Student Committment

[phoenixfire]

Our school has the same problem! Our school is VERY traditional and students can spend years at one belt level if they are not ready to test. It seems as we go on fewer students are even willing to make it past white belt. I have been with this school for 15 years and I am still a brown belt. (Lately work/life has intervened in my training) I don't wish to offend any parents here however, the root of the problem seems to be the parents. They give their children everything and don't think they can do anything on their own. When I was a child I had to earn anything big or wait till Christmas or a birthday. Also, parents don't push their kids to learn anymore. While teaching a child something (pretty basic) one of the parents actually intervened and suggested that perhaps this was too difficult for their child. I asked her politely to sit back down and we would see if their kid could do this or not. Turns out her kid was smart enough and had enough ability to do as he was asked! Who Knew!!! My mom always pushed me to do better and be smarter. I don't understand these people who are willing to allow their kids to be lazy dullards who think the world owes them any little thing they desire!

[Slayer2004]

I am going to start another post in a moment to discuss motivating parents, but I have already noticed a problem where a new syllabus for children I devised that will require actual work and effort from parents as well is going to prove difficult.

[bushido_man96]

Expectations of entitlement kills ingenuity and innovation and creativity. And many MA schools have begun to cater to this idea, and it does hurt the students.

I don't know that it is really the exception anymore, or the rule. I know that not everyone who starts, finishes, but its been that way for years. Those who love it, will likely stick around.

Also, many people are a lot busier now than they were ten years ago, too. I know I am busy with work, wife, kids, etc. Its gets tough, and my schedule is not my own.

[tweak9]

Wow. I was looking for a forum topic that covers exactly this...or at least has a particular comment relating to me...I seem to have lost my steam/mojo...I reached shodan over a year ago...but took a break for whatever reason and now I always have an excuse not to go...work, home life, health, etc. Don't get me wrong, I want to reach nidan, sandan, etc. But i have been questioning my training...I have learned the "necessary requirements" for shodan, but now that I have made it, I am unsure how much i have learned - mentally. Most kids have no clue. Some have great drive and are awesome...others are there because mommy and daddy pay for it - no focus...but I am asking myself "where did my focus go?" and I agree, the hardest thing to do is go back to the dojo and get on the mat...I am 46 years old...any other "mid-lifers" out there feel the same?

Pete

[Slayer2004]

Hi Pete

I am hopefully still young enough to not yet be considered a mid-lifer but I left my training for about 5 years when I became a father and thought it was best to put all my effort into earning a living so that my children had everything they needed. I too had excuses as to why I never went back and even now if it came to it I would struggle to afford to train if I were not running my own club.

The only reason that I started teaching my own dojo was simple. I moved to an area that had nothing, literally nothing for anyone below the age of 50. Nice area, my daughters loved it and someone just asked me one day about my black belt when they found out I was one. I was only a Shodan at the time and was considering sending my daughters to a local dojo to train, to only find out that there wasn't one. After looking into it further I decided I would train them myself and hired the local hall. I seemed to get my passion back and realised that what I had not done was prepare myself for beyond Shodan. It had been my lifetime dream to get a black belt and when I did I struggled to see what I should do next. This was what gave me perspective and focus again. I am not saying that you should start a dojo but usually it will take something small to get that spark back. My sights now are firmly set on having a successful dojo with my students being happy and for myself to just continue to improve and find my own solutions as I train. It is amazing that when my student gloves come off and I am let free what I can then appreciate and accomplish. The amount I have learned in the last 5 years of teaching are incredible. Whilst keeping with tradition and adding a little mix here and there I am able to help people and improve my own knowledge.

Anyway, sorry for the long post but hope you do not mind.

Andy

[xravenwingsx]

I've noticed that students today strive and push and drive and train and whatever else that's necessary to reach THEIR own personal goals. In the martial arts, the ending goal is for the laymen is the black belt. Once that is attained, they move on to something else!! Their black belt was their goal, and now that it's been attained....mission accomplished!!

Students of today, imho, seem to have it in their minds that multiple Dan rankings are for only the career minded martial artist, not for the laymen black belt.

I'm pretty new to the karate world, but I'm already seeing this. My wife and I have plans to study it (and maybe some grappling/ground work in time) for the rest of our lives, but we have two students who just got their black belts this year--and they haven't been back to practice since. Wife and I aren't ever going to stop--we're completely in love with martial arts. But it's sad to see some people struggle to get that 1st Dan, then move on to something else or quit entirely once they hit that one goal.