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Post by fujicolt on Feb 8, 2011 23:48:05 GMT
for most of my career, teaching karate, I have tried to live by 'Don't ask them to do anything you cannot do' as it forced me to train hard myself and keep my standards up. I had to be realistic in that there where things that i could do that for personal reasons they could never do ( for example i have had students with disabilities etc who cuold never structure stances or kick) but on the reverse there have also been times when i have had students whom could do some things better than i could (side fricking splits for example - that = I never achieved - front yes - side NO! ) however - because of bad health, that literally kicked in, in 2007 (a heart attack and stroke) and further probs i have had to have a huge paradigm shift and go - 'I will teach you things I cannot do' it has meant a real revamp of how i teach and at times can be so frustrating and depressing. anyone had similar changes required?
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 8, 2011 23:53:37 GMT
why are certain words coming up in blue - what have i pressed or turned on i should not have? DOH. LOL
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Post by Paul Bedard on Feb 9, 2011 0:19:45 GMT
You did have to bring this up! How about starting with a proper seiza? That`s were my `do what I say, not what I do` begins. There are times, depending on the mood of my left knee, that certain stances are lacking. Oh how about lifting the legs in heian godan, jumping in empi, kanku sho, dropping down to one knee in gankaku, unsu, hell the nidan geri in kanku dai can be a challenge. But what the heck `I`m not as good as I once was, but I`m as good once as I ever was`. That is why we use our students to help with certain demonstrations & for the most part, teach what 70% percent of the students can do. as the Rolling Stones put it ``What a drag it is getting old``. Still beats the alternative.. Osu Paul B
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 9, 2011 1:32:16 GMT
PHEW - I am not alone LOL
Did a 4.5 hr course on sunday and could really only stand up and walk - so had to really think and get info across verbally - one student ( a Dan grade) said 'i learnt more in 4 hrs than have in four years' - i thanked him - went into loo and damn near collapsed in so much pain. HE didn't know and i felt PHEW I did it!
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Post by kensei on Feb 9, 2011 19:34:24 GMT
Steve, when I was young I was a gymnist. I could do the side splits, front splits and I had a lean build that could carry me for an hour long jog at any time. I would walk everywere, even the 11K from the main club to my club when I was out of school. Managed to keep my slim build till I was well into Uni. Put on about 20 pounds in Uni as I had to settle down and study, but must admit that I also hit th weights and 10 of that was muscle. After University my job kept me moving around and I managed to drop the 10 or so pounds of bluber...but slowly I started to settle down and pack on weight....lost the ability to do the side splits around 27! Noticed that a good 1/2 hour jog would wind me and I was now not able to do three classes of hard Karate back to back in the same day! But the first two were not much of a challenge. By 35 I had put on about 35 pounds...on top of the 20 I had packed on right after uni and was married and had a child. I could do the front splits still....but felt it if I had not warmed up. I had a lot less cardio and was suffering after the third Karate class...that week! My time was now more job and family and having a CAR Really sucked because I managed to get home in much bettr time....only to sit on my butt! Now I have a child with special needs and I have to spend a lot more time wiht her but even as a child we had to put alot of time into her. At 40+ I find myself in a better place mentally and a bit bettter shape, and working on being in even better shape! Cant do the side splits...but now I dont really want to! I can still manage the front ones on a good day...but again...not as appealing. I can side snap kick to head level as well as round kick but my old hip injury really lowered the thrust kick to hip hight....working on it however. My cardio is a bit better....but could be even better. The point is that time will catch up with all of us, as it has me...but the fact is that I know more about Karate and the human body now than I did in my 20's.....that is NOT to say I would not traide my current shell in for an upgrade given the chance....But only if I am not as ignorant of the world as I was when I was 20!
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Post by kensei on Feb 9, 2011 19:36:09 GMT
Also I never ask a 20 year old to do what I could not do at 20!
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 10, 2011 0:52:25 GMT
? are you saying you could do everything at 20 - sorry may have got this really wrong?
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Post by kensei on Feb 10, 2011 13:57:12 GMT
? are you saying you could do everything at 20 - sorry may have got this really wrong? While I would love to say yes...the answer is no. I meant that I WILL ask a 20 year old to do what I could at 20! When I am 60 and 70 I wont be teaching 20 year olds to move like a 70 year old! As a "Sensei" or Coach you need to treat your students appropriately. However, if you could never do that fancy split kick or jump kick with a flip...well then you should not be teaching it. However, basic Karate skills and even higher end Karate skills that you COULD do but are limited to now...well perhaps leave that for younger instructors to demonstrate, but still teach it! Its part of passing on information to younger athletes and students. Besides, even if you CAN NOT do it now...I kind of get the idea you were not bad at it back in the day like most of us so pass it on!
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 10, 2011 23:14:09 GMT
I meant that I WILL ask a 20 year old to do what I could at 20! When I am 60 and 70 I wont be teaching 20 year olds to move like a 70 year old!
Mmmm... Kensei - i hope my continued training in Shotokan karate makes me move more efficiently as a 70 yr old doing shotokan karate than i did as 20 yr old 18month long Shodan! okay i may not have the youthful musculature, joint health etc but i hope the training has taught me it ain't needed! If NOT = may as well pack in now cos what is the point in continuing to try and get better???
and IF i can do it better then and know why - i would want to teach that 20 yr old in the hope that by the time he is 70 he will have brought it to levels i could only imagine !
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Post by kensei on Feb 11, 2011 14:52:56 GMT
Mmmm... Kensei - i hope my continued training in Shotokan karate makes me move more efficiently as a 70 yr old doing shotokan karate than i did as 20 yr old 18month long Shodan! okay i may not have the youthful musculature, joint health etc but i hope the training has taught me it ain't needed! If NOT = may as well pack in now cos what is the point in continuing to try and get better??? Could not agree more! However, when I was 20 I was a gymnist with a ultra lean body who could do double back flips off the floor and hand springs down a run matt.......now.....not so much, but I can teach a 20 year old athlete how to do that. And as for Karate, when I was 20 I could round house kick a 6' tall guy in the chin in slow motion to demonstrate power.....now...I need the wind up and slowly, I might get him in the chest.....Remember I am only 5'5". My point being is I will coach a 20 year old how to be the best 20 year old he could be and not teach him like I would teach a 70 year old....and yes, pray he is a great 70 year old as I intend to be one as well some day!
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 11, 2011 15:22:45 GMT
message rec:d and understood - i hope you got my point also. what was the name of that somersault with a rotation we gymnasts had to do - it sounded like an Indian cyrry - byriani or something LOL
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Post by kensei on Feb 11, 2011 15:30:18 GMT
message rec:d and understood - i hope you got my point also. what was the name of that somersault with a rotation we gymnasts had to do - it sounded like an Indian cyrry - byriani or something LOL Summersault with a rotation? Are you thinking round off? a Summersault is a forward roll for us...but differnt terms across the poind I fear. I recall a German Gymnast that came to the uni I was working out at and he was using "English" gymnastic terms we did not understand.
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 11, 2011 15:42:44 GMT
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Post by kensei on Feb 11, 2011 16:17:49 GMT
In gymnastics, a Barani is described as a roundoff without hands. A round off with out hands. Not easy and at our age...would surely throw out a back or two. It looked okay, but the back flipps were what we did and practiced the most...got the most girls!
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Post by Bob Davis on Feb 13, 2011 13:53:54 GMT
Makes sense to me also, had this conversation with the boy just this week when trying to correct and help him with his technique, he knows that just because I can't do something better than him I can still explain to him why he's having a problem and how to fix it and is happy to take any help I can offer.
As a late starter there are things that I will (probably) never be able to do, even those things that I can do are limited BUT that doesn't mean that I don't understand the how and the why or don't have the ability to teach it to someone else. I would hope that in the longer term that pretty much everybody I teach has the potential to be a lot better than me.
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 13, 2011 23:38:25 GMT
SHU HA RI
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 14, 2011 18:54:35 GMT
SHU HA RI is the basic concept of how a student and teachers relationship works and develops. in brief: the aim being that over time and via certain processes the student should transcend the teacher in knowledge and skill - thus ensuring progress within the given study subject.
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Post by fujicolt on Feb 14, 2011 23:50:30 GMT
Bert - tis all simply - US HERE sharing info, debating things and helping each other - no tricks , no scoring points and a lot of fun and expansion of knowledge - chill and go with the flow - i assumed you would know what SHU HA RI is and was responding to Bob's description of it happening for him = thats all!
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