Taking orders from a higher but MUCH younger grade.

[joesteph]

Even if it was just a warm up what if this instructor decides to rely on her in the future? This could be a potential problem.

This concern caused me to say in my second posting, when I found out that it was warm-ups (not a class, but still important):

A frank talk with him [the chief instructor] by you is a necessity, that he would know to speak with this young BB, to instill what responsibility means when one is in charge, and perhaps a good talking to is needed by the class as a whole.

It's not to make the youngster feel bad, but to steer her in the right direction. As for the class, theirs is the responsibility of cooperation.

[bushido_man96]

In this scenario I think it's fine. You have to develop people along. Everyone's first command isn't necissarily the smoothest. This is the kind of thing you can to as an instuctor to bring people along.

I agree. I remember the first time I taught a warm-up...I was quite nervous. Then, I started taking over kids classes, and I wasn't taken as seriously as the head instructor was. Its a process where you have to build some rapport with the students, and the sooner you can start, then the better.

[MMA_Jim]

I'd have a tough time taking sd instruction from him. A 13 yo kid just dosn't have the life experiance and probilby not the adult triaining required to adaquately present that kind of material.

It's that kind of situation that keeps us from awarding bb rank in the combatives of our art until at least 16. Even with that, I think the youngest to ever reach bb status was 19 or so.

Tallgeese is spot on here

A 13 year old CHILD does not have the intuition and know how to teach (effective) martial arts. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you cant get your black belt until you're 18, and you cant even get your blue belt (1 step up from white) until 16 (15 for exceptional students). It is precisely because of this. A child is far from mastery, and far from knowing how to teach himself. Hes not even old enough to be in high school.

Theres a difference between not having an ego and just being plain naiive.

So even though age restrictions weren't the primary focus of this topic, it seems that age restrictions would help prevent the situation Shotokan-kex was discussing.

Even if it was just a warm up what if this instructor decides to rely on her in the future? This could be a potential problem.

If the instructor relies on a child to run any part of his or her class, then he or she shouldnt be teaching martial arts at all.,

[Truestar]

I'd have a tough time taking sd instruction from him. A 13 yo kid just dosn't have the life experiance and probilby not the adult triaining required to adaquately present that kind of material.

It's that kind of situation that keeps us from awarding bb rank in the combatives of our art until at least 16. Even with that, I think the youngest to ever reach bb status was 19 or so.

Tallgeese is spot on here

A 13 year old CHILD does not have the intuition and know how to teach (effective) martial arts. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you cant get your black belt until you're 18, and you cant even get your blue belt (1 step up from white) until 16 (15 for exceptional students). It is precisely because of this. A child is far from mastery, and far from knowing how to teach himself. Hes not even old enough to be in high school.

Theres a difference between not having an ego and just being plain naiive.

So even though age restrictions weren't the primary focus of this topic, it seems that age restrictions would help prevent the situation Shotokan-kex was discussing.

Even if it was just a warm up what if this instructor decides to rely on her in the future? This could be a potential problem.

If the instructor relies on a child to run any part of his or her class, then he or she shouldnt be teaching martial arts at all.,

I would have to disagree.

There are times where a new student is interested and a parent may want to ask questions, the next highest ranking belt may indeed be a child. For the instructor to rely on that child for 10 minutes I don't think is something to frown on and wouldn't consider it a swag the finger move.

I think it's how heavily we weigh the term "rely".

[tallgeese]

I don't think it's intedned to be a matter of "rely" as much as just giving the kid some confidence.

Let's face it, you're fighters aren't going to be in the same group as the rest of your population. In all likelyhood, your hardcore sd guys won't either.

Who's to care past that who warms what up? Those are the guys training hard enough and seriously enough to be irked by this. I doubt anyone else, given the context of the situation would care.

Heck, alot of t hose guys would probibily grin and let the kid build some experience and have a story to tell. Get him out in 10 and go about business. That's all.

[tori]

If we have a mix of ages and ranks in class, we appoint the highest child rank to lead warm ups with the children and the highest adult rank to warm up the adults. If the children do not behave seriously, it usually isn't a problem, because even though Shihan may be off the floor, he is still watching. Push ups to follow. This goes for the adults also

[tori]

We do have several occassions where younger students teach adults; however, all our black belt teachers are at least 16 and have gone through extensive training in order to be able to teach. We do not have anyone complain. The Black belts in our dojo are constantly going through training on all their current and previous requirements. In this case, I think it is fine to have younger kids teach older students.

[Bushido58266]

although i do think younger students have talent when they obtain their blackbelt but i def. do not think they should teach adults, if they do teach they should teach younger ages then themselves but still with an adult instructor present. i know as an adult student i would not feel right being taught by anyone under the age of 18! i would just feel like i wasnt learning properly! even back in the traditional old days kids did NOT teach adults! so i guess you could say im more traditional about it. i agree with mma_jim and the brazilian jiu jitsu way about no one obtaining a black belt until 18!

[joesteph]

If the children do not behave seriously, it usually isn't a problem, because even though Shihan may be off the floor, he is still watching. Push ups to follow. This goes for the adults also

Tori, I understand that Shihan is watching, and that pushups are sometimes given to children in different dojos/dojangs, but my question concerns the adults.

Are you saying that the adults are given corporal punishment, specifically pushups, as well? When you say adults, are these adults age eighteen or nineteen? Also in their twenties? Their thirties? Older?

[tori]

Push ups for adults happen rarely JoeSteph, but they happen if rules are broken and discipline by an individual gets out of hand.

Push ups happen more frequently for lack of control when doing a technique on someone and they are injured. Usually every sparring session, someone is doing push ups.