MMA guy wants private karate lessons from me!

[sensei8]

If the person was smart, he would have never said he wants to pad his resume. Instead he would have just asked you for some extra help. If he did this, you wouldn't be questioning yourself whether or not if you should teach him.

I agree!! Sounds to me that this person loves to beat his chest in defiance about everything that the MA stands for, and why? To pad, with another rank....here you go...here's a white belt...now you've got another rank!!

Oh, boy!!

[Luther unleashed]

If the person was smart, he would have never said he wants to pad his resume. Instead he would have just asked you for some extra help. If he did this, you wouldn't be questioning yourself whether or not if you should teach him.

Haha yes this is very true. I actually slept on it another night and told my wife I'm not going to do it. I informed him today that I just don't have the time as I'm working on opening another location to be driving places for private lessons. It was just my nice way of letting them kn slept on it another night and told my wife I'm not going to do it. I let him know today already. I actually just got word that I'm able to open a second location at a place I was trying to attain, to me this is what I'm focusing on. I personally do this because I like it, not because I need things on my resume like helping an up-and-coming MMA fighter.

I was telling my wife though, that when we talked he continued to tell me about his experience and I felt as though I was calling him for somebody to help me train LOL. The more I thought about it the more I realized it just is not a fit and not something I am personally interested in. I wish him all the best in his endeavors but we all are following our own path . It definitely made for an interesting experience though, and I appreciate the input you guys gave on this one.

[The Pred]

Glad to hear you made the choice best suited for you.

[Kanku65]

Congratulations on your new location!

In a way it sounds like you've been rewarded for the decision you made.

I'm not a Sensei, but if if I had been in the same situation, I think my reaction would have been something along the lines of "You want martial arts training? Great! Get in line with the rest of my students."

Seriously though.

[JR 137]

And here I was going to talk you into giving the guy a chance...

What was your motivation for starting MA? We all came to the dojo with different expectations and ideas of what it was going to be and what the training would entail. What I know now really doesn't align with what I thought it would be. Where I am after training is a completely different place. I'm sure very, very few of us can honestly say we joined for all the right reasons, and every one of those reasons are all still valid today.

Treat him like any other student. He's a beginner, even though he doesn't think he is. Even though you don't think he is. You never know, he may turn out to be a great student once he and you get passed that initial not truly knowing what to expect stage. Or he could get even worse. Only one way to find out.

[sensei8]

Glad to hear you made the choice best suited for you.

I wholeheartedly agree!! Good to hear about your second location; excitement all around!!

[Luther unleashed]

Thanks guys for the congrats on the new location. Pretty exciting stuff.

Jr 137 the biggest thing is that I'm not saying I won't teach him, I declined doing private lessons were I drive to his home 30 miles from home. I probably wasn't clear enough on that. I'll teach him though if he does the drive but that's not usually an acceptable drive for students.

[Kusotare]

As a student of very traditional Japanese Karate and a member of a 300 year old koryu - I believe you have made the right choice.

In the circles I move in, these systems are more accurately referred to as "traditions" and, the primary objective of everyone who trains is to maintain the transmission of (ryū-ha specific) knowledge - from one generation to the next.

It's the "flow" or "stream" of knowledge that gives rise to the Japanese word "Ryū" (流).

Not saying the chap who contacted you had bad intentions, it's just we should treat our knowledge as a precious thing imo and we have the right to be selective.

Whether it be to pad out his resume or simply "cherry pick" techniques for the ring - It does nothing for your tradition.

It's like my sensei used to refer to as - Not giving away the family silver.

K.

[Luther unleashed]

As a student of very traditional Japanese Karate and a member of a 300 year old koryu - I believe you have made the right choice.

In the circles I move in, these systems are more accurately referred to as "traditions" and, the primary objective of everyone who trains is to maintain the transmission of (ryū-ha specific) knowledge - from one generation to the next.

It's the "flow" or "stream" of knowledge that gives rise to the Japanese word "Ryū" (流).

Not saying the chap who contacted you had bad intentions, it's just we should treat our knowledge as a precious thing imo and we have the right to be selective.

Whether it be to pad out his resume or simply "cherry pick" techniques for the ring - It does nothing for your tradition.

It's like my sensei used to refer to as - Not giving away the family silver.

K.

I like that, it's an interesting angle. I do feel I would teach him in a class setting though because I'd have the opportunity to break him down with the rest of the white belts. The biggest issue I have is the private lessons especially traveling to him or even meeting in the middle. Hard to pick off techniques at white belt, and in private lessons I feel he would probably want to dig deeper then should be at the proper white belt level. The group setting is much more appealing for myself to teach him, in a group of people tend to fall in line more and go through the proper motions .

We do have the right to be selective though, and I appreciate that sentiment!

[sensei8]

It can, at times, be difficult to discern techniques at the while belt, but the even more difficult thing is when students with MA knowledge don't want to empty their cups and accept what's new; these type of students want to...

A) Prove to the Sensei that they already have some MA knowledge!

AND

B) That they keep wanting to do it the way they were taught before!

Both aren't conducive with empting ones cup! The student that wants you to teach him, strikes me that he'd do both A & B above; his muscle memory is going to fight you. I mean, he continued telling you his MA resume, and this type of student will inadvertently result in A & B. There will be a time when his prior MA knowledge will become an ally, but that time is for another time much more later; when it's appropriate, and approved by the Sensei.