wullie
Member
I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, there's no way you can prove anything!
Posts: 725
|
Post by wullie on Mar 15, 2011 1:33:09 GMT -5
Good going mate!
On the student front, do find people have unreal expectations of martial arts in that they expect maximum gains for minimum input, so its hard to get a class going with people who actually want to train?
|
|
|
Post by MMX on Mar 15, 2011 11:11:26 GMT -5
Good going mate! On the student front, do find people have unreal expectations of martial arts in that they expect maximum gains for minimum input, so its hard to get a class going with people who actually want to train? I find that Wullie. We have people try all the time and I think they find it too hard and do not come back. Even with the regular students there are a few that only put in a minimum effort. It seems only 10-20% really put forth the effort to learn. Osu!
|
|
|
Post by medguy on Mar 15, 2011 11:15:47 GMT -5
Wullie, I have two students that are coming along well. One is a 7th kyu and is competing in his first knockdown tourney in 2 weeks. The other was an ikkyu 8 years ago and is getting back in shape. He gets his 8th kyu beginning of April and then in July I will test and grandfather him up to ikkyu. Two students quit. One, i suspect, felt that MT was easier, so he decided to stay there where he wouldn't get his ass kicked in kumite as much and he could stay "king of the heap." He told me after his first kumite session, "I thought I was better prepared."
The other was odd--He was a green belt in Oyama USA 4 years ago, started with me, said he liked it, then never returned, never returned texts or emails.
I think that people have unreal expectations, absolutely. First off, the UFC has done such a great job convincing the world that the only martial arts on the planet are BJJ and MT. People seem to have forgotten about other arts. Also, I have noticed that people's perception of karate is shotokan stuff, or "Karate Kid" wax on wax off while reed flutes play, and they want to hit stuff.
Then I send them to Youtube to get familiar with Kyokushin before trying a class, and they either never show up after watching vids , or come once and drop out. And I am not a Nazi instructor, either.
I think they don't want to be taught. They want to jump rope, hit the bag, and go home, convinced that the way they are kicking and punching is A OK, and nobody is gonna tell them how to improve! They have all the answers after that 2 classes at cardiokick they took.
I have had a few guys who wanted to fight come in for private sessions. ONe guy got knocked out with gedan mawashi and decided to go to another gym altogether because that karate teacher "kicked too hard." I said, "You think I kick hard? I'm doing this for fun. Those guys are doing it for money and a piece of plastic."
My two cents.
|
|
|
Post by MMX on Mar 15, 2011 11:19:00 GMT -5
I moved this from Medguys Workout log.
Great points brought up here and I am sure we have more insight to add.
|
|
GJEC
Member
LOUGHBOROUGH ENSHIN
Posts: 3,218
|
Post by GJEC on Mar 15, 2011 11:34:12 GMT -5
We have more and more that 'can only make it once a week'. Hmmm. I'm not impressed. Daft thing is they seem to want to test just the same.
I'm reviewing our minimum numbers of sessions between tests.
Gary
|
|
wullie
Member
I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, there's no way you can prove anything!
Posts: 725
|
Post by wullie on Mar 15, 2011 11:40:07 GMT -5
I moved this from Medguys Workout log. Great points brought up here and I am sure we have more insight to add. Well that freaked me out, saw Medguy had been back on his thread had a look because I was sure i'd posted a question but where had it gone? ? LMAO!!! It seems to be an all over problem in getting students, I reckon that I get about 1 in 20 that sticks it out, but because its kickboxing its easier to get them in the door than if its a karate class because of the misconceptions Medguy has already stated.
|
|
wullie
Member
I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, there's no way you can prove anything!
Posts: 725
|
Post by wullie on Mar 15, 2011 11:43:49 GMT -5
We have more and more that 'can only make it once a week'. Hmmm. I'm not impressed. Daft thing is they seem to want to test just the same. I'm reviewing our minimum numbers of sessions between tests. Gary Sorry about the consecutive posts! I have a 80% rule for people wanting to test, miss the cut off means no test!
|
|
GJEC
Member
LOUGHBOROUGH ENSHIN
Posts: 3,218
|
Post by GJEC on Mar 15, 2011 11:53:30 GMT -5
We have to have a bit of leeway as some travel a long way. One chap comes 60 miles each way ...
But for those who live a five minute walk away but can't be arsed, well that's a different story.
Gary
|
|
|
Post by powerof0ne on Mar 15, 2011 12:05:16 GMT -5
I ran into this problem this summer with the person I originally arranged to "rent space from". She thought I was going to teach something like what she saw in the karate kid, I guess? She has other programs/classes going on at her "center" and was helping spread the word of karate and promised me students from the tai chi and some other classes would join until I educated her better on what Kyokushin is.
What this resulted in was me showing up and only the owner and she bowed out after 15 minues (if that) of training and said it was too hard. I showed up once more and then on top of that the time slot she was allowing me to teach at was ridiculous for any normal adult to attend unless they worked a graveyard shift....then for me to teach at the time slot I wanted to teach at she wanted me to charge each student $20 USD a lesson so she could get some cut so I got the hint that the brand of karate I was teaching was too tough for her and that was her way of getting me to leave.
I start Japanese next term and am hoping I get some of the anime dorks I'm sure are going to be in the class a little bit interested because I've been in talks with my school to teach there but they have a TKD program that has been going on for a long time that is giving me some resistance.
In the past I have had mixed results, I took over and changed an existing karate program (previous instructor was fired) and had a great student base with adults and kids.
I've also had just the opposite reaction where I was hired at a "mcdojo" and I thought the owner had good intentions and wanted me to take over the karate and teach MT but the majority of students wanted a lax work out and guaranteed rank promotion about every 2 months because they were used to that. As soon as I figured this out I put teaching on "pause" and joined the Army.
So the moral of this story is I have no answers from my own experience of teaching how to be successful. I know a few ways not to be successful that I can practically guarantee will fail but I haven't found "the one answer" yet...I suppose if you want to be commercially successful, i.e.: making money at teaching, have a children's class. Fortunately, I like teaching kids but at this phase in my life I'm not starting a commercial school, neither.
Hopefully the school I go to will allow me to start a Kyokushin program.."fingers crossed". Osu!
|
|
|
Post by seattle on Mar 15, 2011 14:08:50 GMT -5
It seems the "younger" generation just does not really want to put the work in to achieve the desired results. Entitlement generation. This last year the attendance at my classes has been poor at best. Out of 13-20 registered students, between 2 and 8 will show on any given night. I never know if I am going to have 2 brown belts or two white belts.
I have 3 or 4 who have legit reasons for only making 1 or 2 classes a week, and they do not expect quick advancement (older students). I have some 20 somethings that are expecting advancement based on time. Ugh.
Out of the 20-30 people who try the class every year, I usually get about 5 who stick it out and like the hard work. This year, it seems can't pay people to come to class. Most people can't handle or don't want to handle the hard Kyokushin class, but then again I am not trying to get everybody just those who like to work hard and play hard.
Fortunatly I am teaching at a university and I don't have the overhead to worry about, for now. Just got to keep enough coming to keep the powers that be happy.
|
|
|
Post by MMX on Mar 15, 2011 14:13:41 GMT -5
Yeah we are in a similar boat. My Sensei teaches at the YMCA so it keeps the cost down.
|
|
|
Post by powerof0ne on Mar 15, 2011 14:20:11 GMT -5
I might try the Y but the only problem I foresee is they have a shito ryu program that has been there for a very long time (instructor is my Father's old training partner), an Aikido/Aikijujitsu and a TKD program.
I think I just need to buy a house and make my own private dojo big enough for 15-20 students at a time. That's my ultimate goal. Osu!
|
|
evergrey
Member
Get over yourself, mate.
Posts: 854
|
Post by evergrey on Mar 15, 2011 16:57:07 GMT -5
OSU, p01, that sounds awesome!
Speaking just for myself, from what I've observed since I started attending classes in September-
I have noticed even with our dojo, which is well-established and has been around a long time, the numbers in class vary greatly. Sometimes there are as few as 4 or 5 people! Sometimes there's more like 13 or 14. Occasionally more. The dojo is pretty small, so when the class is really big things get a bit creative, spacewise, haha.
White belts come and go all the time. Sometimes people will make it to blue belt and then never come back. Sometimes they will suddenly come back, and be around once a month or so.
It does seem like, also, many people who get their shodan quit a little while after that. That I just gather from seeing older photos of earlier years. Many of them may have moved elsewhere or something, however.
There's a solid core of green belts and brown belts. They don't all always show up, but there's always some mix of them, and a good number of them are usually there.
Sensei (a nidan) and I (eternal white belt, lol) are there just about every single class. We only aren't there if there's an emergency or we cannot scrape together enough gas money and bridge fare to get ourselves out there and home. There's another black belt who is almost always there. There's one who just got married but is becoming a regular again.
It seems like the kid's classes are a lot bigger. Ton of blue and green belts, handful of white belts.
A lot of people expect it to be easy. They think they will be a natural. Sure, people can have natural talent, but it also always takes hard work! And it HURTS! There is always some part of me that aches. You only rank up if you've earned it, and you only go up for rank if the instructors decide you are ready. When you go up, there are 4 judges who rate you, and if you don't make the cut, you don't make the cut. Even then, you sometimes end up waiting months before finding out whether you ranked up or not.
I know that some people have said anyone can go Kyokushin, but... Kyokushin isn't for everyone. You have to have the drive, the heart, the spirit for it. If you don't put enough of yourself into it, and don't make the commitment... not going to happen. It's too easy to say "I'll take it easy today," and then you start taking it easy every day. Or "I think I'll just stay home for this one class," and then end up staying home for the next, too. Or "I don't think I'll practice this weekend... I'll make up for it in class." Then you stop practicing at home altogether.
Nobody is an exception, nobody gets special treatment. People's individual abilities and limitations are always kept in mind, but one thing everyone IS expected to do is give 100%. Half-arseing it is never sufficient.
Maybe in this modern world of instant gratification and lack of personal responsibility, this is too much for a lot of people. Most people seem to think laziness is a trait to be admired- that lazy is clever. Bleh.
The good solid ones will stay.
|
|
|
Post by walshy on Mar 16, 2011 8:26:55 GMT -5
We have more and more that 'can only make it once a week'. Hmmm. I'm not impressed. Daft thing is they seem to want to test just the same. I'm reviewing our minimum numbers of sessions between tests. Gary I am having this problem Gary, i can some weeks only manage one class due to family etc....difference is i'm not gonna ask to grade, i'm up for 1st kyu next but it's going to have to wait till i can up the training. Osu
|
|
wullie
Member
I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, there's no way you can prove anything!
Posts: 725
|
Post by wullie on Mar 16, 2011 8:50:25 GMT -5
We have more and more that 'can only make it once a week'. Hmmm. I'm not impressed. Daft thing is they seem to want to test just the same. I'm reviewing our minimum numbers of sessions between tests. Gary I am having this problem Gary, i can some weeks only manage one class due to family etc....difference is i'm not gonna ask to grade, i'm up for 1st kyu next but it's going to have to wait till i can up the training. Osu Good man! Exalted!
|
|