. Thoughts from the more experience BJJers and MMA competitors?

Sounds rather interesting. Let us know how it goes.

I don't train near enough on my own. I try to spend time with the Defensive Tactics club when I can during the college school sessions, and was spending some time during the week in the Aikido dojo before I blew out my calf. I do have some bags and equipment at home, but haven't got back to using them quite yet. I do take some time to stretch while I read at home.

Could be something they try to keep as their own ethnic treasure. I doubt it really offers anything that hasn't been seen before or since.

I don't really have an issue with this. However, some instructors might take issue with a student taking time away from his school to spend it in another, especially when it came to asking permission to test. Some schools have a class requirement for testing, especially at higher ranks. However, some instructors do take issue with this kind of thing. They might look at it as disloyalty. I think that is a bit much, and has more to do with jealously than loyalty. I also do think that if one plans on spending time in multiple dojos, then it would behoove them to pick a style that would be different than one they currently do, like a grappling system to cover areas their current style may not cover. We don't have any "offical" written policy on the matter, but I know our instructor doesn't really care for it. But, I've come to the conclusion that its my journey, and I'll do what I want with it. This is a good way to augment your training in your current style. You can learn to apply what you do in a sparring setting with perhaps different contact levels and rules, making you adjust how you apply things. It would be a fun learning experience, at any rate.

Welcome aboard! I wish you a full recovery!

Welcome to KF!

Best of luck in your recovery. I would assume that physical activity is going to be recommended by your doctors. The question is going to be at what level of intensity. That is where the concern for Karate training may come into play, at least early on. If your docs tell you to keep the intensity level low to start out with, then you might be looking into walking instead of Karate for the time being. But as you build your heart back up, then you will possibly be cleared for higher levels of intensity, leading you back to Karate. So take your time, and see where the path leads you. Think of it as training in perserverance. And please keep us posted on your progress!

How come nobody does squats to exhaustion? Just curious.... 7/25/2014 Defensive Tactics for Department Personnel: two session, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, and 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. I went with the Krav Maga material for these sessions, starting with combatives (punches, palm strikes, hammerfists, A-frame kicks and defensive front kicks). I also worked on fighting position from the knees and on the back. I did some drills with hammerfists, going from standing, to kneeling, to on the back, to getting up tactically and back into standing hammerfists. I also introduced the clinch position we used, crashing in from punches to clinch, to knees and clearing out. Also worked the kicks from the ground, to get up tactically, fighting into the clinch, etc. I tried to get lots of reps going into the combatives stuff. We also did choke from the front defense and choke from behind defense. I'm really excited about teaching this curriculum, and I think what I have learned in GRACIE will shore up anything that I would need from the ground. Krav has some ground defenses that I like, but I like having the other options from GRACIE as well. The main problem I'm having is getting good attendence at training. I had two for my first class, and three for my second session. If I'm going to keep building, then I really need more of our guys showing up. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that yet.

I think this especially holds true. I'm a firm believer in that if a student wishes to, they should be encouraged to try things. No style (including the style I study) is perfect and students should be able to go away and find other things to fill the gaps. It's also good for them to be able to compare the style and the instructor to others. They'll always be an integral part of martial arts... but politics and money do seem to spoil things too often. I agree with this sentiment. But not all instructors are so open-minded. Heidi, thanks for sharing this article with us. I think looking for those open doors is part of the journey, and providing others with that opportunity is part of the instructor's job. I commend you for being able to step away and blaze your own trail, and wish you luck throughout your endeavors. I'm not sure what the requirements are for testing for 6th dan in the ATA is anymore. Perhaps having certain numbers of students under you, but I'm not sure. But it shouldn't be the only thing that matters, and its too bad if that is what is holding him back.

Bob, that is a very personal question. In DT training, we say, hit as hard as you can. If a defense attorney asks me how hard I hit someone, I will answer them, "Just as hard as I could." When he asks why, I say "So I didn't have to hit them again." Now, the question before that would be, "Why did you hit my client." That is where the justification really needs to come in, along with the articulation. If you are defending yourself, then you shouldn't have too many problems coming your way. That changes when you are no longer defending yourself, and you become the aggressor. That's what you have to be cognizant of. Wastelander and DWx, thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you found the article helpful.

Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder have wrote a nice book titled The Little Black Book of Violence. I highly recommend it. They cover a lot on not only the psychology of combat, and how attackers choose victims and what not, as well as dealing with the aftermath of having to defend yourself. Its a very good read.

Character is important, and hopefully one can see it here and there during classes, in how students interact with each other, before, during, and after classes. I think paper writing of the things important to each person, what they've learned in their time in the Martial Arts, etc, can help to bring out the character of the students. Background checks don't hurt, either.

If rank motivates you, then there is nothing wrong with that. Let it drive you! Best of luck and please keep us posted. You'll do great!

Welcome to KF!

But if it takes commitment to develop correct technique, to learn kata and ingrain movement then commitment or a lack of should show in the test. Either that or the idea of needing x months/years of training to reach the skill levels asked for is a fallacy? Also I'm not sure if you're comment about degree program's is true. Certainly I know you can apply to test for professional qualification's without taking the course. I'm pretty sure the same is true of university, the only difference being that you need to complete course requirements other than an exam. Perhaps requiring someone like this to complete all the rank exams and requirements is a more fair way to test them You state that there are some things only time can test, but what are they that won't also show in a properly designed and executed rank exam? Here's the main point, the way I see it. If one has done all this training on one's own, and now seeks some sort of legitimization at a school, and one can't get it on one's own, then that person is going to beholden to the process of said instructor's school at which he wishes to seek to appear legitimate. If that is the way he needs to go about being accredited or whatever, then he really can't complain about the process too much. He can, I guess, but it won't really change anything.

Thanks for another nice demonstration!

Thanks for the review, Gareth. Very helpful. I had not heard of or seen this title yet, so thanks for bringing it to light here.

Wouldn't ukemi be more like landing, instead of flying...??

Solid post!! Agreed. When I partcipate in the 300 workout with the Aikido club, we do lots of rolling and breakfalling, after a bunch of other stuff. Its tough work, for sure. Good for the core...

Ditto. It would be fun to read.I think the respect the students have for you is what causes this change in actions and attitude when you are present. Its good, and its bad. Its professional, and in that, it fails to become personal. I'm curious, do the classes warm up to you after a time? Do things loosen up a bit after a warmup? Do you joke with them a bit, invite them to interact with you? Does this help to loosen the atmosphere a bit? I'm just posing questions here. I remember we had a pretty good time together training, and I can't imagine it not going that way with your other dojos.

That increases the price for the event significantly. Are you sure hiring a lawyer is neccessary? I don't see people hiring lawyers for other sports. In the Netherlands everyone is legally required to have medical insurance. I'm not sure if this insurance is also required to extend to sports injuries. also, The sports centre certainly has insurance, if I organise this with one of the coaches that insurance should extend to the event. speaking of the coaches, maybe I should have spoken to some of them before posting here. That way I would know more specific information about organising the event in the netherlands and at the sports centre. Thanks for bringing up the issue of insurance however, I hadn't thought about it as much as I should have. ps1 is right on here. Better safe than pending a lawsuit.Check with the venue at which you wish to hold this event. Make sure they will allow it, in if their insurance will cover an event like this. It may not. Is your club a member of any kind of affiliation that holds sanctioned tournaments? If it is, use this to your advantage, and see if you can help through them. If not, at least use their ruleset, so you have something to work with that you are familiar with. As for the breakfalling question, you won't be able to really teach any kind of breakfalling in the small timeframe you'd have before beginning the competition, so I'd nix that idea. You will want the attorney you hire to come up with a waiver form for the competitors to sign, in regards to relief from liability and all that stuff. That should cover you on the issue of others not knowing how to breakfall yet still entering your competition. It should cover some other areas, as well. Best of luck with this, and I hope it goes well for you. Keep us posted on your progress, please!