************************************************************************** Judging a dojo by looking at the teaching ************************************************************************** Mon Aug 21 18:30:20 1995 From: Cady Goldfield ----------------------------------------------- RE: Dave Collier's response to a query on finding a style/dojo. A few more tips: When you start up with no prior exposure or experience in martial arts (please rule out what you see on TV and the "silver screen"!), you have nothing to which you can compare what you see when you visit just one school. Visit many, if possible, and note first the etiquette of the students and instructors. Are they courteous and polite to each other? Etiquette is the first step toward proper discipline, and that's what martial arts training is all about. Since you will not have the experience to determine whether the techniques are being done properly, your ability to observe whether the school is run with quiet propriety, dignity and respect is an important benchmark. From: Timothy Muth --------------------------------------------- Unsure who started this thread, but here's my $0.02. As a hard and soft stylist, I get this question often enough to write a book on the subject. Here's the readers digest version. I agree with Cady that respect is important, if you want to train in a supportive environment. But I've seen some very respectful martial artists that really weren't that good, technically. Even if you know nothing, here's some things to keep an eye out for, in looking for a good sensei:: * How good are the senior students in the dojo? Even to your untrained eye, the senior students should look like they know what they're doing. They should seem confident with their techniques, and able to adjust to corrections the sensei makes. I say this, because looking at the *students*, rather than just at the sensei, gives you an idea if the sensei is a good *teacher*. As a teacher, you know that teaching is a very distinct skill, that not everyone automatically possesses. Unfortunately, in the martial arts, most people assume that anyone with a black belt qualifies as a teacher. *Does the sensei (and his/her assistants) do all the actual teaching, or are beginners fostered off on lower belts? The fact is, no matter how well they think they know it, 5th kyu can teach you a technique as well as the sensei can. They can only teach you to their level of understanding, which may include certain mistakes, shortcuts, or personal adaptations. In small dojos, this may be an unfortunate but necessary situation. But IMHO, it's one best avoided. *Does the sensei explain techniques and answer questions well? Again, IMHO, a sensei must be a true teacher, a guide, not simply someone who says "Do what I do, and ask no questions." This is not to say that a sensei has to speak well (I tend to stutter under pressure, and ramble on and on at other times, so I generally would rather explain by demonstrating). The martial arts, aikido in particular, contain many concepts, motions, and philosophies that are not always easily explained or understood. A good sensei must therefore be a patient teacher, who knows more than one way of reaching a student and helping them to find the answer to their question. 2. METHODS OF TEACHING From: Jeff Frane --------------------------------------- Jayson Chung wrote: >This is a good topic we haven't much discussed. Does anyone have any >information about the roots of this meandering instead of sequential kind of >practice? Did O'Sensei teach this way? Did he say or write anything about >this? > I think that teaching varies a lot from sensei to sensei, and there are some who are more "sequential" than others. Or, at any rate, more systematized. Some of this is because of what they have been taught (or how) themselves, some of it a matter of personality. Part of it, of course, has to do with teaching a lot of people a lot of material, when they have started at different times and have different learning curves. Sometimes the structure is difficult to see because of the student's perspective. In our dojo, it's usually fairly obvious because of the strong emphasis on basics. From: Michael Martin --------------------------------------------- I agree with Jeff; the degree of sequencing in instruction varies from sensei to sensei. Some seem to teach whatever comes to mind, others try to generate a "theme" for a class. The best (IMHO) not only have a theme for a specific class, but for an entire series of classes. My first sensei kept a book in which was recorded the techniques that were taught in every class in the dojo. It was the responsibility of the sempai on the mat to record the names of the techniques in the book at the end of class. I know from observations that the sensei regularly referred to that book, too. From: Cady Goldfield ----------------------------------------------->> Yeah, come to think of it, my sensei keeps a similar book. He says that way he can make sure that all different kyu levels are covering what they're supposed to know at least once a month. We also have a chart that lists the waza we need to learn, so that if it doesn't get included in a class, we can ask for it, or ask a sempai to show us. And of course, students are expected to work together before, after and between classes to practice all their required techniques. This brings me to the thought that, when you get down to it, a class --- which is usually a one- to two-hour session, is not intended to be the time in which we perfect a technique; it's the time in which mistakes are corrected and new ideas are introduced. I find I get the most accomplished when I'm practicing with my partners during an open workout time, when we have the leisure to take a technique or two and work on them until we're comfortable with 'em.