How many instructors should a student have?

[JusticeZero]

Maybe it's the academic in me, but I have no problem being asked questions. My instrutore was always enthusiastic about telling us some revelation he had had from training with wrestlers or boxers or whatever, and good questions were valuable to learning how the basic stuff worked.

If I have someone come in from another background, I ask if they want to change styles, do my style for fun, or learn some of the things my art has to offer; i'm entirely satisfied with any of those answers, but it changes the material I teach.

No point trying to break down the form of someone who wants to use Capoeira as a secondary; I gloss over the standing stuff briefly, show them the principles of floor work, the preferred stance and the variants, and focus them in on the do chao (floor) techniques right away and leave them to work out how to make them function. They'll have a thick accent from the other art that's not worth the time to correct.

If they want to switch, then i'll start hammering form hard; a lot of stance work in other arts is a form error in mine and takes a lot of breaking down and rebuilding to really make a solid capoeira.

If they just want to do for the heck of it, they just get the general purpose stuff, music, acrobacia, and jogo. Maybe they're burned out on their primary and they just need some respite, who knows. I think my stuff is worthwhile as a primary art, and I think I have some stuff that's good for people who are primarily studying something else. Both of those groups are coming to me to learn stuff, and i'm happy with that without having an ego fit and going all psychotic-hermit on them.

[joesteph]

If I have someone come in from another background, I ask if they want to change styles, do my style for fun, or learn some of the things my art has to offer; i'm entirely satisfied with any of those answers . . .

Your perspective is refreshing, JusticeZero. Whether child, teen, or adult, the student should be enjoying the martial art. It looks like you strive to do that.

[akedm]

"and going all psychotic-hermit on them" - that's funny!

[JusticeZero]

Yeah. I got annoyed with some teachers for their "I'm the coolest tough guy in the galactic arm, more holy than any three major religion's founders put together, and if you want to train with me, you must change all my lightbulbs with your toes and pledge eternal fealty to me and grovel at my feet for whatever crumbs of knowledge I care to drop to you today - but I will always keep the good stuff for myself!" attitudes. I go to great lengths not to be that way.

[sensei8]

How many instructors should a student have?

This is an easy question for me to answer. For me, I'd say as many instructors as it takes to help me to complete my martial arts journey...which is a never ending journey. My cup will never be full...ever!

Yet, my main instructor is Dai-Soke Yoshinobu Takahashi Sensei of the Shindokan. All other instructors in my life were anybody I felt capable in helping me to grow as a martial artist in both knowledge as well as in effectiveness; any others were immediately discarded with the trash.

Through all of this, I continue to and will always revert back to my main source...Takahashi Sensei OVER all of the rest! Takahashi Sensei has been my "father in the martial arts" for over 44 years...I owe him so much!

[sensei8]

Yeah. I got annoyed with some teachers for their "I'm the coolest tough guy in the galactic arm, more holy than any three major religion's founders put together, and if you want to train with me, you must change all my lightbulbs with your toes and pledge eternal fealty to me and grovel at my feet for whatever crumbs of knowledge I care to drop to you today - but I will always keep the good stuff for myself!" attitudes. I go to great lengths not to be that way.

ROFLMBBO!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that's funny! And so right on!

[ShoriKid]

As many it takes? If I have a student training with someone else, that's cool. Heck, I'll ask them what their into, maybe talk with that instructor. I want to have a good relationship with all of the instructors in the area. I'll send them folks who want what they have, and hope they do the same.

If it's a flim flam instructor, well, I protect my students from that sort of thing if I can.

If someone is asking a question, that's cool with me. I'll try to explain as best I can. However, there comes a time when you need to just shut up and do the technique/train. I'll give you the why and how, but you have to give me the reps and the sweat.

[Okami]

Well I have studied a lot of styles after I made Black Belt this is justt the progression of a martial artist. If it were my student I'd want them to make at least a Shodan with me alone and then go see what else they could learn from others.

[ryanryu]

I agree with sensei8. I've had many different instructors, but it always seems to lead back to the same one, my first and current teacher. I think that's for the best, and that most artists have their one key teacher that got them on the path.