One Improvement At A Time!!

[sensei8]

During the 49 years that I've been in Shindokan, I've learned a lot about myself and a few things about human nature. I'll admit I may not have been a very good instructor at first, because I didn't deliver great results to my valued students. Don't get me wrong, every ninth or tenth student saw good results and reached their MA goals, but they were the students who could have done it without my faults.

Perhaps that's why the average career of an instructor is 18 months. For me, reality hit that not only was I not doing such a great job as their instructor. I was getting paid by them for me to teach them Shindokan, and because I was being paid but not providing substance. I couldn't live with this, so I reeducated myself, with the help of my Dai-Soke. I learned how human beings actually make changes, sometimes monumental changes, that improve their MA betterment, and how as instructors can help guide those changes.

I was surprised by what I discovered during this process. I now know the best drills, the best workout plans, the best rest and recoveries, the ultimate approach to this and that concerning the MA, and on and on and on--doesn't really matter!

Initially, that is. What matters is the pace that my students and I set together. If I as my students to do all of these at once, I am certain my students can not succeed. In fact, eve choosing two things at once has a tremendous rate of failure.

Instead, let's work together, student and instructor, to narrow down a single area to address. Then, your chances of success start to rise!! Conquering one goal at a time leads to confidence ad the ability to handle additional changes naturally becomes easier. Before you know it, you're headed down the path to improved MA betterment.

Thoughts?

[Nidan Melbourne]

That is a good set of improvements that you are making. Not only as an instructor but as a human being.

Very few people that i know (that do MA), actually have a good look at themselves and realize that a change is needed and they go improve themselves. Which benefits them greatly and also helps their students.

Like for me, I realized one day that my teaching capability was lower than i thought, so i went out and learnt from as many people as i could. When i came back to teach, there was a massive improvement. As i had students who i taught previously (who misbehaved ALOT!), come up to me and said "Thankyou for teaching me today, that was the best class EVER". And the only difference i made was that i understood every single student so much better and that i was able to push every student just as hard that i knew their limits

[bushido_man96]

Change comes in smaller increments usually. Its important to focus on smaller objectives and work towards larger goals.

Being an instructor isn't easy, and it takes time to learn, like many things!