To What End?!

[sensei8]

Do we instructors put too much stress on our students?! We want them to succeed in the MA, but at what costs? Their health? Their family life? Themselves? Their sanity? What costs are we instructors willing to allow in order to become better MAists, while forgetting that while MA is a want, and not a need.

The worse word a student utters is "AND"!!

"So, I'm training in Kata"

AND

"I'm training in Kihon"

AND

"I'm training to Kumite"

AND

"I'm training in Kobudo"

AND

"I'm training in Grappling"

AND

"I'm going to a Bunkai seminar"

AND

"I'm attending our Hombu's Summer Camp"

AND

"I've an upcoming Testing Cycle"

AND

"I've signed up at the local MA tournament"

AND

"I've got to practice for this weekends Diamond Nationals"

AND

"I assist in teaching with my Sensei 3-4 times a week, then I have to attend my class too, and when I get home, I've got to practice what I learnt tonight for a few hours"

AND...AND...AND...AND...AND...

Seems to me that we push them. We'll not only offer the core, but we'll offer other alternative classes and seminars, and open-floors, and...and...and...and...

Wow, maybe us instructors are the gear the drives the stress engine within our students. When do they have a life outside of the MA?!?!? Even if our students only did In-House activities and the like, they'd still be stressed because we add on thing after another thing, so much so that their MA plate, as a student, is overflowing AND overwhelming!!

We drive them towards the next testing cycle! Everything in the dojo revolves around the next upcoming testing cycles. More seminars, more and more expectations than one can handle. WHY? For the upcoming testing cycle. Yet, that testing cycle is masked so that it's not thought of in that way; MA betterment is critical, yet it takes time. Time isn't conducive to the learning that's required to be successful as a MAist.

Stress lives within us all, and how we handle it, is everything. As a MA Sensei, I must, and will be accountable to my students class load within the dojo...within the Hombu!!

Like Dojo stress isn't enough, your Hombu's add more stress! How so?

*You won't be tested for 6th Dan unless you've more students enrolled in your dojo.

AND

*You must attend Hombu Instructor Course

AND

*You must attend Hombu Advanced Instructor Course one each quarter, and ending at the Annual Hombu Tournament, in which you MUST be a judge when you're not engaged one way or another

AND

*You will...you must...you are...you're not...

Students staying up late, with very little sleep because they're under so much pressure to pass the testing cycle, in the hopes to earn favor with their Sensei/Instructor. Worrying that they'll fail miserably!! Practicing over and over and over each listed item on their upcoming testing cycle until they pass out from pure exhaustion.

I could go on and on, but I believe that you get my point! Sure, students are willing to go that extra mile, and endure whatever is necessary to succeed, whatever that students goal is. The student has explained to their instructor what they're wanting from the MA, and from the instructor, and the instructors job is TO TEACH!!

No use piling one thing after another with no end in sight...and for what? Rank? Trophy? Students should NEVER be felt to feel that they're role in the dojo/dojang/gym/etc. isn't about their servitude to the Hombu and/or to the Instructor.

I believe, no matter the style of the MA, the underlying goal of each MA student is to LEARN how to effectively defend themselves, should they have to!! Sure, they may want rank and status and health and everything else that can be acquired through training/learning the MA!! Yet, in all of that, and once the dust settles, the student, has hopefully learned how to effectively defend themselves!!

Why should students have to go through one hoop after another hoop, with us holding the fire right under each hoop; students of the MA AREN'T circles animals whose only value is to perform one trick after another.

Thoughts?!?!

[sensei8]

Anyone??

This topic deals with the stresses that are put upon a student by US MA Instructors, and often times, by the governing body!!

Sure, as students we're taught not to complain, but to just suck-it-up and deal with it.

I've read articles in the past about students committing suicide because the stress was more than they could deal with. The expectations were more than that student could bare with anymore. Perception is reality to that student, and we instructor need be more sensitive of that.

Pushing/driving a student to become better is vital and important if a MA student is to become better....

But I ask again...

TO WHAT END??!!??

[CDraper]

Speaking as a student I think it is why students stop training at various points. Once they reach their limit they stop and those times vary by student. Each person has their threshold. That being said that is one reason why we come to martial arts is to learn where those thresholds are and to see if we can over come them. My humble opinion.

ChuckD

[sensei8]

Speaking as a student I think it is why students stop training at various points. Once they reach their limit they stop and those times vary by student. Each person has their threshold. That being said that is one reason why we come to martial arts is to learn where those thresholds are and to see if we can over come them. My humble opinion.

ChuckD

Thank youm CDraper, for your post; very solid!!

As a student, do you feel that your MA plate is way too full, and does that add to the stress levels of trying to reach and meet expectations all of the time??

Do you feel that you never satisfy your instructor??

[The Pred]

Speaking as a student I think it is why students stop training at various points. Once they reach their limit they stop and those times vary by student. Each person has their threshold. That being said that is one reason why we come to martial arts is to learn where those thresholds are and to see if we can over come them. My humble opinion.

ChuckD

Thank youm CDraper, for your post; very solid!!

As a student, do you feel that your MA plate is way too full, and does that add to the stress levels of trying to reach and meet expectations all of the time??

Do you feel that you never satisfy your instructor??

We tell students if they ever feel overwhelmed don't quit, just come to less classes, until they're ready to do more.

[JR 137]

As a student, I've never felt overwhelmed by the requirements. I've always felt that if I couldn't get all my requirements done in time to grade, then I wasn't ready to test. What's another few months when MA is supposed to be a lifetime study?

Then again, I've never had requirements that were too demanding. Don't want to/can't go to black belt clinic? You don't gain the knowledge. Don't want to attend a specific number of classes at honbu in order to take your black belt test? Don't take the test until you can, as its unofficially part of the test. Honbu was 10 miles away, so it wasn't unrealistic to require us to attend 10 classes there, free of charge no less, before we took our shodan test.

People have families, jobs, school, etc. Some places forget that life actually exists outside the dojo, and that families, jobs/school are far more important than MA. If my instructors couldn't accept the fact that I have higher priorities than my MA training, I'd happily find a different dojo aligned with my priorities.

I hate to say it, but at the end of the day it's a hobby. It's not putting food on the table, paying the bills, keeping my family together, etc. In that context, it's just a hobby. I have no problem admitting it, nor do I regret saying it.

[Luther unleashed]

This is I nice topic. You know, when I was a student and didn't teach at all, I felt pressure and took a few classes off here and there. As many as 4 probably, that's 2 weeks. I was never one to attend 3 per week, I trained at home a lot, probably 20 hrs a week outside of the do-jang/dojo! As I took time off though it always helped me through my burn out phases. You have to watch out because too many days off can result in dificulty coming back, at least in the same conditioning. As a student I always enjoyed the classes that were different, the classes I became complacent the most in were forms because even learning new forms It became a bit repetitive.

As an instructor I remember these, as well as remember everybody is not the same so it's hard to make everybody happy. I think though that the way I personally alleviate the pressure you refer too sensei, is to make a class or 2 a month geared more towards fun. Maybe not the best technical class but a class to laugh with my students and not worry too much about technique, I will always find time to focus on these things but balance is so important.

As to your question to cdraper, "Do you feel that you never satisfy your instructor??". I think as an instructor we all have different beliefs, many of us were taught differently, so we teach differently. I make a stronger effort to say things like "excelent" and "this is almost perfect" when they make a drastic improvement and/or they are really doing something right. If they are doing it bad, and this happens often with me because I teach a lot of kids, I say things like "better" if they are working at it and getting it some. My instructors were quick to forget compliments, many can be that way.

I have always had a belief as a kid/parent! If we learned from our parents and did things better, as a people I mean, we would have almost perfect parents now. I see instructing this way. I try to take all the good, and build upon the things I thought/felt were not productive. Interesting topic sensei and hard to really dig into, very deep!

[Luther unleashed]

As a student, I've never felt overwhelmed by the requirements. I've always felt that if I couldn't get all my requirements done in time to grade, then I wasn't ready to test. What's another few months when MA is supposed to be a lifetime study?

Then again, I've never had requirements that were too demanding. Don't want to/can't go to black belt clinic? You don't gain the knowledge. Don't want to attend a specific number of classes at honbu in order to take your black belt test? Don't take the test until you can, as its unofficially part of the test. Honbu was 10 miles away, so it wasn't unrealistic to require us to attend 10 classes there, free of charge no less, before we took our shodan test.

People have families, jobs, school, etc. Some places forget that life actually exists outside the dojo, and that families, jobs/school are far more important than MA. If my instructors couldn't accept the fact that I have higher priorities than my MA training, I'd happily find a different dojo aligned with my priorities.

I hate to say it, but at the end of the day it's a hobby. It's not putting food on the table, paying the bills, keeping my family together, etc. In that context, it's just a hobby. I have no problem admitting it, nor do I regret saying it.

Sorry to post right after you, not my intention to steel your moment. I write slow and when I got done you posted lol. I'd like to say I respect your view on the hobby and it is that to many people, although you never know, that hobby tuned into a living to me so you never know!

[JR 137]

I'm seriously considering opening a dojo part-time when I'm qualified to do so. My CI has it the way I'd do it - teach a few nights a week, charge enough to keep the place open, further his studies, and take a nice vacation or two every year. He and his wife recently retired from their day jobs, so they may advertise a bit and try to get some more students. I think he's comfortable the way it is and has been for over 25 years and doesn't want to make it chore though. In a perfect world, I'd do the same.

It won't be possible for at least 10 years or so though. And it's more than just a "that would be cool" thought. Who knows where life will take me.

[Luther unleashed]

Teaching can be very rewarding. I am pretty cheap cost wise and still do pretty ok, the hours are much less then my last career which was 50 a week, and it's a rewarding job. You can still offer affordable classes and not hurt people's wallets too much. You won't make as much per student but you just have to take care of peoe and be solid in teaching and most of all ENJOY IT! People can see you enjoy it and the energy is contagious. You will get more students to make up for your cost. This is how I do it and my way of thinking anyways. Not a pusher, just see the interest and wanted to share.

I can't remember exactly what you study, what do you feel you need to be ready? I realize we are getting off topic but not too much. This conversation is also a reflection of the topic because as we teach and demand, students can see what we put into it and why. I have only been teaching about a year but I can tell you that you are ready when you teach good martial arts and people enjoy your teaching. The most important approval is the students, they pay the bills and keep you teaching. Don't forget that!