Do as I say, not as I do.

[Wado Heretic]

To keep things short, I have a curved spine which limits the mobility of the trunk of my body; I cannot move it independently of my hips on any level, my knees both sit over my feet differently, and my hip alignment is crooked. In short, I have to adapt my karate, and understanding of it to these limitations; limitations few of my students have. As a result; I often find myself using the title of this topic during lessons when I notice a student trying to emulate my frankly wrong-but-works-for-me method.

It is a unique challenge, and I was curious how others deal with situations like that if they ever have them. I imagine on some level we have all experienced this; few of us have had the joy of an instructor with the exact same build as ourselves. Have you been on the end of such a phrase, or had to use it yourself?

[Nidan Melbourne]

I use the phrase as well with a few things because i have bad knees (1 has no meniscus and the other was hyperextended) and my hips are shocking.

So when I am teaching the more inexperienced students I will tell them that physically i can't do it but i still give it a fare crack.

My shikodachi is higher because of my knees and hips but is closer to the 'okinawan' way of doing the stance. And my stances may be shorter, longer, wider or narrower because of that as well but is also due to being an advanced student where it is more 'natural' than a 'fixed' way.

So my students have understood this and have adapted to it. But I overcome this by verbally going "you do this and this and this so you get this". It usually with the higher kicks that i can't do so i will do the best of my abilities.

[JR 137]

Excellent posts. It's also a teachable moment, in that you can say "we all have different abilities and difficulties; we must adapt when necessary, but must never make excuses."

By excuses, I mean exaggerate something just because we don't feel like doing something that's difficult.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Martial arts are first learned by watching and imitation of one's instructors, but it is never too much for an instructor to remind the student that adaptations are necessary.

Knowing what to copy is far more important than just mimicking the instructor's every move because imitation is not the goal, it understanding and feeling correct movement and adapting it to one's own body.

The same technique will appear slightly different when done by people of different size or frame, never mind certain physical limitations.

[Spodo Komodo]

You can't teach a martial art through visual representation alone, nor can you just explain techniques and expect them to be repeated perfectly. A student only learns by feeling the technique for themselves. The first time I threw a good punch it was like a revelation, I knew from my instructor what to do but I only learned by feeling it work, feeling the efficiency and power transfer rather than just putting my fist out with a bit of force. If you can enable your students to feel how a technique works by some combination of methods then your teaching is going to be effective.

[bushido_man96]

We all get older as we train, but that's a painfully obvious statement. Father time is undefeated. I think it is unrealistic to think that I will always be able to perform my techniques the way that 16-18 year old kids can perform their techniques. There are quite a few techniques that I can still teach the mechanics of, but can't perform them the way I would like to. This is what makes good instructors good, and separates them from those who don't quite have the knack for it.