Shinobu

Streetfighting - yeah, its good to know how to do streetfighting, since that seems to be the buzzword around the block these days, because what is real is what is on the streets, right? I hear that a lot - "but this will work on the street." If you want street-effectiveness, buy a gun, learn how to use it, and get yourself certified to carry and conceal. That's what works on the street. Ironically, martial arts also works on this so-called street. When you ask yourself why you have to do the same thing over and over a million times, its so that it becomes a mindless response. Wasn't empty hand created for street-fighting? What has changed in fighting in the last 100 years or 300 years or 600 years that makes it any different from today? Create your own style. Cool! Keep the basis in tradtion. Cool! Everything you ever need to know about brawling or street-fighting is in the traditional systems -even throws and ground-fighting...if you just know where to look. And do your basics over and over - and your kata over and over - because the only way to be street-effective is to reach no mind - your mind is no-where and everywhere at once. Train so hard you forget everything you've learned.

Imagin if we went back to the no belts, only the certificate way of marking our advance in karate. I've met many who say "rank doesn't matter" yet few who are actually willing to give up those coloured belts. Kudos for anyone who wears a belt to hold up their pants. Kudos for those who let their pants fall down for refusing rank. I walked away from a blackbelt test because the situation in which it was presented to me was one made from lies to me by a man I trusted. I was told it was a "work-out" then a "review" then later, after I walked out the door, my "test" - and I would have passed if I had only shown my sensei what I was made of (he said, also after the fact). Funny thing is, I did show him what I was made of - the training, the fair dealing, the honesty - it was all more important to me than a stupid shodan rank (not that shodan rank is stupid, don't anyone mis-read that, please). When someone asked me once why they had to keep going over the basics when they already knew them I replied it was because they didn't know them and weren't doing them right. So trust your sensei, and make sure he expects the same thing from you as he does from the other students in your grade.

Something similar happened at the dojo I used to train at - the effect was the loss of two core students for the sensei - two who paid in full every month (even when unemployed) , showed up for every class, came to every extra event, taught class at the drop of a hat when needed (literally sometimes with a five minute notice) showed up on their own for additional practice, cleaned the place (the only ones who cleaned the place, I might add) did a lot of PR for the place, donated money, time, and even equipment to the dojo, organized fund-raisers, showed up at tournaments when the Sensei couldn't make it - all without ever asking for a reduced fee -even though it had been offered to them. The three that were promoted were the ones who showed up to train, didn't work very hard, kissed a lot of (insert word here), skipped up to five months of class, and, in one case, didn't even have to pay (this person was supposed to keep up the dojo website in exchange for training and didn't even do that). Sometimes you sacrafice the dedicated students for the paying ones - ones who may be paying now, but will eventually get bored and quit when things aren't going their way. The way to keep them in class is to make sure they get what they want, whether they earn it or not (this is what my sensei did). Yes, you may have only two or three core students, and they don't pay the bills. And when you try to please everyone, you end up loosing everyone. My former dojo has lost students, and has not gained any new ones (at least, ones that stayed around longer than two months). I suppose every dojo owner has a dream of five hundred serious paying students, seven floors and tons of others lining up to get in. Me? I did the worst thing possible - I went renegade and opened my own dojo without asking my former sensei's permission. And - here's another bad part - I teach for free. Naturally word of this got back to my former sensei, who ended up sending me a letter I found totally hilarious, though I am sure he meant it as a way to break my confidance as he told me, basically, what a horrible karateka I was. Now when I was in his class, he told me I was one of his best students, that he never had any trouble with me, and that I was really coming along wonderfully. Now, which is right? Was I good as long as I was paying and NOT in compition with him? And the real funny thing is - I am NOT in compition with him. I have had my former classmates call me and want to train with me, but I've refused. I have no desire to steal his bread and butter, no desire to ruin him. My dojo is small - three students. That's all I want. I have had at least twelve other kids ask (through my current students) to join and I have refused. I've even suggested that some try my former dojo (just because he was a jerk with me does not mean he is a bad man or a jerk with everyone - just as a note, I still respect his martial skills and his ability to teach, I just don't respect him very much as a human being). On that long winded note, one of my students just isn't trying. I can't get her to put anything into kata, or practise at home. I was on the verge of telling her not to bother to come back, but decided instead to have a talk with her. She sincerely wanted to stay (I suspected mostly for the socilaization since she is friends with the other two) and her parents really want her to stay in (so she remains active). So I told her that I would work with her. And I've got her punching and kicking much better now, but kata itself is a slow process. I don't rank, but I do reward, and when my other student "tested" and did very well and got a small gift, it inspired her to at least remember all the moves in kata. We just now have to work on stances. I like the freedom of not charging (I have a full time job that pays the bills, BTW), but I also respect and admire those who do charge - those who try to make a living following their dream. Each child is different, and they are motived by different things. The secret is finding out what motivates each one. Is it rank? Is is praise? Teaching is a challenge, because everyone learns things differently. The key is finding a way to motivate each student while being fair. All standards should be the same for each student - and if it takes one longer to get there than another, fine. One of my girls with no prior MA experience is already on her third kata while the one I am having difficulty with is still on her first- and she has had prior MA classes. It takes will, determination, and - above all - patience. If I give the one who isn't trying the same reward for the one who is - yes, the one who is will be the better martial artist, but its a hollow victory when you know that it doesn't matter to your sensei that you are working hard yet those who aren't are getting the same rewards or ranks. When parents want to know why Johnny isn't being promoted with Jeffy since they both started on the same day, they need to be told that Johnny isn't working as hard, then suggest that perhaps Johnny arrive early and have a private session with one of the higher ranking students to help him out. It keeps Johnny's parents paying, Jeffy's parents paying, and all students happy.