What happened last night in Taekwondo

[Jack]

It was a good lesson throughout and we worked ourselves hard, worked with stance and combinations, alternating between the stances etc. I had been getting really poor sleep lately, 6 hours twice on the days before the lesson. Some woman there, about 18 years of age looked even more tired than me. After the hard lesson, we had to do 100 pressups. And then, the instructor told this woman (Emma) to do 20 situps for not ironing her Dobok, and she said back that she had, so the instructor told her to do 30 burpees for arguing back/questioning him. She had 2 of them half-heartedly, but then just got up, went over to her bag picked it up and walked out of the lesson! This really suprised me, she had been doing Taekwondo for a good 4-5 months and she just walked out like that. What do you guys/gals think about something like this happening in the Dojang?

 

PS. Later when I was in the car on the way home, I saw her walking along the street dabbing her eyes with a tissue

 

Take Care

 

Jack

[moobrack]

My thoughts on this one are that some people are very sensetive and hate being told what to do.Has she had any bad expieriences in the past with a relationship or anything?

 

_________________

 

Anthony Bullock

 

1st Kyu Shotokan Karate

 

Karate International Black Belt Schools (UK)

 

(Moderator of health and fitness forum)

 

[ This Message was edited by: moobrack on 2001-08-25 07:41 ]

[Jack]

I don't know, she always struck as being a quiet and shy person.

[Prodigy-Child]

thats one of the reasons i stopped training in tae kwon do

 

its way too strict.....i understand that there is supposed to be order and dicipline in class but that is just taking it way too far.........

 

we are martial artists NOT marines

[Jack]

But the thing is, the instructor is a nice guy makes a few jokes and smiles and all, we feel relaxed in lessons... confusing

[thaiboxerken]

I'd have to go against the "sensei" here. C'mon, is it the military or is this a martial art class. Pushing students above their expectations is ok, making them do lots of exercise or whatever. What is wrong is singling a student out and making them do more than the others because he didn't believe that she ironed her uniform. What's even worse is that he made her do more because she questioned him. That is ridiculous. She is paying for the lessons and is a customer, not some soldier that doesn't have a choice of being there or not. Your instructor needs lessons in humility and customer interaction.

 

The proper way for him to handle the situation would've been to talk to the lady in private about her uniform. He should've explained to her that he wants to maintain high standards in the uniforms so that she should try to do a better job ironing the uniform next time. The lady is an adult and if she said she ironed her uniform who is HE to question her?! Just because he's a martial arts instructor doesn't make him "right" all the time. How would he know if she really did iron the uniform or not?

 

I hope the lady finds a good school to train at where the instructors are humble and skilled.

 

 

[Jack]

I know Ken, it really, and I mean really suprised me... this instructor is like of the nicest people I have ever met, he is always kind, easy to talk to, jovial and the like. I'm just not sure what to think.

[iamrushman]

i don't know the whole situation because i wasn't there..and therefore it's just hearsay.. so i must ask....has her UNIFORM been unsightly before? is this the first time?...do other students wear unsightly UNIFORMS? without knowing the history of this student, other students or the school, i find it hard to make judgments.

 

now; to address the UNIFORM issue.

 

it is a UNIFORM..... be it military, police, bus driver, postal worker, sanitation, baseball, basketball, football or mcdonalds. a UNIFORM is a UNIFORM and represents all those who wear and display it in public...i feel it is a total disrespect of any system, not to display it with the utmost integrity and dignity.

 

as far as her being disciplined for having an unsightly UNIFORM is between her and her instructor so i won't comment on that. however; an increased discipline for talking back seems warranted due to the fact that it would have been must easier for her to say ok and comply, than to give a retort. so; therefore, lesson learned for her and the rest of the class present.

 

just rushman's humble opinion.

 

 

 

[babysteffee]

I agree with Rushman, she was representing the class as a whole and therefore her uniform should have been up to standard. Maybe he could have had a word with her in private though, rather than embarrass her in front of the class...but because she answered back to him, she deserves to do extra exercises.

 

In my class (kickboxing) if you answer back or are cheeky to anyone, or even just not paying attention, you are singled out in the same way, and made to do 50 sit-ups or 20 press-ups or whatever.

 

Also...the fact that she walked out will have embarrassed the instructor because the rest of the class might feel he was being too harsh.

[KickChick]

Among the most important benefits offered by the Martial Arts are respect and discipline. Respect is not limited to saying "yes, Sir" or "Yes,Ma'am." It involves sensitivity to other people and their feelings and beliefs. It involves empathy.

 

It involves the recognition of worth and truth in each person. And it also involves the recognition that each person is just one part of the whole of humanity, the whole of US. We are all one, complete only by our interdependence on each other, yin and yang together. And discipline is not limited to obedience and a rigorously adhered to workout schedule. Self-discipline must also include

 

disciplined language which can, in turn, lead to a disciplined mind and spirit. Without respect and discipline, we will never be martial artists no matter how hard we can punch! And we will never be adequate role models to our students.

 

Deby