Can't Be In Two Places!!

[sensei8]

For those of you here at KF that are instructors of the MA, and operate/own your own school...

How do you divide your time to teach in your school, and receive instruction/training from your instructor??

It can be a balance act, this is for sure, especially if you have to also work/college part/full time in addition to teaching at your own school and learning from YOUR instructor.

If you own/operate your own school, then you have to travel to your instructors school to learn from her/him.

This is truly mindboggling when you've no other instructors at your school except for yourself. This might be possible if your own school is only open, for example, Monday...Wednesday...Friday. This allows you to travel to your instructors school to learn from her/him. But, how do you do this if your school is open 6 days a week...you work full time or carry a full college load in the day time, and you're teaching at your school at night?!?!

Kyuodan Dojo was my full-time job; open 6 days a week...10am to 10pm. My school was approximately 6 miles away from the Hombu, and the Hombu was where my Sensei was. I had NO other instructors but myself at first for my first year and a half due to financial restraints. After a year and a half, the size of my student body allowed me to hire instructor, and they came from the Hombu.

Until I was able to hire instructors, the Hombu would send over instructors to my school three days a week both day and night...these instructors from the Hombu were provided to me of no charge per Dai-Soke, and approved by Soke.

That allowed me to teach full time and to train full time at the Hombu with Dai-Soke. And as the student body doubled, then tripled, I was able to train at the Hombu 5 days a week.

This is hard, because I want to teach all of the classes, but if I teach every class, and I did at first, until Dai-Soke realized that my absence was drastically noticed, and not good for my MA betterment. After all, the Hombu had a gigantic instructor staff of all Dan Ranks; the Hombu could afford to provide Shindokan dojo's instructors to insure that dojo owners, like myself, could still have the necessary training time at the Hombu, and with Dai-Soke.

Shoot, even Dai-Soke would pop in from time to time at my dojo, and instruct me to get my rear-end to the Hombu while he taught the remaining classes for me. Whenever this happened, I'd be on the floor with Soke himself, and not anyone from the instructor staff.

Often times, Dai-Soke would send Dan Ranked instructor that were my Seniors from the Hombu to train me at my own dojo, teaching me whatever Dai-Soke instructed them to do.

Finding time was my responsibility, but as a CI of my own school, my student body was my priority, but I knew that for my student's own MA betterment to improve, mine had to improve as well.

I figured it out, and was able to create breaks in my schedule so that I could be at the Hombu as many days and hours I needed, while teaching each and every class at my dojo.

So, how can you be in two places at the same time??

[The Pred]

Hmmm that's good question, I don't have my own dojo, so no need to worry. Here's a question, when does one stop training under their own instructor. When your soke founded the style, did he still go and train under his instructor

[JR 137]

I wonder how teachers who aren't in the same country as their teachers do this. Seido has dojos in I believe 17 different countries. I know Kaicho Nakamura and his son travel a bit and the branch chiefs come to NYC regularly. I'd imagine there's video conferencing and other stuff going on in between to update changes to curriculum as well.

I wonder how they did it before this whole internet fad occurred. How did Funakoshi keep his students updated when they traveled abroad to spread Shotokan? What about Oyama's students? I guess you have to have a lot of trust in yourself and your branch chiefs.

My CI and our senior students go to the honbu regularly. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive, so not impossible. The dojo is open 5 days a week, but he doesn't teach every class. Plus, operating the dojo was never his full time job. He's recently retired from his day job, so that also makes it much easier.

[sensei8]

Hmmm that's good question, I don't have my own dojo, so no need to worry. Here's a question, when does one stop training under their own instructor. When your soke founded the style, did he still go and train under his instructor

Imho, one NEVER stops training under their own instructor UNTIL the instructor decides. Our Soke retired shortly before he passed away of natural causes. Our Dai-Soke was forced to retire, after his first stroke, and then passed away shortly after suffering his first stroke.

No...Soke didn't continue training with his two instructors. He'd make many trips back to Okinawa to visit his father quite often. However, what he did when he visited his father is unknown because it was none of our business, and Soke was quite private when it came to matters like that. Soke's father was his Okinawa-te instructor!! Dai-Soke never spoke about those visits to us, even though he accompanied Soke often.

edits: spelling errors

Edited August 13, 2015 by sensei8

[sensei8]

I wonder how teachers who aren't in the same country as their teachers do this. Seido has dojos in I believe 17 different countries. I know Kaicho Nakamura and his son travel a bit and the branch chiefs come to NYC regularly. I'd imagine there's video conferencing and other stuff going on in between to update changes to curriculum as well.

I wonder how they did it before this whole internet fad occurred. How did Funakoshi keep his students updated when they traveled abroad to spread Shotokan? What about Oyama's students? I guess you have to have a lot of trust in yourself and your branch chiefs.

My CI and our senior students go to the honbu regularly. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive, so not impossible. The dojo is open 5 days a week, but he doesn't teach every class. Plus, operating the dojo was never his full time job. He's recently retired from his day job, so that also makes it much easier.

I believe that Kaicho Nakamura's son, Akira, is the heir apparent, and I can see why they travel together, and with the branch chiefs; Transitions must be seamless from one Governing Bodies Leader/Kaicho to the other. Demonstrates to the student body that there is continuity in anything and everything in Seido as Kaicho Nakamura intended it to be. Those in the Seido hierarchy must be on the same page with the vision of Kaicho Nakamura. If not, anarchy arises!!

Good question about Funakoshi, and I agree, trust in your branch chiefs must be in place and without any ambiguity whatsoever. Kanazawa might be able to shed some light on this question...might be worth asking Kanazawa.

Yeah, your Sensei and the other Seniors are in a good place to have the Hombu so readily convenient. Makes the world of difference!! Our Hombu is in southern California, Van Nuys to be exact, and many of our branch chiefs are just an hour or two or less away. Except one; ME!! I'm in Houston, TX, and I've a ton of flying awards, even though my travel there isn't as often as they'd like...once every quarter and once every Annual Testing Cycle, or anytime that I must be there to put out administrative/executive fires out.

[The Pred]

Kyuodan Dojo was my full-time job; open 6 days a week...10am to 10pm. My school was approximately 6 miles away from the Hombu, and the Hombu was where my Sensei was. I had NO other instructors but myself at first for my first year and a half due to financial restraints. After a year and a half, the size of my student body allowed me to hire instructor, and they came from the Hombu.

If you don't mind me asking if your dojo was 6 miles away from the Hombu, wouldn't people just go to that one instead. I mean since it's so close.

I mean no disrespect

[sensei8]

Kyuodan Dojo was my full-time job; open 6 days a week...10am to 10pm. My school was approximately 6 miles away from the Hombu, and the Hombu was where my Sensei was. I had NO other instructors but myself at first for my first year and a half due to financial restraints. After a year and a half, the size of my student body allowed me to hire instructor, and they came from the Hombu.

If you don't mind me asking if your dojo was 6 miles away from the Hombu, wouldn't people just go to that one instead. I mean since it's so close.

I mean no disrespect

No disrespect taken!!

That's exactly how it was...people wanted to train at the Hombu...I understood that, and I couldn't blame them for that. It took some time to build up my student body to a level that allowed me to acquire things that I only dreamed about...like additional instructors of my own.

I choose to be that close to the Hombu, for the same reasons as other students...Hombu training...can't beat that with a stick!! Being that close also was important so that neither Soke and/or Dai-Soke didn't have to dredge through the ungodly traffic of the San Fernando Valley, which is akin to being stuck in Los Angeles traffic during the rush hours; miserable. On the same coin, I didn't have to dredge either to get to the Hombu!!

Second reason to be close...I negotiated a pretty sweat lease to that building, one that I couldn't fathom a good enough reason to avoid. Nice large and well light parking lot, hardwood floors with mirrored walls, huge lobby, huge main dojo floor, great bathrooms, and there was plenty of wiggle room to any additions I wanted to add. A sweat deal!! I got lucky, and I grabbed it faster than one can blink. A room to grow into, instead of out of!!

Now, both Soke and Dai-Soke approved my Kyuodan Dojo affiliation, which was of no big surprise, and when the affiliation was open, Hombu students were greatly encouraged to visit my dojo as often as they wanted to. The Hombu student body was also encouraged to join my dojo if they desired to do so...no harm and no foul, and they'd always be welcomed at the Hombu. Soke and Dai-Soke had no egos whatsoever!! Hombu students had two close dojo's to enjoy the differences of Shindokan, while keeping the core of Shindokan true to Soke's vision.

There was never any competition between the Hombu and my dojo concerning students and the like. A competition that I'm sure I'd loose, but I'd fight for myself across the board. I was allowing Shindokan to be seen in a different part of the San Fernando Valley. San Fernando Valley residents are quite loyal to their city within the Valley, and that means that they live, shop, and entertain in that particular city. Only going to the other cities within the Valley because it's ONLY in that city, and nowhere else. You want to see movie stars, then go to Burbank, they're everywhere because major movie studios are in Burbank. Want to fly on Southwest Airlines, then you'll have to go to Burbank. Burbank is in the most eastern part of the Valley.

Weird, and uncomfortable thing at first, is that many students came to my dojo on day one of opening Kyuodan Dojo. Dai-Soke laughed at my Grand Opening day, which both Soke and Dai-Soke were at, because he was proud of what I had, and what I had accomplished under his wing. "Good...very good!" he said at the amount of students that were in attendance, and he knew them all because they came from the Hombu on their own, and to know him, you'd jump for joy inside; it was a good thing!!

Close is good, but it can also be bad. Mine was good, very good!!

[The Pred]

Awesome, did your dojo offer different type of classes I.e. A weapons class or a weapons class at a different time. Then what the hombu was having it?

[sensei8]

Awesome, did your dojo offer different type of classes I.e. A weapons class or a weapons class at a different time. Then what the hombu was having it?

Good question; it's a two-folded answer.

My curriculum/syllabus was the same as the Hombu. Although Kobudo isn't offered until 6th Kyu/Green Belt, most of my new students were brand new, and they had not done the MA and/or Shindokan before, therefore, they weren't 6th Kyu or above ranked. While I had transfers from the Hombu that were of 6th Kyu and above, Kobudo classes were held 3 times a week, where the Hombu held Kobudo classes many times a day, six days a week.

I'm sure, but not for certain, my class times didn't match up with the Hombu's, no matter the theme of the class. And if they did, I'm sure it was by accident, and not planned.

I was open 6 days a week from 10am to 10pm...so was the Hombu. First part of each Saturday was for open training...so was the Hombu. There's a pattern beginning here somewhere!!

The Hombu held more seminars than I did, and that's because they had the staff, and I didn't, at first. The Hombu would lend me some of their instructors, but only if it didn't prevent them from conducting their own. The old saying..."Going to take care of houses? Great, just make sure you take care of yours first!!" I can't argue with that.

[JR 137]

Kyuodan Dojo was my full-time job; open 6 days a week...10am to 10pm. My school was approximately 6 miles away from the Hombu, and the Hombu was where my Sensei was. I had NO other instructors but myself at first for my first year and a half due to financial restraints. After a year and a half, the size of my student body allowed me to hire instructor, and they came from the Hombu.

If you don't mind me asking if your dojo was 6 miles away from the Hombu, wouldn't people just go to that one instead. I mean since it's so close.

I mean no disrespect

My former organization was all local (except 2 dojos), and pretty much every dojo was within 20 minutes drive. Why didn't I train at the honbu instead of where I chose? Different teachers, different students. The one I chose fit me better than the honbu. I really liked the curriculum (it was the same at every dojo), but I wasn't too keen on the teaching style of the honbu. I attended class their several times (more than the minimum commitment to test for shodan), and it never felt like home.

Seido has many dojos in NYC that are quite close to the honbu. Seido's honbu is huge with several hundred students. I'd imagine class size and price make a difference in prospective students' minds.