Big Sensei :P

[Chito]

Curious... do many of you have instructors who are somewhat older and overweight?

 

My first sensei was one of the very fit types and an excellent competitor.

 

My second sensei (same style) would best be described as a chubby Jerry Lewis' Nutty Professor Friends of mine always thought it was weird that he'd be a Renshi with so much ability. But this man was BORN to teach and knew the art inside and out. Trained for over 30 years, was one of the technical directors of our style, and helped form our provincial karate association for the advancement of all karate in NS. From our own dojo in little ol Nova Scotia, we produced 4 National champions (one of our members was the 8 time Canadian champion and 16th worldwide) and several international placings in our styles tri-annual Soke Cup. Sadly, he passed away from cancer and is sadly missed.

 

His replacement, his assistant, is a friendly but ruff and gruff kinda guy with a rather large beer belly But again, he knows karate inside out as well. And again, one of our styles national technical directors.

 

I guess I'm just throwing this out there for some comment... sometimes we don't realize that the body ages and sometimes our physical ability to do things also changes. My senseis make not be able to do a spinning roundhouse anymore (hell, I can't to begin with... lol) or look like lean, mean martial artists, but are some of the best instructors I've ever known.

 

Anyone with similar experiences?

[AnonymousOne]

I do not see how a serious martial arts, especially a teacher can be overweight.

 

Obviously they are not training. Find a new teacher

[Freddy]

AnonymousOne is joking? i cant tell for sure

[tommarker]

 

I'll bet Wang Shu Jin was an awful teacher... and a fatty.

[AnonymousOne]

AnonymousOne is joking? i cant tell for sure

 

Hell no I am not joking. A martial arts teacher has to have credibility. A martial arts teacher must be able to demonstrate what he expects.

 

An overweight teacher is no example to students at all. A martial artist who is worth their salt, wont have any extra fat at all. They should be at the peak of their physical fitness.

 

One would never expect to see an overweight Miss Universe nor an overweight martial artist. They are as compatible as chalk and cheese

[Sauzin]

I don't really agree with that. In Okinawa a good number of the higher ranking instructors had a bit of a belly. They would joke about it when they would drink beer after class saying that they needed to work on their center of gravity. Now they weren't grossly overweight but many were at least 30 or 40 pounds over their "optimum" weight for their height.

 

Further more many people have a genetic predisposition to weight and they can be very serious and become very good martial artists. It is very possible to spend just as much time as anyone else but weigh twice as much. One student of my sensei is such a person and he probably weighs about 300lbs. He works out about as much as I do, maybe more. If he were to keep up with it for another 10 years or so I think he would make a great teacher. You shouldn't be so quick to judge based just off of appearance or weight. The tiniest and skinniest instructor may have once been a champion weight lifter (Seikichi Odo) and could be a lot stronger then you might think. Likewise a seemingly obese man might be a lot more athletic and quick then you might first think. I would suggest judging your instructors seriousness and dedication by the quality of his material and the effectiveness of his application rather then by his body fat ratio.

[snazzed]

Don't find a new teacher unless your current one doesn't know what they are doing. The instructor has to be able to demonstrate effectivly and guide the class and pass on his knowlege. They don't have to take part, keep up and out-fitness those lower than their rank.

 

I think you're partly right that the body ages and slows down. It defenitly gets harder to keep the fat off as you get older and some of these Senseii don't train as much as they used to. Instead, they spend their time standing around yelling at people... teaching.

 

I have had both. Senseii that are brutally fit and others that are downright soft. Incidently, the best one I ever had was brutally fit. The worst one I ever had... was also brutally fit.

 

A football coach doesn't have to be at the same level of fitness as his team. Remember, what makes the best teachers is the in depth knowledge, the experience and, above all, the ability to pass it on. It has nothing to do with the size of their muscles... or their gut.

 

Thanks

 

snazzed

[AnonymousOne]

The instructors in our school (minimum of 3rd Dan level) are required to train as hard as and in many cases harder than students. This type of training would not allow someone to get over weight.

 

Its a proven scientific fact that excess body weight slows you down. In all fields of athletic endevour they tell you to maintain your correct weight for peak performance.

 

In our school, which is strictly traditional Japanese, one is expected to be at their peak constantly to remain a teacher. Grade test are performed regularly to ensure high standards and if you dont measure up, you lose your grade and has to sit it all over again. The standards are high, which it should be

 

Its leading by example.

[Jussi Häkkinen]

I don't really agree with that. In Okinawa a good number of the higher ranking instructors had a bit of a belly. They would joke about it when they would drink beer after class saying that they needed to work on their center of gravity. Now they weren't grossly overweight but many were at least 30 or 40 pounds over their "optimum" weight for their height.

 

...and thing is that these "chubby" Okinawan dudes can still demonstrate the things they're teaching. They're in good shape - they just have some padding over the muscles.

 

It is leading by example - these people show that they still can enjoy the life and they aren't overly fanatic about karate.

 

That being said, some of these people just look chubby - their body may be very fit and the body type just makes them look a bit different (I have seen quite a few sixpacks that look "barrel-ish").

 

From other circles, I doubt that anyone would say that sumo wrestlers are in bad physical shape - even though they're overweight and do have excess fat.

[Sauzin]

Woah, so who says an instructor who has a few extra pounds can't keep up. I'm not saying that an instructor shouldn't be able or shouldn't have to keep up with the class. Ideally he'd not just be keeping up but he'd be leaving them in the dust once in a while just to set the bar. But having a bit of a belly has nothing to do with this. There are a lot more causes for extra weight then just laziness. Number one on the list is metabolism. And if you think that a lower metabolism automatically disqualifies an instructor then you haven't seen the instructors I've seen.

 

Secondly I'm not going to argue that excess weight won't slow you down, but I will say that I've seen some very fast heavy guys. Very fast. I will also say that weight is not the largest contributing factor to speed. I will also say that speed is not the largest contributing factor to an effective technique. Timming is. A guy with extra weight with enough training can train a fast enough response and technique to get his timing spot on, without any problem. That's what really matters.

 

Thirdly any disadvantage of lack of speed (if there even was one) would be counterbalanced with the advantage the weight gave to better balance and forceful movement. If you learn how to use weight it can definitely be an advantage. The trick for a big guy is learning how to use weight the same way a little guy does. Learning it as an enhancement, not something you rely solely on.

 

While karate-do is defiantly benefited by physical fitness, it does not rely on it. While an instructor should be as fit as he can be, his skill is what makes him who he is. Because even the most fit man/woman will eventually age and physically fade. There is a reason why karate-ka get better as this happens and not worse. Because the art does not lie in one's physical performance but in the skill that takes him there.