Did I overreact?

[Zaine]

Imho, it's time for the Godan to be banned from the dojo!!

Agreed.

The Godan, having taught the Yondan, knew that he could manipulate him into letting him take over the class. This person does not have an attitude befitting of someone in his rank and should be banned immediately.

[kensei]

If this is a community club based program you should also contact the community club about the situation. if its a private club, easy enough to tell him his services and presence are no longer needed. and the fact that he had the steam to put down the Dojo head...well thats grounds right their for a very public excommunication!

[DoctorQui]

I just had a conversation with my daughter who is 5th Kyu, who came home from training two weeks ago (I didn't go that night!) with a hefty bruise above her eye. She told me that someone had been wearing a watch and had caught her with it! I didn't say anything else assuming it would have been dealt with at the time and she says it was. She just told me that the watch wearer was this Godan. Apparently he is above safety measures too!

Not sure where I stand as a 1st Kyu dealing with this!

[Zaine]

I just had a conversation with my daughter who is 5th Kyu, who came home from training two weeks ago (I didn't go that night!) with a hefty bruise above her eye. She told me that someone had been wearing a watch and had caught her with it! I didn't say anything else assuming it would have been dealt with at the time and she says it was. She just told me that the watch wearer was this Godan. Apparently he is above safety measures too!

Not sure where I stand as a 1st Kyu dealing with this!

You're not a 1st Kyu dealing with that anymore. You're a Father dealing with a person who didn't exhibit enough control to not pop a girl in her eye with not enough common sense to take of his watch before training.

[kensei]

These can be dealt with as two different situations. My first step would be to address the saftey issue with the instructor, let him know that as a Parent you find that lack of common sense to be unacceptable from an instructor...then let him know what you think of this guy from your point of view as well.

If it came to it, I would have been so ticked off I would have gone into the next class Sir Godan is teaching in and let him know that his practice is unsafe and you may have to contact authorities about this if it continues.

To be as simple as possible I dont think people like this should be teaching and your instructor would be smart to address this as a "thank you, but you are not welcome back" situation!

[sensei8]

I just had a conversation with my daughter who is 5th Kyu, who came home from training two weeks ago (I didn't go that night!) with a hefty bruise above her eye. She told me that someone had been wearing a watch and had caught her with it! I didn't say anything else assuming it would have been dealt with at the time and she says it was. She just told me that the watch wearer was this Godan. Apparently he is above safety measures too!

Not sure where I stand as a 1st Kyu dealing with this!

You're not a 1st Kyu dealing with that anymore. You're a Father dealing with a person who didn't exhibit enough control to not pop a girl in her eye with not enough common sense to take of his watch before training.

Solid post!!

[pittbullJudoka]

I would talk with my instructor about the situation all details included. This guy was not only disrespectful to those present but to your instructor. Him jumping in to take over in your instructors absence and some of the comments he has made showed his ego. It was all about look at me I'm a godan I know more and this is how you do it. I commend you guys that left. Also this guy needs to understand that the way dojos train change over time. I would say that if the student that was left to teach that night would have stood up to him it sounds like it would have gotten real bad real quick.

Definitely talk to the others to see if they will talk to you instructor with you so it is the entire group that was involved there in the conversation. This way is doesn't sound like you're training to out this guys for personal reasons.

I would hate to say what would happen if someone came into my dojo and pulled a stunt like this because in some ways we are still very old school.

[ps1]

The Godan assumed a position that didn't possess...NOT ON MY FLOOR!!

That's all that needs said.

The yandan should have taught the class.

[bushido_man96]

What a cazy mess. If I was the chief instructor of that school, I'd have a serious chat with this fellow. Its one thing to be an active Godan, but to be a Godan in name only essentially after being out of training for so long is another thing. To assume command of a class like that is a bit brash. I'd make sure to let the head instructor know what happened, and how you felt about the whole thing. It sounds like you've got some support in the matter, as well, so bring everyone affected to discuss the matter. The head instructor should take some kind of action in the matter.

[ShoriKid]

It sounds like you handled this with more grace and composure than I may have been able to muster. This "Godan", by the sounds of this, is a lot of things I'm not allowed to say on these boards. Pushing his way into the class when he clearly was an instructor, or even an active member of the dojo is a big no no. If he was traveling through and stopped by to train at the old dojo he was part of and was invited to lead the class that night (and he'd behaved himself) it would be okay. That you all stayed as long as you did, a mark in your favor. Don't feel for a second that you were in the wrong. And after you added the incident involving your daughter, I would be speaking to the head instructor. In part as a student who was put in a bad spot and then as an angry father who isn't going to tolerate my child being in the same room when this guy is on the floor.