Respecting Younger Instructors

[DeeLovesKarate]

I think this is a case of "depends on the teacher, not the age". Years studing, rank, and skill all factor in here, and I know some teenage instructors who far surpass the skill of their elder counterparts. Plus, it's a matter of ego to not want to be taught by, granted, someone younger than you, but someone younger and more skilled than yyou are. It's a bit bruising to the ego.... although most will never admit it.

[hobbitbob]

I think the major problem with a younger (less experienced) person as the primary instructor lies in the impossibility of truly comprehending the techniqes in less than ten or so years of training. Many teens and young adults are quite capable of "repeating the movements," and are also usually able to show iters how to do the same, but they may not understand applications.

 

The perfect example of this may be seen when you look at some of the early instructors in the US. Many were american servicemen with a year or so of training. It was only after ten or twenty years of training that they changed from teaching punck/kick to teaching avoid/counter. The early JKA instructors are another example of the same phenomenon. The way Yaguchi Sensei teaches in 2001 is vastly different from how he taught in 1970 according to amny of the "old timers."

 

The other trait a teeager lacks is compassion and understanding for the difficulties involved in learning Karate for different groups, like the elderly, women, etc... Only time can teach one to allow for the effects of age or the lack of previous physical exercize. At 36 I teach quite differently from how I did at 26, and it is becasue I have had additional time to experience life.

 

Right, then...everyone pounce!

[DeeLovesKarate]

I'm not so sure. Many of our young instructors suffer from joint problems and tendonitis than make it difficult for them too. Plus, whose to say who lacks compassion in this scenario? I still stand by my statement that it is an ego thing for the students, and a self-confidence issue for the teacher in the original, and perhaps most other, scenario(s).

[CheekyMusician]

At 36 I teach quite differently from how I did at 26, and it is becasue I have had additional time to experience life.

 

Right, then...everyone pounce!

 

*applauds loudly*

 

I totally agree that the two most important things a teacher should have are technical expertise/great knowledge of the subject their teaching and life experience.

 

I guess its the type of thing you refuse to believe when you're young, though. I bet if someone had said to you when you were 26 that they thought you were a bit young to be teaching you'd have been extremely angry with them, yet now you're older you realise that just living life and learning about yourself makes you a much better teacher now that you're older.

[Synaesthesia]

I'm 15 years old.

 

Not to mention a genius.

[Joshua]

Hello, my name is Joshua Pelfrey. Personally, I think you should keep on going, and face problems as they arise, don't worry about what everyone thinks. When the master of our system asked me to open up a class in the next town over for him, I was reluctant to do so because I was only 19 at the time. His response to me was, "wisdom comes with experience, not with age," which I now believe to be very true. I'm 21 years old, and right now I have a class full of great students that I never would have believed. I have a 1st degree black belt, 8 brown belts (mixed degrees) and several white-red belts. One of my brown belt's that is about to go to black soon is even being inducted into the Eastern Martial Arts Association International Jr. Black Belt hall of fame. As far as respect goes, well you have to earn it. I do so by staying 2 steps ahead of EVERY student in my class at EVERYTHING. This is hard, I mean I have students ranging from 8 to 51 years old, and some of them are really tough. You just have to put in the extra practice. I like to get to class an hour early, leave about 30 minutes late, and drop by my dojo at least a few extra hours during the week to work out. A teaching secret that has helped me maintain respect in my class is never showing my cards before I have to. By this I mean, learn a good strategy or seperate style , and never teach it or demonstrate it. Then, if a problem arises, use it. Example- I teach a stand up art, but I study grappling. I never showed any to any of the students in my class. One day I had a big head come in to try class out. He had just graduated hight school, and he happened to be on the football team and one of the powerlifter for the school weightlifting team. Needless to say, he was a powerhouse. When we sparred, he came at me with everything he had, trying to make me look bad. Now, I couldn't just throw a hook kick and bust his temple...wouldn't be very honorable of me, I'd have lost my job as well. So, I referred to my grappling. Waited for him to throw a puch, and seized him and took him to the ground. There I put him in a lock called "The Crucifix" and told him to tap the ground if he wanted to quit. After a few seconds he tapped out. By doing so, i earned his respect and maintained respect throughout my class. He's been the best of student every since then, and hasn't offered to challenge me again. I was also able to end the fight without having to hurt him. So there's my advice, keep doing what your doing, practice five times as much as the hardes worker in your class, and always have a couple tricks up your sleeve. Good luck!!!

[hobbitbob]

The above post is the perfect example why youngsters shouldn't have their own schools. As one gets older one's ego settles down. the purpose of teaching Karate is to teach, not to prove to yourself or your students that you are "better" than them. If your student had natural abilities in sparring, why not nurture them, and also build his basic skills? If he was a"hot-head," as you described, why not simply refuse to teach him?

 

I guess my real question is: are you teaching for your students, or are you teaching for yourself? Are you more interested in imparting knowledge, or in showing them up?

 

We have a few green and brown belts at our Dojo who can give some of the Yudansha more than a run in sparring, I am rather happy at this! It's great training for us and for them! I actually prefer working with them because they give one-hundred percent all of the time, unlike one or two of my fellow yudansha who are content to rest on their laurels.

 

Let me also add that the longer you teach, the more comfortable you will be with your role as a teacher,and you will hopfully lose this idea of being in competition with your students.

 

[hobbitbob]

I'm 15 years old.

 

Not to mention a genius.

Hmmm..how much did the anthropoid one pay you to say that?

[glingglo]

it doesn't sound to me like a question of ego. i've taught before (not MA, but academically) and you sometimes get students who want to challenge your authority for no good reason. if you don't deal with them, they can become big problems. i think josh was just looking for a good way to remind this kid of his place in the order of things.

 

i'm sure we've all encountered those big burly types who come into an MA class and just want to overpower everyone in their way. those people can be dangerous to thier classmates and themselves. i've seen instructors in their 40s and 50s use similar techniques to handle these types, so i don't think josh's decision to do so was an age thing OR an ego thing.

[karate_woman]

As far as respect goes, well you have to earn it. I do so by staying 2 steps ahead of EVERY student in my class at EVERYTHING. This is hard, I mean I have students ranging from 8 to 51 years old, and some of them are really tough. You just have to put in the extra practice. I like to get to class an hour early, leave about 30 minutes late, and drop by my dojo at least a few extra hours during the week to work out. A teaching secret that has helped me maintain respect in my class is never showing my cards before I have to. By this I mean, learn a good strategy or seperate style , and never teach it or demonstrate it.

 

You don't have to be better than your students to earn their respect. Bear this in mind: there will always be someone better than you, so it isn't a good idea to earn your respect or self worth solely by being the best. Sure it is great to keep improving yourself (by all means!), but someone will eventually come along and beat you, then what? Your opinion of yourself will then be shattered. Keep learning new things for the joy of learning them, not to be the biggest dog in the kennel.

 

I'm not sure who said it, but there is a saying that goes something like this: the ultimate compliment is when the student surpasses the teacher.