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[mleone]

Couldnt agree more Ghost..

Instructors dont like to look bad or look stupid and they dont want to lose...(Its a B.S. Ego thing)

Mistakes are the seed to learning....
Just dont make the same mistake more than 5 times. If you do there is either something that was not learned or you need more practice..and need to go back to the drawing board.

In our school we have one motto, every thing we do is feedback..(Thanks to Big Rob)
It may not be the feedback you want.. but it is still feedback..
That is something you learn from...
We try not to look at it right or wrong. We just keep trying untill we get it down..

If we do a scenario and mess up, we keep going..We dont stop...
I sometimes make my guys run for a while and work out real hard under a stopwatch amount of time.
Then we do in the clutches of on the ground.. They are winded tired and exhausted.. I dont stop until I cut them.

A short story:

One of my students Jaret did knife training for the first time..
Like so many others he stopped when I cut him with my training blade..
I told him "What are you doing"?
Your not dead yet?

Did I stab you about 40 times? He said "NO". Then keep going until you get the knife and dont stop to curse your self. Dont stop to analyze just keep going..

[Hock]

Here is a professional rule or tip for instructors that few will not understand about winning and egos.

Beating me is nothing. Frankly its gets easier each year. Catch me early in the morning these days when I have troubles with my 50-plus year-old back? Even easier. This is not about me. It is about you.

The instructor must research high percentage success tactics. He must create a system of these, one open to educate the individual.  You pay for his educated "eye," not his fast jab, or fencing trophies, or how many boards HE can break. Things like sheer martial lineage and sport contests take a major back seat to common sense and practical innovation.

What can you do? Where do you have to do it? Against whom? It is a very military approach, really.  Start there. Lessor events deserve lesser time.

You are not going to:

- over-teach scuba to mountain fighters.
- over-teach desert fighters too much scuba diving.
- you won't over-teach policehow to sentry-kill.
- you won't over-teach a rape prevention class how to handcuff.
- you won't over-teach bouncers how to kill.
- you won't over-teach classcal karate and tae kwon do to citizens seeking self defense 
- and so on and so on...

Complete athletic dolts can be champions. Veteran soldiers and cops could be dolts, and not good instructors with common sense and the..."eye."

At some point, all instructors will be in wheel chairs, sitting there full of great wisdom and knowledge. At which point will you learn from them? At what point do they become beatable?

Hock

 

[usks1]

Hock,
Great point.... Many instructors think that if they don't win all the time, then they are not going to be the man in their house anymore....

 - Angelo Dundee couldn't have beaten Muhammed Ali, but he helped him become the champ.

 - Cus D'Amato couldn't have beaten Mike Tyson, but he made him a better fighter... Look what happened when he passed away... Mike was still the same man, but without the guidance he took a downturn.

Same goes with any type of instructing / coaching endeavor.. In their prime it is a good chance most good instructors could rule the roost... But time and age catch us all.

I box, kickbox, stickfight, grapple, fight.. whatever with all my guys... I always get smacked, and I encourage them to take it to me.... I give it back.... How else do we improve?

We talk after the round or during, I tell them what they did good and bad, and they tell me the same... We try to fix it, and move on to the next event.

How can I improve, if no one pushes me?? The better they get, the harder it gets.... They get better and force me to take it up a notch, or be left behind.. This is the way it should be.

I am in my 40's, and not nearly as fast or strong as I once was, ( maybe a little meaner and trickier ) 

I still get by o.k.... But one of these days, It is gonna take too damn long to heal, hurt too damn much to train that way, and still teach 4+ hours a day, and I am gonna have to spend more time coaching than playing.... It is just the price we pay for being human.

It is not important that as instructors that we can dominate all of our students, or be the un-beatable one.... But it is important that we can help them improve, and become all they can be...

Just my .01.........

Dean.

[mleone]

I agree so much dean...
Some guys just are hung up on looking good...
This why I think some instructors get their ego bruised at a seminar.
I dont think these guys see the big picture...

[ghostrider]

Gentleman....
We see things as crystal clear. To take a line from Enter the Dragon, "if you look at the finger then you miss all that heavenly glory." For too long many instructors out there have missed the point of the conflict. The embroiling factors which first lead to the situation. The factors are numerous, things like envirnoment, people, time, mind-set, etc. Factors involving people like health of you ( good or bad), clothing, time of day, envirnoment your in, awareness, focus (are you distracted?), etc. Was your focus off so now your in the situation? (did you miss the tell tale signs of the danger?).  How about during the situation? How are you handling yourself in the midst of the conflict? Have you put up your mental front? Are you controlling your fear? Is your awareness shot? Are you looking for that escape?

These things are just a few of the ideas involved in a situation. Avoiding the situation is always number one, but life isn't always that pleasant. Most instructors of fighting arts, and I use that term loosely, miss that point in teaching. They either are too sport oriented, or they apply something that will not work because they haven't thought all the factors out. Instead they don't have the knowledge by learning it for themselves to in turn teach their own students. It's truth that many out there don't have the mind-set to teach things that their students can used for life and death situations, but its not always the fault of the instructor because many students really don't want the knowledge because its a messy business to fight. Blood, sweat, and tears are the trademark of training. Fear has no place in the dojo, or so they think. Many students just want a place to hang out, be social, or have fun while wearing their Gis or getting that next belt. The instructor though knows that if he was really serious about teaching that he may just lose a few students and his profit would go down. After all his living depends on it. I have known a few black belts out there who were either too unknowledgable or simply didn't care about proper abilities but were interested only in training for that next test. Imagine that! Training for a test. Kinda misses the mark.
There are those teachers out there who don't want to look bad in the eyes of the public, as all here know and stated so, because they think that they should have all the answers or that their students would think less of the teacher's ability. Honesty has to prevail here. I'm in my late 40's with 2 years away from being 50 (almost there Hock!) and honestly can tell everyone that I don't move like my 20 year old son. I sure can't outrun him!! But that's life! Move smarter, not harder. I feel the aches and pains day to day. Keeping in shape is something I do to stay ahead of time because time will catch up. For me I stay honest to all whom I influence in teaching. It's tempting sometimes to want to appear as if I can't be "taken" down but in reality...well you know the answer to that Gentleman. I love to train and enjoy teaching from my years of experiences to all who are interested. Teaching those lessons that I have gained from others who took the time to teach me and from those whom I spent the time to listen and take the notes from. I will continue to do so.

[mleone]

hese things are just a few of the ideas involved in a situation. Avoiding the situation is always number one, but life isn't always that pleasant. Most instructors of fighting arts, and I use that term loosely, miss that point in teaching. They either are too sport oriented, or they apply something that will not work because they haven't thought all the factors out. Instead they don't have the knowledge by learning it for themselves to in turn teach their own students. I

A good portion of instructors and students alike get too tempermental when it comes to diffusing a situation.
Sometimes they flip the switch to attack a bit too early..
Avoidance and verbal diffusal is under appreciated...and under trained..
 
Avoidance is key, but having good judgement that you build through actual training is priceless...

[ghostrider]

Sometimes in our fast paced society people miss the real value of the watchful eye of a real teacher. Our culture has lost much of the values of those who came before us. Since the martial arts are a token icon in American just about anyone who has a black belt can teach anything while calling it "martial arts" and the public usually buys into it. Some people see whats portrayed as fighting and know that something is not right. There has been a long standing stigma applied to the arts in which it is either believed that you can make just about anyone bleed or that a person who wears a black belt can't fight at all. Granted anyone who has a black belt in a particular method does not mean they can teach people how to fight. They have gained that in respect to learning the material and have tested as such.
Time and sweat bring about ability. We are human in every aspect too. A teacher is affected by all the ills and frailities of being human. No one is above that. So it makes sense to be clear about yourself when teaching others whether it be in a class or in a seminar. Never protray yourself as better than, just a step ahead. Be able to relate to those who haven't had your experience and help them to become better. When you learn how to handle human emotion, especially when it comes to your life, then you will learn to become an expert at relating to others. Throughout the many seasons of life comes a deeper understanding of people. The lessons of the martial arts teach us to flow and blend to our opponent not conflict with him. Even in war you learn the rules of engagement.
The sooner an instructor learns how to act in accordance with the situation the sooner he or she becomes less of an animal.

[410indashade]

I don't feel qualified to comment on what blackbelt instructors are teaching in their specific systems.  Except to say, good discussion once again,  guys.  And very illuminating - it only goes to show I'm in the right place and it's not about ego or even winning every contest; it's about fighting to survive and since my classes are more
survival oriented...   

[mleone]

I agree ego, just pollutes the hell out of martial arts. Giving bad names to every one!

[FormerlyExJkd]

This is horrible..I AM a Cancer.

[mleone]

LOL Good Sign
Well its not about winning or losing its about going home that day alive..