I'm having a problem with the grandfather of one of the children I teach, I'm 1st Dan TSD and 1st Kyu Wado Ryu and have been doing martial arts for probably about 15 years now. I was teaching TSD to the childrens class last night and as usual this grandfather calls me over to point out the various problems he thinks I'm having! The first time it was because his grand daughter was moving the wrong foot, something I was aware of but I wanted to sort her arms out first, I don't believe in giving a child a catalougue of things they are doing wrong! The second time he said that the front stance surely was wrong!
It seems 30 years ago he knew a Shotokan instructor who taught him a lot of 'stuff' (his words) and he was positive that the front stance -what I know as Junzuki, was very wrong. He stated strongly that both feet should be in line with each other more like a Chinese style. When I said no the feet should be a shoulder width apart, he said that they must have changed Shotokan then. It got a bit heated on his part, I keep quiet, something very hard for me to do but I wouldn't argue in front of the children.
Okay I've never done Shotokan but I don't think they have ever changed the front stance? In Wado it was pointed out that we did the same stances as Shotokan but shorter. Never at any point is one foot placed in line behind the other as surely you'd be unbalanced? You don't walk as though you are on a line ( Like the drunk test) you walk with your feet approx a shoulder width apart.
The grand-daughter is mildly brain damaged but is doing wonderfully well so for her sake too I swallow a lot of the criticism and try to explain things to him (we also have a big lack of what he calls 'reinforcement' ie badges!) but with another syle I'm not that familiar with it's a bit hard.
Sorry but it's a bit of a rant too lol! Cheers for listening!
It seems 30 years ago he knew a Shotokan instructor who taught him a lot of 'stuff' (his words) and he was positive that the front stance -what I know as Junzuki, was very wrong. He stated strongly that both feet should be in line with each other more like a Chinese style. When I said no the feet should be a shoulder width apart, he said that they must have changed Shotokan then. It got a bit heated on his part, I keep quiet, something very hard for me to do but I wouldn't argue in front of the children.
Okay I've never done Shotokan but I don't think they have ever changed the front stance? In Wado it was pointed out that we did the same stances as Shotokan but shorter. Never at any point is one foot placed in line behind the other as surely you'd be unbalanced? You don't walk as though you are on a line ( Like the drunk test) you walk with your feet approx a shoulder width apart.
The grand-daughter is mildly brain damaged but is doing wonderfully well so for her sake too I swallow a lot of the criticism and try to explain things to him (we also have a big lack of what he calls 'reinforcement' ie badges!) but with another syle I'm not that familiar with it's a bit hard.
Sorry but it's a bit of a rant too lol! Cheers for listening!