Discipline going up the wall

[shukokai2000]

I often visit other clubs as an observer. And i have noticed the amount of lack of respect todays cadets/juniors give to there instructors. Don't get me wrong it happens at my club aswell, i try my best to explain the ettiquette, and somtimes i have to give out punnishment e.g pushups etc. But as our cheif instructor has said students were afraid to speak in class in the good old days. How far today can we dicipline students without politics etc getting in the way ?.

[SBN Doug]

I don't think it's as much politics as it is potential loss of revenue.

If the school owner isn't worried about loosing a few students, you can dish out more discipline.

[fallen_milkman]

I personally prefer the environment I am in. We have fun, we chat, rank is no big deal. We are all there to learn and become friends. Respect and fear are two different things.

[shukokai2000]

i agree, but respect should be applied for whatever inviroment your in

[DragonMike]

I think there should be more respect in the martial arts. I think its one of the main reasons that study the marial arts.

[karatekid1975]

This is a funny thing to find this thread after last night's class. There is this kid in class that has no self control (sparring), and he refused to warm up the class last night (most of the higher ranks are picked to warm up the class). He was called on to warm up the class, and he just flat out refused. I don't know why. All of us have done it. There's even a card to read off of (for the warm ups). How easy can it be?

I just took it as disrespect. Even the ones who hate being in front of the class like that even try. None of us EVER refused to do so. He was sent out of the class, and another was picked. I wish it was me, because I would have given the class a good work out after that.

[Jiffy]

I can sympathise with this issue. It is very hard to deal with a student that flat out refuses, especially in today's society. It depends on how we look at it. Years ago, it was a privellage to be in the dojo and you did as you were told. Now days, it's like any normal business whereby they pay us for a service and the customer is always right.

While I try to ensure that is not the way it happens in our dojo, that is the basic mentality of today's generation, so it's makes it hard.

My advice, stick with it. Student's are generally there because they want to learn. If they are not listening to you, then they don't really want to learn anyway, so don't worry about punishing them, if they leave, so be it. As for money, it should always be a secondary objective.

[ninjanurse]

My 2 cents:

Respect and discipline are very important in the classroom but....not all students are prepared mentally when they first walk in your dojang. They have no idea what a great gift to themselves a Black Belt can be and many quit before they start to realize it. I feel that it is my obligation as an instructor to help ALL students come to this realization and because I enjoy martial arts I take the approach that they should enjoy it too. I am from a very OLD SKOOL and I demand quality from my students and my apporach is similar to my first sensei's: We are a martial arts family. Respect is taught through respect. Discipline is learned by example. Those that need reminders will be reminded. Obediance is expected and those that disobey will be reprimanded and/or punished. And yes, families that play together stay together.

[shogeri]

Many of us are repeating phrases of not just 10 or 20 years, but of 50 or more, when it comes to saying that 'the children of today do not respect anything'...

What is a dojo or dojang?

It is a school.

A place of learning.

A place of understanding, of sharing, and of building specific skills both social and personal as they relate to the Martial Arts.

The social part, is the least important. One can always socialize after class, or prior to.

A Martial Arts school has its own set of etiquette for a reason.

The instructor, sets and maintains the standards in regards to discipline, respect, student-teacher relationships, and so on.

As an online business, management, and customer service manager, I teach my clients, that the customer is not always right, and that they need to do what they feel is best for their company.

Having a good client pool to choose from means bulding up and maintaining sound relatioships or partnerships, where both sides are consumers and customers.

To have a school, where it is about the student, and not the school, is to have a school that will either not last, or will not produce quality services, or such services will not be fully expressed or known by those purchasing them.

That is, when students rule the classroom, the teacher will not be able to teach effectively. Thus, the students will be paying for less than what they originally bargained for. But in reality, you reap what you sow.

I wish everyone the best of luck, and the best of respect.

[red dawn]

I've noticed a lack of respect with kids...and I've never really inforced respect harshly but I am beginning to now...I'm not really the type to inforce punhishment such as push-up or sitting out on our "fun drills" but when I say I want you to walk back to your spot without talking and one of my students is still talking to another student and I ask him again to go quietly back to his spot and he is still talking when while he's walking away, I've had enough. Pushups and their out of my class..Though I think whats hard is trying to inforce discipline and not be mean and still get everyone to have a good time...but I think respect is a huge part of the martial arts...I would never have not listened to my Sensi like that. Kids today....