Identifying talent

[Bart the Lover]

Hi everyone.

 

I have been wondering how instructors assess their students' abilities.

 

I don't mean ranks or belts, but how good a student is relative to all

 

students, past and present. Do you know when someone, with dedicated

 

training, will prove to be exceptional? If yes, at what point? Weeks?

 

Months? Years? Do you encounter people who initially make great

 

progress, but then seem to plateau (assuming they invest the same

 

effort)? And what is it that makes a martial artist talented, instead of

 

merely proficient?

 

These questions are aimed not just at instructors, but also any senior

 

students who have observed other people and their progression.

 

Any insights you may have will be very welcome.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Regards,

 

Bart the Lover

[Kirves]

When I started karate, I was always told by the instructor that I had great talent. He said he's seen nobody ever develop skill so fast as I. What I didn't tell him was that I practised at home every day. I kept a training log and made sure I practiced all the techniques taught so far 300 reps per day and all the kata for several reps too. My then-girlfriend practiced too and I did all the partner drills with her, but she didn't care to do the solo drills that I did. I don't know if that is of any help, but it's an anecdote about how the instructor may not know what's behind the story. I never thought of myself as talented, I have had terrible time just trying to figure out some basics that were a breeze to others - but I found my salvation: additional solo training to fine tune the mechanics and muscle memory so the next time in class, I was in par (or above) with the rest of the group.

[monkeygirl]

Everybody plateaus at some point.

 

I can usually tell when somone is going to be a good student. They put in a lot of effort during class. They're usually fairly flexible and fast (since those are both traits that TKD loves), they pick up new things quickly. A "natural" is kind of tough to miss.

 

Aside from that, everyone has talent. There are very few people who have no chance at becoming a good martial artist.

 

I have been wrong a few times, though. I thought someone was going to be a great martial artist, but they didn't have the dedication. They just come to class and dance through the requirements. The sad part is, I can't make them try harder.

[karate_woman]

Everybody plateaus at some point.

 

I can usually tell when somone is going to be a good student. They put in a lot of effort during class. They're usually fairly flexible and fast (since those are both traits that TKD loves), they pick up new things quickly. A "natural" is kind of tough to miss.

 

Aside from that, everyone has talent. There are very few people who have no chance at becoming a good martial artist.

 

I have been wrong a few times, though. I thought someone was going to be a great martial artist, but they didn't have the dedication. They just come to class and dance through the requirements. The sad part is, I can't make them try harder.

 

Yes, sometimes the natural athletes sail through the first six months to a year or so, and then get stalled and quit when it starts to get hard for them, so it is hard to tell based on talent alone - it is more the attitude they have to their training and the dedication level.

[G95champ]

I don't know really being an athlete helps. Sometimes people just come in and pick things up and look good. Does that mean they can fight? No. Does it mean they are good? not really. Its just means they learn quick and got athletic ability. No question being a athlete helps but it don't mean others can not be better.

[granmasterchen]

I have noticed over the years, by just looking at someone and observing their movements and how they perform you can see some of their potential and talent, this can be before they even start to train. You can sit at a restaurant and observe people as they walk by, you can see the ones that have some training, some that walk with attention to detail and are cautious, the ones that are graceful and others that are just sloppy and clumbsy that have no skill and some that it would take alot of work to get them any skill due to low level of attention spans.

[GrrrArg]

Some people just have more natural grace and phsical awareness than others do, the task is to help them realise this potential and not to let it go unrealised.

[Kirves]

Sometimes those who got it "naturally" don't appreciate it enough to develop it to their fullest potential. On the other hand, some guy with bad natural talent may feel insecure about this lack of ability and works very hard to compensate it. With determination the less talented can become better than the talented who never felt the need to excel in the area. This is similar to bodybyilding and strength training. Many people who would have natural talent to becoming a bodybuilding champ or a powerlifter, don't do it as they never get the spark to give it a go. Most people who begin bodybuilding or strength training, do so because they feel insecure about their weak and small body and want to fix it badly. I think a lot of people start up martial art training for the very same reason: for some reason they feel insecure and hope martial arts will fix that.

 

An example of this is the action-movie actor Dolph Lundgren. He has said in many interviews that the reason why he begun karate and bodybuilding was that he was shy and insecure about himself. He felt that if he didn't have such a feeble body and if he knew some martial arts, he'd be more secure about himself. And everyone can see what happened.

 

Just my 2c.

[GrrrArg]

Sometimes those who got it "naturally" don't appreciate it enough to develop it to their fullest potential.

 

Kinda what I was trying to say about helping naturals realise their potention. I have a bit of natural talent which would have gone unrealised if my instructors hadn't pushed me more than others.

[ninjanurse]

When I started karate, I was always told by the instructor that I had great talent. He said he's seen nobody ever develop skill so fast as I. What I didn't tell him was that I practised at home every day. I kept a training log and made sure I practiced all the techniques taught so far 300 reps per day and all the kata for several reps too.

 

So...which came first? The chicken or the egg?

 

Are you "talented" because you practice everyday or do you practice everyday because you are "talented"? Hmmm....