A sensei's personality and attitude

[Wado Ryu Karate Student]

I'm going to try and word this properly...If a Sensei says to a student in conversation about karate class. "If you leave this class I don't want you to go back to do nothing." Does that mean he wants me to leave the class? Was he dropping a hint?

[Spartacus Maximus]

I am not quite sure if this fits with the topic of my original post and the subject of this thread. However if it can be of any usefulness I will offer my opinion.

Without the context of the speech you are referring to it is very difficult to interpret what the sensei meant. Anything you read here is but speculation because the only persons who can know for sure are those involved in the conversation you mentioned.

An instructor is always justified in refusing to teach someone who does not want to learn. These type usually leave without having to be told and only people with serious attitude and behaviour problems have to be expelled. Such people are usually confronted explicitly and clearly by the instructor and any sort of hint dropping, mind games or insinuations are a waste of time and counter-productive. If a student is a problem I very much doubt an instructor would waste any time dealing with that person.

Anyway the only way to know what was meant is to ASK. There is absolutely no shame in asking an instructor to explain.

[kensei]

Wow! 5th Dan is just an advanced student in any serious system. An inflated sense of self due to rank often goes together with the negative personality and attitude types.

actually, this is a fairly new idea of ranking. When Karate first started using Dan ranks they only had five levels.

I am told that the first level showed you understood Kihon or the core of the system, the Second showed you could apply it in Kumite (Back then it was more like Bunkai Kumite mind you) and the third showed you understood Kata and its dynamics. Fourth and fifth were simply teaching levels. Funakoshi, the first real instructor to adopt the Dan levels never gave out past Fifth Dan.

I don't consider anything past fourth Dan as anything but political. My own instructor has never graded past sixth as he felt that it was all about politics and he said he wished he had stopped at fifth as the sixth felt like it was more about political pressure to test and the test was decided before they showed up to start with.

Far to many systems, Serious systems, use testing as a form of punishment to keep people in line, like a threat that is held over someones head. And I have seen instructors "Strip" people of rank when they don't do what they want them to do or they are upset with students. If a rank can be stripped so easy then what is the point of working physically for them? perhaps they should be purely political if you can just snap your fingers and all that hard work means nothing.

To me once you earn a black belt your understanding of Karate and your ability to pass it on are what counts.

[Hawkmoon]

I'm going to try and word this properly...If a Sensei says to a student in conversation about karate class. "If you leave this class I don't want you to go back to do nothing." Does that mean he wants me to leave the class? Was he dropping a hint?

Short answer.

No!

Long answer ...

I'd offer to you that he feels that you are not giving 100%, that you appear to him to be dropping off from the 100% focus etc student that he came to know when you first walked into his dojo!

Take sometime to consider yourself, your focus and effort see if you can see where you are (apparently) less attentive and so on, and sharpen up!

Look to enhance your kihon, make 'things sharp, less relaxed start to show (not say or state) truly show/demonstrate your wish to continue!

We all go through these phases, different degrees of less interest/focus/effort/etc etc ... I actually stopped training for years ... then I got the itch again and walked back in to a dojo!

Others miss a grading, or so it happens, only you can step up ....so step up!

[Wado Ryu Karate Student]

That actually upset me...I always attend class with sheer determination for wanting to learn karate. I have practiced, I always show up early for class. I always do stretches and practice before anyone shows up. I listen to every word I am told and I do everything that I am told. I haven't done anything wrong and I certainly am not less attentive with anything.

[Lupin1]

I'm going to try and word this properly...If a Sensei says to a student in conversation about karate class. "If you leave this class I don't want you to go back to do nothing." Does that mean he wants me to leave the class? Was he dropping a hint?

Sounds to me like he's worried about you quitting more than anything else (possibly he recognizes that you've been frustrated with your progress lately). Seems to me he sees positive changes in you from the training and is legitimately worried that you'll quit and go back to doing "nothing" with your free time, as too many adults do, and not continuing to better yourself through martial arts or another means. Sounds like he cares about you and your well being and personal growth.

[Wado Ryu Karate Student]

Sounds to me like he's worried about you quitting more than anything else (possibly he recognizes that you've been frustrated with your progress lately). Seems to me he sees positive changes in you from the training and is legitimately worried that you'll quit and go back to doing "nothing" with your free time, as too many adults do, and not continuing to better yourself through martial arts or another means. Sounds like he cares about you and your well being and personal growth.

I like this explanation better...I'm going to ask him on Monday...I'd never quit karate...I know I don't show it sometimes but I do love the martial arts...I cannot explain it...I probably shouldn't but i'd only leave if Sensei told me too.

[sensei8]

Wow! 5th Dan is just an advanced student in any serious system. An inflated sense of self due to rank often goes together with the negative personality and attitude types.

actually, this is a fairly new idea of ranking. When Karate first started using Dan ranks they only had five levels.

I am told that the first level showed you understood Kihon or the core of the system, the Second showed you could apply it in Kumite (Back then it was more like Bunkai Kumite mind you) and the third showed you understood Kata and its dynamics. Fourth and fifth were simply teaching levels. Funakoshi, the first real instructor to adopt the Dan levels never gave out past Fifth Dan.

I don't consider anything past fourth Dan as anything but political. My own instructor has never graded past sixth as he felt that it was all about politics and he said he wished he had stopped at fifth as the sixth felt like it was more about political pressure to test and the test was decided before they showed up to start with.

Far to many systems, Serious systems, use testing as a form of punishment to keep people in line, like a threat that is held over someones head. And I have seen instructors "Strip" people of rank when they don't do what they want them to do or they are upset with students. If a rank can be stripped so easy then what is the point of working physically for them? perhaps they should be purely political if you can just snap your fingers and all that hard work means nothing.

To me once you earn a black belt your understanding of Karate and your ability to pass it on are what counts.

Politics for some, but not for others! Mine is of the latter!

I've tested for each rank I've ever earned, and therefore, nothing was given to me, and none of them were politically driven!!

[mazzybear]

My instructor was the reason for me going back to Wado Ryu after a 26 year absence. I remembered how engaging he was to me as a child, now as an adult, for me he is just as engaging. He knows how to hold a class, he's funny and makes learning new stuff fun but he's serious when he needs to be. He can be grumpy at times but that's usually when certain folk aren't giving their full attention to the task at hand. But by far the biggest thing is, he's approachable, you can ask him after class to go over something that you've not quite picked up and he'll take as much time as is needed till you better understand it. This is probably why it's the oldest martial arts club in our area and people of all ages are still coming through the door after 45 years of teaching.

Mo.

[sensei8]

The instructor sets the tone; good or bad! Not all BB can teach! Students shouldn't have to be subjected to a bad attitude and the like: WALK OUT!!