Thoughts on Teaching
Personally, I get some of my best insights from teaching, or rather the process of teaching.
It is important to continue to learn on your own, and to have had a decent base to start from, but the experience of teaching causes a much more in depth analysis of each concept you are teaching. This introspection and self evaluation can bring about tremendous insights.
If you are teaching someone how to punch or any physical technique, you must first break down the process to understandable parts. If people are not catching on to what you are telling them, instead of just figuring they are idiots, you must figure out how it CAN be presented. It is also valuable to see every permutation of every possible mistake.
Sometimes I present something in what I think is a suitable progression, and people are still missing something. Often this means there is an aspect of the technique I thought was intuitively obvious, or covered in my initial presentation/demonstration a progression, or I missed altogether because it was so much a habit I didn't consciously think of it any more.
Sometimes, the most talented practitioners are not the best teachers, because they have never had to really examine how they do something. It is so easy for them, they can't help someone who doesn't get it.
Often, by watching a student perform, you can tell what dojo they are from. An instructor's strengths and weaknesses are often mirrored in their students.
One Sensei told me a story about when he was teaching a seminar, and on one certain move, everyone at the seminar was doing it wrong. He couldn't understand why they would all make the same mistake. He said, "That's not correct, why are you all doing it that way?" The answer came, "Because you're doing it that way, Sensei". :-D
David Gimberline
Minnesota, USA
Just some general thoughts on teaching,
The traditional Japanese mentality is that it is the student's job to strive to learn what the instructor is teaching. They learn by copying and repetition and divine inspiration (a touch of sarcasm here, the repetition also gives a much deeper understanding of the movement). They think if you are not learning you are obviously not trying hard enough.
The modern western tradition is that the teacher (or coach) has to find a way to motivate the students and present the material in a way the students can understand.
I think the ideal learning situation would utilize the best of both worlds. With dedicated, motivated students, it is the instructor's fault if they are not getting the message across. Many would benefit from evaluating the effect their teaching actually has on the students, and making adjustments to present the material in a different way when necessary.
As you know, some people learn from watching, some from doing, some from having it explained, so they can intellectualize it. In reality of course, all students use all of this input to one degree or another, but I think many instructors only have one way to teach.
I personally try to create drills that break things down into simple concepts and reinforce the important part of the lesson. It is also vital to strike a good balance between explanation and repetition.
It is one of my biggest complaints that often our karate (in the group I train with) is too intellectualized (a huge contrast from 20 years ago, when it was all repetition). It needs to be more instinctive. The way the training session is run has a strong impact on your ability to perform. If you are constantly thinking and analyzing when you are training, you are missing out on an important aspect.
On the other hand, all the repetition in the world doesn't do much good (and can be harmful) if you are doing it wrong.
So, I'm thinking a proper amount of explanation and coaching can radically aid a trainee's progress, but if it goes too far, the training becomes intellectually based and fails to develop the mind set necessary for one to perform under stress. (Spirit overcomes technique). One exceptional karateka pointed out to me years ago, "there's lots of great theories, but unless you train your body to an incredible degree, most of that stuff doesn't make any difference".
Not quite a complete presentation, but I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Dave in Minnesota
Hi Guys,
This one starts out with some info I've sent before, but then there's new stuff. :-)
Hi All,
One reason to train is to develop a proper Mind Set.
This is a response to a conversation I once had regarding Kata as
meditation:
>You've given some great responses to my question on kata as
>meditation. I believe some of you alluded to this but I was >wondering if anyone can explain how this meditative aspect of kata >can be of practical use. For instance, is it just helpful as stress >relief, can it help in physiological development, is it helpful >where self-defense is concerned?
>Again, all replies are welcome!
>Brad
Dave G Replies:
I believe this mind set MUST be carried into kumite and self defense
training. IMHO this is what will carry you through. In an intense
situation, if you maintain this mindset, you will be able to remain somewhat removed from the conflict, rather than personally involved. This mental state is reflected in your physical position. If you are filled with emotion, apprehension or excitement will tend to lift your shoulders up and make you tense. Rather than one causing the other, I think they reinforce each other, i.e., if you train every day calmly and confidently, with your shoulders relaxed, moving from center and building the necessary pressure to the floor, you tend to also build a more stable mental outlook.
The more calm and secure you are, the more likely you will be able to keep your body relaxed to the necessary position.
Losing this mind set may inhibit your ability to respond appropriately to the situation. The conflict becomes a clash of egos, rather than a true self defense or training situation. This is easy to see when some people spar.
IMO when sparring, regardless of the intensity, you should be mentally or emotionally one step removed from the situation. It is not really you against your opponent, it is you training against yourself. I have a quote from Shoshine Nagamine that describes very eloquently my idea of what kumite is for:
"Testing one's self against another, not with the intention of harming the other or showing off one's skills for tournament purposes, but with the intention of committing one's whole being to the situation, makes kumite a marvelous learning experience. As in kata, self-development is the essence of kumite".
Now, in a self defense situation, depending on how things are occurring, you may feel anger, or fear, or many other emotions that will interfere with your ability to respond. If you have trained intensely enough, in the right “spirit”, you will drop into this mind set automatically. This will allow you to de escalate the situation or respond with appropriate decisiveness should it be necessary, regardless of your personal fears or emotions.
However, the opposite is also true. If you train always in mind of the people watching you, so you are showing off, or always have to win, or build your ego by humiliating your opponent, this will also surface in a self defense situation. Making you look or act like a jerk.
IMHO what you want to do is develop the same, stable intense mental
intensity in kata & kumite.
Ultimately developing Bu shin, Zan shin, Mu shin & Fudo shin (not sure if this one is a legitimate term)
Bu shin being the Warrior Mind or Warrior Spirit and may comprise of the other three :
Zan shin; Continuing Mind; always alert, always ready, there might always me one more
Mu shin; I believe is closest to the moving meditation idea. To think of nothing, "mind of no mind", "without heart, without mind", complete cutting-off of thought streams, freedom from unnecessary thoughts while engaged in some activity. This allows you to respond and not be bothered by your fears or apprehensions or anger. Also keeps you from being overwhelmed by the situation or the opponent.
Fudo shin; I may have made this one up, or I may have read it some where. Immovable Mind. To me this is perseverance to maintain Mushin and Zanshin; regardless of the situation, you will carry on and prevail. You are so intensely determined to maintain your Mu shin, that regardless of outside stimulus, you cannot be moved from it, or distracted. Whether it is just making it through a tough class, or facing an attacker in spite of your fear, or going through a tough time in life.
If any of my translations or terms are incorrect, please feel free to let me know.
Looking back, this may not be organized the best, but I am interested in anyone’s feed back. :-)
----
Hi all,
Thanks for all the positive feedback on my recent post. :)
The idea of a proper mind set was reinforced for me lately when I was reading through a police defensive tactics manual called "The Tactical Edge".
Their determination was that success in a physical confrontation depended 80% on your mental attitude, 10% on your previous hand to hand training (!!), 5% on luck, and 5% on some other factor I can't remember right now. (? :-\)
Although this is not exactly new information, certainly instructors since Funakoshi (and before) have been saying that "spirit will overcome technique", it is certainly worth re-exploring once in a while. Currently with access to such high caliber information on technique, I feel it is sometimes too easy to get caught up io the details and analysis.
It is one of my biggest complaints that often our karate (in the group I train with) is often too intellectualized (a huge contrast from 20 years ago, when it was all repetition). Responses and training need to be more instinctive. The way the training session is run has a strong impact on your ability to perform. If you are constantly thinking and analyzing when you are training, you are missing out on an important aspect.
On the other hand, all the repetition in the world doesn't do much good (and can be harmful) if you are doing it wrong.
So, I'm thinking a proper amount of explanation and coaching can radically aid a trainee's progress, but if it goes too far, the training becomes intellectually based and fails to develop the mind set necessary for one to perform under stress. (Remember spirit overcomes technique :-) ). One exceptional karateka pointed out to me years ago, "there's lots of great theories, but unless you train your body to an incredible degree, most of that stuff doesn't make any difference".
Another book that helped me to understand the importance of this concept is "The Truth About Self Defense" by Masaad Ayoob. Like "Tactical Edge", it's a little dated, but it does an excellent job of getting across the mind set of the animal you might have to defend against (he interviewed thousands of inmates). There are people who actually ENJOY hurting you. They like the feel of your ribs breaking while they kick you while you're laying on the ground.
Sometimes our concept of these situations is too civilized.
An excellent non-martial artist viewpoint is in the book Alice DeLaney recommended "The Gift of Fear". As she states, it discusses predicting violence and our instincts.
That's all for now. I have to get back to work. :-)
David Gimberline, AAKF, ITKF
Minneapolis, Minnesota