Private Lessons Before Group Lessons!!

[sensei8]

Reasons to learn the MA is as varied as their are people. Students' initial expectations of what to expect don't always meet up to the truth, which is found out quite quickly. Any quality instructor of the MA lays it all out for the student so as there's no surprises, including the expectations of the CI/School for the entire student body.

New students from their first day on the floor can picture themselves wearing a black belt, and some, if not all, imagine that it won't be all that hard to earn. Then the reality introduces themselves to the student in a quite rude way.

One drill after another, forms, stances, basics, repetitive punches and blocking and kicking and striking, and then theirs the mundane of corrections, as if, no beginning student can walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone together without being corrected.

With the beginning student, the initial excitement wears thin, and that's quickly drawn into the unshakeable feeling that any type of mastery is unattainable, if ever.

This, causes many new students to quickly decide to quit not only from your school but from the MA in its entirety; to never wear a gi or shadow the door of any MA school ever again.

The MA requires dedication and hard work. To a new student, hard work isn't fun at all, and they want nothing to do with that.

Here's what I've done, and remember, the apple doesn't fall from the tree, after all, I am my Sensei's student.

Before allowing new students to enter any group class, have new students take private lessons first. That way, the new student isn't so overwhelmed in front of established students of the same and/or near rank.

Week one:

*Stances

*Turns

*Learning how to move in those first few stances in the four compass points...forwards, backwards, left, and right.

Week two:

*Blocks

*Punches

*Kicks

*Strikes

Week three:

* One-Steps

Week four:

*Kata

Of course, corrections are going to be there, as they should be for obvious reasons. Also, while posture, and things like that, aren't listed above, it doesn't mean that they're not taught. So if you see something that I've not listed above, believe you me, that that methodology/ideology is covered these 4 weeks.

I don't charge for these classes at the private lesson rate, because they're not private, as a private lesson might be. These 4 weeks are more like an Introductory class to help them hit the group class with their feet running, and they'll not be playing super major catch-up to their peers.

That shyness or whatever one might call it, can cause a new student to avoid any classes right from the start. New students assume everything that isn't actually true because they don't know any better.

So, I'll do a Private lesson, aka, Introductory class before they enter any group class for the sake of the student, and truth be known, drop-out ratios lessen even more so. All because I took the month to ease a lot of their anxiety and frustrations by showing them a thing or two beforehand.

[JR 137]

My former Sensei used to do 3 private/intro lessons before a new student was allowed to train. The majority of the first class was discussion about the art, dojo, and the student, and etiquette. Then it was on to how to wear your gi, tie your belt, stances, turns, etc. He'd do 1-3 lessons depending on the individual. He always had a 10th-8th kyu only class to further help the transition. These students weren't allowed in all ranks classes without his permission.

I think it definitely helped retain students. They weren't thrown into the mix. My current dojo doesn't do this, but it's due to we're pretty small and don't have very many newcomers very often. We're very black belt heavy, adults-wise. I'm one of about regular 4 kyu adults. We all help new students transition. Well typically have a black belt line up next to a new student or put them in the middle of the line so they have people on all sides of them to mirror once we get going for their first few classes. Everyone remembers when they first started and tries to help a new student get comfortable.

[bushido_man96]

Our school does an orientation period when students sign up for classes. This is a separate "class," about 30 minutes long, and only newly signed up white belts attend. We take that time to teach them the basics that we do as warm-ups for every class. It gives us time to do one-on-one training with them, and allows them to get comfortable (to an extant) with the moves, stances, transitions, etc, in a separate setting, as opposed to throwing them to the wolves right away and hoping they can keep up. Its a great system that has worked well for us.

[Spartacus Maximus]

It could be an Okinawan or Japanse thing, but most of the sensei there had some form of interview discussion with potential students followed by a probation period of up to a week of individual training to observe and get a sense of what type of person the student is and how/what they should learn first.

For example, some students are taught kata/techniques in different order with different emphasis. This if common in private, semi-private or small dojos. It may be difficult to do past a certain number of total students, but not impossible.

Each beginner starts with different attributes so if feasible it makes sense to take advantage of these to decide what to teach. As the saying goes, a good teacher teaches what the student needs which is not necessarily what the student wantsor think they need. This is true in general, not just in martial arts.

[DWx]

It's a good idea if you can devote the time to it.

We don't hold private beginner lessons as our lessons are structured by belt anyway and we have a beginner 10th through to 8th kup class available.

[Nidan Melbourne]

It's a good idea if you can devote the time to it.

We don't hold private beginner lessons as our lessons are structured by belt anyway and we have a beginner 10th through to 8th kup class available.

Same as my dojo, especially for our Juniors where we have a White Belt (9th Kyu) + Yellow Belts (8th Kyu) class. Of which is designed to teach new students what they need to know and to expect from training and gaining that initial experience.

Our Seniors we operate 9th - 5th Kyu, but many of our senior ranked students attend this class also due to various restraints.

[Lupin1]

We separate out the beginners for the first month or so. They do warmups with the entire class, then our senior instructors take the more advanced kids and I take the beginners for the rest of class. The go with me until they've learned all the basics and their first kata and they can hang with the rest of the class.

That way they're still in with the rest of the class doing warmups and seeing how class runs, but they've also got small group instruction focused on basic building blocks.

We are considering separating them into a "beginners class" that meets for 45 minutes or so before the regular class, but I'm not sure if we'll do it. It would be helpful in keeping the beginners focused and cutting down on distractions. It's hard to focus on doing your 57th front kick while kids are sparring on the other side of the room.

[sensei8]

We've also, used Sempai's to mentor the new student. While the new student can only attend the group classes, they'll have a Sempai assigned to them, side by side, for the duration of that first month.

I've assigned myself to that duty when no Sempai was available, but that was rare.

The more I can put a new student at rest and settle down the butterflies in their stomach, the better for the new student.

Ever been the new student at a brand new school when you were in elementary school? Same terror...same reality...for a new student at the dojo/dojang/etc.