New to MA's, need advice!

[Clone]

Hi all,

 

I recently went to an Aikido dojo to see what they offered. I liked the class, the dojo and the fact that you can train from monday to saturday. The only thing I didn't like was that they had no order in teaching. They teached the beginners the basic rolls, stance, footwork and how to fall(In fact, it is practiced in everyclass for the first 30min) and the rest of the class was the same for everyone. From advanced to beginners they teached the same technique. It didn't matter if it was to difficult for the beginners or to easy for the advanced students... Is this good or bad? Also I would like to know you opinion on this... Everyday there's a different sensei. Each with their own style as an Aikidoka and as a teacher. The sensei teaching tomorrow does not know what the other sensei is teaching today. Is this OK? Is this better or worse?

 

I'm not dissing the system, I'm just curious if this dojo has better things than bad things.

 

Also I found another dojo which seems to me that has more of an order in teaching, there's only one sensei, but they only train on tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays.

 

The question is If this other dojo teaches in a more of a curriculum way should I sacrifice training everyday with a different sensei and with no order in techniques, etc. for training only two days a week with a more staged curriculum and the same sensei every class

 

Your advice will be greatly appreciated!

[CheekyMusician]

Well, in most martial arts classes I've been in or watched, they do a similar thing to that dojo. Everyone warms up and does basics, and then basically everyone does the same thing for the rest of the night.

 

This is both a good and a bad thing, of course, but its impossible for a teacher to go round getting students to work on different techniques individually.

 

At my karate class I have to join in with the rest of the class no matter how hard or easy. Sometimes I feel lost, sometimes I'm almost bored and sometimes its just right, but there's always someone willing to help if I'm stuck, and even advanced students can always do more work on their basics, so I don't think that would be a major problem.

 

The thing about a different teacher every day sounds a bit worrying, though. My karate club has two teachers, and although they don't always "follow on" from each others lessons, one of them is there almost every training session and the other one is there every second week, so they get to know the students in the class and know their strong and weak points.

 

If there was a new teacher every training session I think it'd be hard for them to get to know the students well enough to help them, and the class would probably become disorganised considering all the changing around of teachers. The way you were talking, it sounded like the teachers all taught techniques in different ways too. This is definately not good. If the teachers just have different methods of teaching, then fair enough, but they should all be teaching the same way of practicing a technique as each other.

[Kirves]

It's fine. In martial arts, the basics are drilled forever. Even when you are a 5th degree black belt, you still drill the same basics that the beginners do. The basics are the stuff that work the best and make up the foundation for more complex combinations. You must keep training them so they are in your subconscious reflexes all the time. The only difference is that when a black belt does it, it seems more easy and practical, than when a beginner struggles with it. BTW: even Mike Tyson still practices the same boxing basics: jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, bobbing, weaving...

[granmasterchen]

yes many classes do this, my original class would work the basics throughout the class and then bow out the white belts and progress into higher skills, then bow out the next belt and so on until we went up into the degrees of black eventually there will only be a few out on the floor and the rest of the class can learn alot by observing the skill of those on the floor plus they can look forward to things to come as they progress.

 

I really don't like the teaching style of teaching everyone through out the whole class the same thing, i like my original styles method of teaching and that is how i teach

[Black Dragon]

Personally I dont think that it is a good thing. While there may be some advantage to observing how the Black Belts perform their techniques. I think that if the instructor had enough assistants. he should break up the class a little (Beg, Int.&Adv). Because when beginners dont get individual attention, they may spend a great deal of time practicing a move the wrong way. Which I believe leads to bad habits that take twice as long to break.

[granmasterchen]

my classes break up in groups by belt rank to help them along with techniques, we focus alot of attention on beginners along with everyone else. We make sure that they have the technique down when they progress to another belt, i have been to too many schools and seen high ranking individuals that still don't keep their thumbs in when they punch or don't have straight wrists, i see all these sloppy techniques that would not be tolerated in my classes but hey, thats how some people do it, we aren't all the same, i am a lot more strict and tough in my teachings, that is not to say that i am right or wrong or that the others are right or wrong, my way works for me and the students that agree with my personality and training come to me, the others that like the other method can go to the other schools, i dont think this really hurts anyones feelings over all

[Drunken Monkey]

well, like the guy says, a lot of the time in training is spent doing the same things over and over again.

 

when you first begin, you are learning the moves.

 

when you are good at the moves, you make it natural to you.

 

when you can make it natural, you learn to make it work.

 

when you can make it work, you make it more efficient.