Big headed

[terryl965]

Do you have any big headed instructors and if so how did you handle them inside the school:

I.E. one's that feel everything they do is perfect, they know it all and there only at your school for such and such reasons?
What do you do to change there views and turn them into a positive contributor in the school.
Terry

 

[rmclain]

Do you have any big headed instructors and if so how did you handle them inside the school:

I.E. one's that feel everything they do is perfect, they know it all and there only at your school for such and such reasons?
What do you do to change there views and turn them into a positive contributor in the school.
Terry

Hi Mr. Stoker,

I've nver had anyone develop this after they were already a student. I usually screen prospective students for this before they are allowed to begin training with me.

To help with a student's education, MA must be taught as a Mudo (physical & mental training) instead of just Musul (technique only). There must be set etiquette in place and philisophical lessons taught within the curriculum. Also, the instructor must "live the path" in their lives and be the example for the students at all times. A student is more likely to follow an instructor's example than the instructor's words, unless the student truely believes and trusts the instructor already.

I had one student start with me around 1996 or 97. He was a cocky guy that studied boxing previously. I allowed him to start and within a month he was my most humble student. I would be across a basketball court from him (we were teaching at a fitness facility at that time) and he would see me, stop and bow. He earned his 1st dan around 2003.

R. McLain

 

[Grenadier]

I've had the misfortune of dealing with one big-headed instructor in my entire time of training, and this has been for over 20 years.

Every one of my instructors were great folks, with excellent abilities, but were also down to earth, and realistic. They also knew how to speak with students in a way that they were going to command respect from the students, yet not beat down on them (verbally).

As for that one proud instructor, that goes all the way back to my college days, when I was taking Tae Kwon Do. It wasn't the chief instructor, though.

The chief instructor was a great guy. Very strong, very disciplined, but at the same time, he knew when to be a jovial character. Those characteristics rubbed off on everyone, for a great reason. He knew how to encourage you, to push you to train with more intensity, while at the same time, making you feel good about your training.

When he had to take a semester off (he had to temporarily move to another state to train police officers), he had one of his instructors (a young fellow, about 19 years old) take over for that semester. There was no doubting this instructor's fighting abilities, since he was also strong, fast, and an excellent fighter. However, this guy had quite an ego, and with the chief instructor not being around to contain that ego, had let his head swell a good bit. Here was a class of 50 students, of various levels of experience and skill, and that he was being entrusted to handle all of the classes on campus.

He would constantly berate the students, calling them incompetent and weak, slow, etc. He would also brag about his many trophies that he won at various tournaments, and would never miss an opportunity to brag about them. At one time, we were sparring, full contact, using the proper gear (chest protector, head gear). I'm not afraid to admit that he was the better fighter at the time, but when he snuck in a full strength punch to my collarbone (where there was no protection), and ended up cracking it, just to "prove a point that my defense was weak," enough was enough.

I took some time off, to recover, and when the chief instructor came back the next semester, he was wondering why I wasn't training. I explained the circumstances, and told him about the questionable methods that this instructor was using, as well as my medical condition.

I came back to visit (still hadn't fully healed, and wasn't about to take a chance), to watch a class that next semester, and was glad to see that the chief instructor was back, and handling the classes again. Not surprisingly, a lot of people who left during the previous semester, had come back.

The questionable instructor was removed from the staff. The sad thing about him, is that he still thought that everything he was doing was right. I met him at a grocery store later down the road, and he said "Come on, your collarbone wasn't broken; you just reacted badly to a bruise! Why did you say it was broken?"

There were three things going through my head at that time, and two of those choices were rather... potentially violent?

 

[bluemtn]

There was a higher ranking student (ast. instructor level) that always had a chip on his shoulder. He acted like he knew everything, and sassed back at the black belts. As a student ranked lower than him, I found it kind of funny and sad at the same time when he had to look at me to help him with forms. BTW- we were only 1 rank apart. There's more to the story, but I'm not going into more detail. I'd help him with whatever was needed, and on his "tetter than thou" syndrome I'd ignore him and keep on.

 

[fightingfat]

I would try and teach 'em a lesson by showing them they're not as all powerful as they think they are, or alternatively, I would leave and find a teacher whose temperament better suited me!