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Post by malk103 on Jun 27, 2012 20:11:27 GMT
A young girl has been training with me for a few months now but has recently been going backwards in skills/effort. This week her father questioned why she wasn't involved or engaged much in the lesson when he came to pick her up. I had tried to demonstrate several times but there is only so much time you can spend with each student.
It took a few weeks for her to be comfortable for her parents to leave her there during the lesson, her skills have been gradually increasing and I have tried to encourage and praise as much as possible. A few weeks ago she had her Kata Kihon sorted and was correctly turning with all Kihon learnt to a good enough standard for a beginner. The last few lessons has seen a gradual decline.
I am confident about teaching Karate at this level as a few others have excelled, maybe i'm not that good at teaching children? I don't shout and try not to be scary, I even try to add a bit of humour along the way.
I am obviously questioning myself but what have you tried to encourage shy juniors? I think she is aged 9 or 10. My best guess is that she has gone off the idea and it's now her parents pushing her to go as they have paid for the Gi etc.
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Post by hamhead on Jun 28, 2012 13:09:12 GMT
Are there any other kids of similar age in the club, especially girls?
One thing I have learned is that kids want to train with other kids.
Another is that you can't really teach kids in the same way as adults and expect them to have the same attention span or even get the same enjoyment or satisfaction out of the pace of the class.
I find the younger the kids, the more they want to do the running around, fun stuff, rather than the serious and boring kihon, unless it is fast paced or game like. I find my younger ones like speed drills, body conditioning, ladder work, pad work etc. And they want to do it together and compete with each other.
But then again they practice everyday and there is no pressure for them to pass a belt test every three months with twice a week practice so I could be talking a load of pants.
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Post by malk103 on Jun 28, 2012 15:38:36 GMT
All good points!
There are a mixture of adults/kids male/female, the girl has been happily partnering with a young woman. Now I think about it, the last few weeks there has been an increase in young boys who are a few years older than the girl. I'm wondering if this is a concern.
I try as much as possible to mix things up but at the end of the day it's Karate, if I veered too far from normal then the adults would feel like they were back at school. Maybe I can do some fun stuff next week to see if it's this, thanks for the info.
I guess i'm paranoid about losing students....
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Post by jimlukelkc on Jun 28, 2012 16:01:23 GMT
It is difficult teaching that age group in a mixed class. You cannot spend the entire class engaging in games, it cant all be " fun ". I try to partner my newbies up with a mentor. a kid around their age or older with a slightly higher grade. Have you been keeping an eye on her present pairing? some really nice people can have absolutely no patience or ability with kids. Even a chance remark or unintentionally derisive comment can put kids off. If you are going to insert fun activities, do it close to the end of the class as that is what she will remember most. Ask her if she is ok and give lots of encouragement and verbal encouragement as you pass. It may be she has lost interest and her parents are insisting she comes ( paid for a licence gi etc.)
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Post by dek1 on Jun 28, 2012 16:12:25 GMT
We have a few students who are reserved and dont mix too well. To get over this the adults in the class all speak to them a short hello in the changing rooms to making them feel a part of the club with mixed training advice and friendly help. It takes time one has taken two years for him to start and come around. The JKS Dundee club has a great system for getting the class mixing any new or visiting student everyone to a person comes over and introduces themselves to you. It makes you feel welcome and at ease.
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Post by robbo78 on Jun 28, 2012 22:02:54 GMT
Hi have you thought of holding a kids class for an hour, before the main session starts. I think this would help as you can make it fun with just kids in the class and you'll be surprised how much they take in, even though it doesn't seem like it. That's if you have enough kids that is!
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Post by fujicolt on Jun 28, 2012 22:33:10 GMT
Mal - of all whom post here you are probably the nearest to me in mileage - I have offered and offered to come along and show you how to deal with many of the problems you raise here - to no avail! At risk of sounding extremely boastful - but I know those out there with experience will agree - in a few short hours I know I could show you, demonstrate to you, help you etc with more 'stuff' than twenty years of you looking for it in written posts or books etc. I have offered as my recorded PM's will show - I have even offered to put you in touch with others if you prefer! You clearly arent getting the info where you are (as previously disucssed so you are either going to have to personally go elsewhere on a ver regular basis - or invite it to your home Dojo - trust me I know cos I was where you are nearly 4 decades ago and the LEARNING JOURNEY never stops BUT never starts until you embark upon it = the WAY! You are surrounded by opportunities - many that I can introduce you to if you'd prefer - but you have to choose your 'courses attended and people trained with' to suit your current needs. LOOK around you!
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Post by scotty on Jun 29, 2012 19:10:42 GMT
Hi Mal, I am in no way an instructor of any kind and as you know, Ive just joined the forum and just started Karate. However, I can tell you that my son went through the same characteristics as the junior that you have mentioned, James Luke whom is my sons Sensai ( jimlukelkc on the forum) sorted this and my son now has more attention, discipline and enjoyment in all his lessons, and he is increasing in his ability every month. On this occasion it was due to my son constantly partnering up with a particular person (his choice). Once this was recognized they were kept apart for a high percentage of each lesson, then the difference was unbelievable. Obviously there are times when my son being young attends lessons very tired and this can effect his performance, but 99% of the time he is now giving it 100%. Hats of to James as he has not only increased my sons attention & ability in his Karate but has also increased his confidence in everyday life. Thus I would not put yourself down as it will most likely have nothing to do with your teaching.
Scotty
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Post by malk103 on Jun 29, 2012 20:39:25 GMT
Thanks for the comments and ideas. It would be great to have the luxury of time/hire/hall and number of students to hold separate classes, maybe in the future...
Steve - we will have to have another go at synchronising calendars! I have spoken to a lot of the members and they would be interested in having a guest instructor.
Scotty - thanks for your info, I will try a mix up this week, i've got a few other things to try as my Sensei is now back from holiday!
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Post by malk103 on Jul 3, 2012 19:13:27 GMT
Last night we ended up being double booked with our hall so ended up on the field - luckily it wasn't raining!
Most of the boys were in the event in the hall so the rest of the class - including the young girl - so we had some quality time to go through things. She also wasn't tired so we managed to ensure she was still up to standard and must have done Kata Kihon a dozen times! She went away much more positive and confident which was good.
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Post by Jo Alexander on Jul 11, 2013 19:10:47 GMT
what you also have to remember this is the end of a very long year for her, as a qualified nursery nurse and lecturer i can say this. If she is ten she would have had her sats exams this year, and getting ready to move school . if year below more homework will be involved. we have a mixed class of 40 juniors up to brown belt and lower grade adults who are mostly parents of family.they train in separate parts of the hall but they can see a reassuring face. is she being bullied at school is this why she joined karate? is she more of a girly girl ? you need to reach their level if you can as we are much taller and scarier to them even when we try not to be . they all know what a black belt means and how we get there . this is intimidating to some.have you spoken to the parent
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