Sho-ju Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 It seems many of my students have hit a wall, they don't seem to be pushing themselves as hard as they did a month ago. Any tips to help to them refocused? It happened to me often when training and it just took time to get out of the rut... Sho-ju nidan, shotokan
granmasterchen Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 maybe change the approach to how you teach things, keep it new, exciting and interesting....sometimes people get tired of the same drills, so toss a few things around and make it seem like a new activity, yet continue to throw in your normal techniques and such into the mix.... maybe have your students perform for the rest of the class, this may encourage them to work harder to impress others. You may also look at exposing them to different styles via demos or tournaments, this will expose them to other information that you can help them with , they ask you what a certain technique is and you reply that you can show them and help them and what the possible applications are.... just some thoughts That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger
White Warlock Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Yes, monotony kills many students... and schools. Mix it up a little and provide not only 'different' things, but fun things. Games are sometimes a good thing to toss in, creating a lot of fun as well as reinforcing dynamic use of techniques. For grappling, you could have knee rugby (no standing, no striking, techniques only). For striking, you could have a form of ball game, where you keep a large nerf ball in the air via punches and/or kicks. Make this more challenging by dictating which kicks or strikes to use... then changing them periodically to keep everyone on their toes. Examples, mind you. On the not so extreme, you could have rotation single-man defense drills, where one person is attacked once by each student, and then is replaced by the last student he defended against, and the process continues until everyone has had an opportunity to defend against all others. Weapon drills break up the monotony as well. Lots of things really. "When you are able to take the keys from my hand, you will be ready to drive." - Shaolin DMV TestIntro
ramymensa Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Doing the same things in the same way all the time is boring and I've noticed a lack of interest for my part when having to do the same things. The way to escape this viciuos circle is to make it interesting and do the same things a little different. Some new exercises in the warm up, new techniques or drills and whatever you think could spice a bit your classes. World Shotokan Karate
Sho-ju Posted March 23, 2004 Author Posted March 23, 2004 I don't believe that's a problem in my dojo, we have an Aikido sensei come out once a month to help us with wrist locks. We also study the cane and arnis. We use a JKA style syllabus but we also use throws, etc. My student are doing very well at karate and usually out perform other dojo (it's all them, not me) but for some reason the dojo seems to be in a slump. Maybe it's me....
ramymensa Posted March 24, 2004 Posted March 24, 2004 Maybe it's the spring Maybe they are tired (scholl, work ... ) There could many answers to the question. Wait for some weeks, maybe it will pass. Do your best to keep them interested and the problem will disapear. World Shotokan Karate
Sho-ju Posted March 24, 2004 Author Posted March 24, 2004 It's already starting to pass, we had a week layoff and everyone came back with gusto.
Ironberg Posted March 27, 2004 Posted March 27, 2004 Sparring never gets old for me (just an eager student giving 2 cents). I'd seriously pay extra cash to get another hour of sparring at every practice. It's kinda like BBall - you get your hommies together and the games get down. "An enlightened man would offer a weary traveler a bed for the night, and invite him to share a civilized conversation over a bowl of... Cocoa Puffs."
Bammx2 Posted March 31, 2004 Posted March 31, 2004 this may sound a little crazy.....but when my students got bored in the spring time,I took them out to a park and played frisbee football! it's broke the monotony,but still worked them in endurance,hand-eye coordination,timing,speed and in general....had a good time! it made a world of difference! we even trained outside once in a while...be creative, it works!
tommarker Posted March 31, 2004 Posted March 31, 2004 maybe too many focuses (foci?) shotokan, and aikido, and kali, and cane? maybe they are spread too thin? I'm not trying to be critical, but maybe they aren't spending enough time on one thing. Maybe some hard core bagwork/target training for a bit. Raise the bar, and then show them how to catch up to you. I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
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