If you stick around in the martial arts world long enough, you'll see many instructors. Some good. Others bad.
Not every martial arts school requires that you learn to effectively teach karate as you move along. Some people become black belts and are suddenly saddled with this responsibility. This is an article with two purposes. It is a collection of tidbits of advice for people who want to be as effective an instructor as possible. It is also a guide for students and their parents of what to look for in an instructor. LEAD BY EXAMPLE. Don't ask students to do anything that you aren't going to do yourself. Doing what you're asking of them will not only show a good example, but it also will keep you from asking too much of students. CONSIDER WHAT YOUR STUDENTS NEED. Teaching point sparring only because that happens to be your favorite is doing a disservice to the students. You should choose the activity you're doing with students based on what they need to learn. For beginning instructors this could be difficult. In this case, just plan a diverse set of training activities. If you're covering a bit of everything, nobody will be missing out a great deal. CONTINUE TO IMPROVE YOUR OWN TRAINING. Too many instructors out there make it to blackbelt and their own training tapers off. If you let your own training end (when it's really just beginning), then you'll be showing your students that your teachings have a glass ceiling that they will one day encounter. MORE ON THIS IN PART 2 *Disclaimer* These
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Since I began my martial arts training I've been a huge fan of Martial Arts movies. I found them not only entertaining, but also something that made me think about training, karate, and life. Below I've got a list of great quotes from various martial arts movies. Since it is my favorite, I'll start and end with quotes from The Karate "Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better. Understand?" The Karate Kid "Sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path." -The Matrix "A sword by itself rules nothing. It only comes alive in skilled hands." Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon "There is Life in every breath...That is, Bushido." The Last Samurai "A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come." Enter The Dragon The Karate Kid With the unfortunate end of the classes in Cheshire coming up I want to prepare some of you who may be choosing another karate school. Please know what you're looking for. I hope that you all continue your training and I'd like it to be with me, but I understand that location can be a big deciding factor for some. As I've said in person, I harbor no hard feelings for anyone who chooses to try something different. As your sensei I simply want what is best for you, your health, and your training. Not all dojos are created equally though and at a glance they may all seem to look the same. Here are some things to look out for. Belt factories. These are dojos in which gaining promotions is both very easy (in fact, some places just require a certain number of months of attendance, not necessary any gain in skill), and very expensive. In many of these dojos there are formal "tests" which parents pay for. Essentially the sensei wont consider them for a promotion without this payment, and as your rank increases so does the price. I've heard of students paying over $1000 for their blackbelt test. As a sensei myself, I understand the need to make money. Unfortunately, running a dojo is expensive between insurance, travel expenses and everything else. These belt factories take it to a new level. Frankly I see it as little more than extortion and giving students a false sense of their ability. The Kobra Kai You may think that the villains of the original Karate Kid movie is fiction but unfortunately these people are out there and they're more common than you'd expect. If you encounter a dojo that even remotely resembles this, I implore you to run the other way as quickly as possible. These are often very militaristic. They will say that "your child will learn discipline." The discipline learned in true karate is having discipline over one's self, not being dominated weekly by an emotionally abusive sensei. A dojo should be a family. It should not be boot camp for kids! The Sensei Who Shouldn't Be
You don't need a college degree to become a sensei. There is really no governing system over who does or does not teach karate. As a result there is very little quality control. Here are some things to look for in a sensei who shouldn't be... Does the sensei constantly strive to improve his/her skill? All too often we see someone earn their black belt, think they've "finished training" and then go on to open a dojo without ever working to learn more. Trust me, earning your black belt is not the end of your training, and if you think it is then you've missed the point. Is the sensei 50+ pounds overweight? I respect people of all shapes, sizes, etc. but a sensei should be an example of healthy training/living for students. In our style we use the term "life protection" rather than "self defense." This is because a good sensei will teach you to protect yourself from a lot more than that rare occurrence that you are physically attacked. They'll teach you to protect yourself from heart disease, obesity, etc. Does the sensei participate in class? This may seem like a silly question, but there are so many sensei out there who simply stand in the corner barking orders while students and "assistant instructors" do everything. Even Osensei, who is older than my grandmother still participates in every class that he teaches. Also, find out about how knowledgeable the sensei actually is. There are far too many people out there who fool dozens of students and their families by being able to simply throw a few high kicks. Something that is important to realize in karate training is that it is not about defeating an external opponent. Your greatest rival is yourself. It really matters very little if you best your dojo brother/sister in a sparring bout, or if you defeat a tournament opponent. What matters is that you are a better martial artist today than you were yesterday.
I've said in previous posts and in class that goal setting is a great motivator in karate. If your goals involve other people, then you are somewhat missing the point. To think about this try thinking of yourself as a martial artist one year ago. How much have you learned/improved in the past year? What are areas of your training that need improvement the most? What is a reasonable goal to set? You have now focused your training. Getting angry in a fighting situation is never a good idea. Any thought that it may increase your strength is simply not true. Even if it was true, believe me when I say that the increase of power would not be worth the sacrifice of your focus and form.
When in a fight or flight situation, your scope of vision actually decreases. This is called tunnel vision. Your peripheral vision decreases. This is something that we try to prevent by sparring. Sparring regularly teaches karate-ka to fight intensely without getting angry, afraid, or any other emotions that will distract you from effectiveness. Many people, even karate-ka get angry after being hit, especially in the face. From there their form, focus, and thinking go straight out the window. Again, sparring regularly will decrease this. Some martial artists try to display anger as a form of "intensity" during kata performance. While this sometimes gets points from many judges, I don't see it that way. An effective martial artist should be focuse This is a question that many young martial artists ask themselves. When is it time to leave the kids class and move on to a teen/adult class? Many
There is no set age for this. There used to be when I first started, but the various Sensei in the dojo realized that age wasn't the best factor in deciding this. It depends on the individual person and various factors such as ability, maturity, size, and social factors. Here are a few questions to ask yourself. Do I constantly feel like I'm reviewing in the kids class? There is less repetition in the teen/adult classes because most of the students tend to practice at home more consistently so there is less need for review. Am I ready for a slightly more serious dojo experience? While both classes are fun and exciting, the activities in the teen/adult classes will be slightly more advanced and will require deeper concentration. Am I the biggest kid in class? If you're a foot taller than every single student in the kids' class, you may want to upgrade. Are my friends ready to move on to the adult class too? Your karate friends will be very valuable throughout your life. Sticking together is important. If you are considering moving on to the teen/adult class you may want to discuss this with your close karate friends as well. Does the different time work for me? It's funny to think of it this way, but one of the biggest difference between the two classes is the time. Does this work with your schedule? I had to delay switching classes for a year because of my football schedule. There's nothing wrong with staying in the kids class a little longer if it works better for you and your parents. We're just happy that you're still training. That being said, there is one way to figure this out that may be even more valuable than these questions. Come down to the teen/adult class and try it out! You can make up a class there if you missed a class, or simply come down for a class or two just to see if you're ready. See you there! The following is a guest post written by Sensei Pytel.
It is written that when ‘Chuan Fa’ (fist way) was taught in China it was always so that different levels of understanding were transmitted to different students. That is to say a novice student would be shown a basic application for a particular technique while an intermediate student would be shown a somewhat more advanced application for the exact same technique. The most highly advanced applications were shown only to the most long- term and trusted students. There are many explanations given for this approach to teaching, some obvious given the serious nature of what was being taught. Other explanations are not so obvious, and are found to be based on the indigenous nature of the Asian culture and people themselves. Whatever the reason, this methodology followed when migrating to Okinawa where the art was originally known as “Kempo”. As a result, today you will most always find a number of explanations for a single technique. For example; the karate fist formation of Shobayashi-ryu known as “chu ko-te” is formed with the small, ring, and middle fingers curled completely and tightly while the index finger is bent only at the middle knuckle allowing the first two segments of the finger to remain extended down towards the base of the thumb. The thumb itself is wrapped around the extended portion of the index finger like a roll of pennies. The explanation that may be first given for the purpose of this type of fist formation may be ....”It allows for a better alignment of the first two knuckles with the wrist and forearm so there is less likelihood of the wrist bending upon impact. It also affords better alignment of the first segment below the knuckles of each of the first two fingers forming a better striking surface.” A more advanced explanation, as explained by William Hayes Sensei, may refer to the fact that this type of fist is used to relieve pressure from P-8 (8th point on the pericardium meridian in the palm of the hand.) Something someone would learn during kyusho training. Continuous pressure on any kyusho point will ultimately lead to a weakening of ones own chi energy creating greater vulnerability to an opponent’s attack. Beyond this still, one may at some point be shown the true nature and use of this fist formation that may reveal what I have been told O’Sensei would always say “The fist is not just for punching.” As one continues to train, one finds the art of karate to be many layers deep. Perhaps this is the very thing that makes it so fascinating. This may be more of a rant than an article but one thing that I have noticed is that many karate-ka I encounter think of their Sensei as the only source of information about martial arts.
Even the great masters of the past trained with other people, researched on their own, and generally did whatever they could to better themselves as martial artists. A big part of karate is taking the journey as a martial artist yourself. Think of your Sensei as a guide. They can help, but it's you who is going to have to do the leg work. Many martial artists believe that if they show up to class consistently, work hard, and wait long enough a Sensei will teach them everything they know about karate. This is not true. Even if it was true, you wouldn't learn the same information as well if you hadn't had the experience of discovering it yourself. Take the information here and use it as a jumping off point for your own research. Take what you have found in your research to your Sensei to ask questions, verify validity, etc. Happy researching! "A schoolboy was playing truant in the street when he saw an old woman grinding an iron pestle on a stone. Being curious, the boy asked the old woman what she was doing.
"I am going to grind this pestle into a needle to sew cloth with," answered the old woman. The child laughed, "But this is such a big pestle, how can you hope to grind it down to a needle?" "It doesn't matter," replied the old woman. "Today I grind it, tomorrow I'll grind it again, and the day after tomorrow again. The pestle will get smaller every day, and one day it will be a needle." The child saw the point and went to school." -Ch'en Len-Shi |