my muay thai sensei :)

[donnaTKD]

my Muay Thai sensei is an amazing guy that i trust implicitly but sometimes i have to question what he's doing - take tonight for example (i got back about 1/2 hour ago) i've never seen him in a bad mood before he's normally quiet and reserved and put up with me :boing1: for 11/2hours at a time lol but tonight something had him rattled and we all paid the price near damn literally he took everything out on all of us - the pre-instruction workout was horendous even for a fit girlie like me - and then he set to sparring with all of us and showing exactly why we're not at his level and he caused more than a few injuries and damaged pride.

just never seen him that hacked off before.........totally shocked by it - but at least it should be quieter on wednesday............

just had a thought that maybe his wife wouldn't let him have any.............

 

[Dirty Dog]

While we're all human and we all have bad days, that sort of behavior in an instructor, especially to the point of causing injuries, is reprehensible, and might well be sufficient reason to go find another instructor. Damaging pride is one thing. I've damaged the pride of more than a few. And I've had my own damaged when it was needed. But I've never injured a student, nor been injured. That is completely unacceptable.

If he isn't in a state to teach properly (and that includes SAFELY) then he needs to turn the class over to someone else, or (if that is not possible for some reason) cancel the class.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

...and then he set to sparring with all of us and showing exactly why we're not at his level and he caused more than a few injuries ...

Whoa. This is not cool and not acceptable. Accidents happen and injuries can occur, but for an instructor to cause multiple injuries in the course of a single night's sparring is way over the line. If I saw that happen I would not be returning to that school. There are plenty of good Muay Thai instructors out there who know how to train and instruct safely.

(Side note - you refer to your instructor as "sensei" and in your intro thread you state that you are a 1st dan in muay thai and your instructor is a 4th dan. Are you aware that Muay Thai does not have dan grades and that Japanese terminology like "sensei" is not normally used in Muay Thai?)

 

[donnaTKD]

i don't know what happened - i've know him for 20years - he was the guy that got me into muay thai and kept on the straight and narrow, he was the one that always championed what i was doing and stuff so i'm not going anywhere - it's the first time i ever seen him like it.

maybe he should've ducked the class but am not so sure --- there isn't really anyone that he turn to - i can't teach cos i've got a record but even i was struggling - he didn't break bones but it was like he was trying to.........

i'm going to have a few choice words with him tomorrow --- my next session is on wednesday - something must have happened just don't know what can understand your sentiment but there are no other MT dojo's near me those that were here are now just teaching TKD or Judo cos they're "popular" and anything else is too specialised

so not fair

donna

 

[donnaTKD]

the school i use has a grading system so that everyone knows the level of everyone else. 1st degree onwards is just what i was brought up with and i've been going for 20years so don't know any different i just work hard and try my best at everything.

sensei is something that i've always called him --- maybe it's wrong maybe not --- i've not studied the culture behind the art just the art itself

sorry if what i've written isn't accurate in that respect

donna

 

[Tony Dismukes]

the school i use has a grading system so that everyone knows the level of everyone else. 1st degree onwards is just what i was brought up with and i've been going for 20years so don't know any different i just work hard and try my best at everything.

sensei is something that i've always called him --- maybe it's wrong maybe not --- i've not studied the culture behind the art just the art itself

sorry if what i've written isn't accurate in that respect

donna

No problem. I suspect the belt system is just something your instructor added. Nothing wrong with it as long as you're happy with the training. It's just good to know that the dan ranking is an in-house thing, otherwise you're likely to get some funny looks from other Muay Thai practitioners when you mention it.

 

[donnaTKD]

for me the ranking thing just makes it easier to focus on something like there's a proper goal at the end of it

i know a few kickboxing clubs that have thier own ranking systems too for the same reasons - i mean if you're going to pay upwards of £120 every month then i guess you deserve to have something tangible for your money as well as the training JMO

i prefer the training to the competition aspect of things cos in our dojo we all try to outdo each other anyways so there's a kind of friendly rivalry going on which helps everyone perform better in my view - just don't know what happened to my sensei s'all

donna

 

[drop bear]

for me the ranking thing just makes it easier to focus on something like there's a proper goal at the end of it

i know a few kickboxing clubs that have thier own ranking systems too for the same reasons - i mean if you're going to pay upwards of £120 every month then i guess you deserve to have something tangible for your money as well as the training JMO

i prefer the training to the competition aspect of things cos in our dojo we all try to outdo each other anyways so there's a kind of friendly rivalry going on which helps everyone perform better in my view - just don't know what happened to my sensei s'all

donna

People have bad days. We have a pact where we just jump the guy as a group if there is a flip out.

Sensei is Japanese Muay Thai is,well.......... Thai.

Don't stress. If you like the belts have the belts.

 

[donnaTKD]

i appreciate the help with the terminology i've called him sensei for 20years and he's never said anything to me about it lol

and the belt system helps more with pairing up sparring partners so that people of a lower skill level don't get put up against someone with a higher skill level plus the belt helps to hold my shorts up

donna

 

[seasoned]

i appreciate the help with the terminology i've called him sensei for 20years and he's never said anything to me about it lol

and the belt system helps more with pairing up sparring partners so that people of a lower skill level don't get put up against someone with a higher skill level plus the belt helps to hold my shorts up

donna

Good reasoning on your Sensei's part, plus you're funny....

 

[donnaTKD]

belts aren't just about being of a higher grade to other people --- to me they are more like fashion accessories that you can accessorise your training kit to

i wear a black belt with a black headband (i got longish hair) and a set of black ankle protectors and black gloves to go with my red shorts and red rash vest

colour co-ordination is not just for going to stores lol it also makes me look smart well for me anyways

donna

 

[oftheherd1]

i don't know what happened - i've know him for 20years - he was the guy that got me into muay thai and kept on the straight and narrow, he was the one that always championed what i was doing and stuff so i'm not going anywhere - it's the first time i ever seen him like it.

maybe he should've ducked the class but am not so sure --- there isn't really anyone that he turn to - i can't teach cos i've got a record but even i was struggling - he didn't break bones but it was like he was trying to.........

i'm going to have a few choice words with him tomorrow --- my next session is on wednesday - something must have happened just don't know what can understand your sentiment but there are no other MT dojo's near me those that were here are now just teaching TKD or Judo cos they're "popular" and anything else is too specialised

so not fair

donna

If you have that kind of relationship with him, I think that is exactly what you should do ... respectfully of course. See if he responds well. Depending on the problem, he may not be ready to talk to any student about it. If not, I wouldn't push it at this point, but be watchful. As someone mentioned, we can any of us have a bad day. Hopefully you will never see that again. I would hope he has already realized what he has done and get a better grip on himself.

 

[donnaTKD]

i was adopted at birth by people that really should not have been allowed to "keep" kids at all so he saved me somewhat after i left "home" at 14 and did some things that i regret now but hell they happened and then by chance i walked into a free lesson with him --- more to do with me looking for something to do lol and i've been there ever since.

i've known him for 20years - he's the one person that managed to curb my destructive ways by giving me more help than was prolly necessary and he takes an active interest in everything that i've ever done. he takes time out to listen to me and correct me verbally or suggest things that i can do to make the situation better sometimes --- likewise i've spouted off at him more than a few times and had choice words with him too --- we're more like best friends than anything else cos what he says goes no questions - might seem like a bad idea but it's worked for too long and he's been proven right often enough and i trust him totally.

to me my muay thai sensei is more like the "dad" i never had - it wasn't planned like this it's just how things have evolved over the years --- i see it as normal.

i found out that his wife is back in hospital again - she's been in and out for years so i can fully understand what got to him - just thought that it must be very hard on him and that he deserves a bit of good fortune.

donna

 

[donald1]

sounds like quite a story to tell, and when you choose those words you want to tell him be sure to choose carefully, and maybe decide your options carefully too

best of luck

 

[Grenadier]

we all paid the price near damn literally he took everything out on all of us - the pre-instruction workout was horendous even for a fit girlie like me - and then he set to sparring with all of us and showing exactly why we're not at his level and he caused more than a few injuries and damaged pride.

The workout part isn't out of the reasonable bounds, as long as people weren't collapsing from dehydration, etc.

The sparring part raises more than just a few eyebrows. It's one thing to give your students a solid thump once in a while for various reasons, such as keeping them alert, aware, and accustomed to what could happen. That will occur at almost any dojo that does anything beyond non-contact sparring.

It's another thing, though, to actually cause injuries to the students. I understand that accidents can, and do, happen during sparring sessions. We are only human, after all, and errors will occur. However, for multiple injuries to occur to a group of people? This demonstrates lack of control on the instructor's part, or sheer malice. The former can be forgiven if he makes good on a promise to get things together better. The latter cannot be forgiven.

By all means, speak with him. However, don't be afraid to walk away from it, if this happens again.

 

[donnaTKD]

he'll tell me in his own time --- usually does normally when i'm knocking seven shades out of bag.

i try not to get too involved in it --- it's upto him to talk and he does he just has his ways of doing things --- it was just so out of character for him but i also think that he was happier in general after he let loose on me today, i sat down on the mat with him and "had it out" again.

think of it like playing agony aunt to your parents and maybe you get the jist of how we roll

donna

 

[jks9199]

My concern is that he had a bad day -- and took it out on his students, injuring them. Perhaps we're misunderstanding, and the "injuries" were more in the nature of getting hit harder and some minor bruises, which is more tolerable than if we're talking cuts, broken ribs, black eyes... But even that's a problem, because students place their trust in teachers. Generally, if it comes down to it -- a teacher should be able to handle students pretty much until the students are on a level of being an instructor themselves. They may have to resort to seriously hurting them -- but they should be able to do it. So the student trusts the teacher not to use them as a personal punching bag...

He owes you and your classmates an apology and a brief explanation. "Hey, last week, I was having a crappy day. I let my personal stuff get the better of me, and you bore the brunt of it..." or the like. He doesn't have to say why (too many bills, broke up with romantic partner, flat tire... doesn't matter, it's his business) in detail -- but acknowledge it.

 

[wimwag]

I had a TKD instructor who was often cruel. I doubt it was intentional, his son always told me to drop it and that it was because of being tortured by Japanese army officers as a child. He was very honest though. Any fighting at school and you were punished. I respected him like he was my own father, but twice he fractured my arm. I kept going because I loved the old guy and I'm a martial arts junkie. But there is a back story...I lived in a very bad neighborhood and used to stop in front of his dojahng on the way home from school. I never had enough money to join so I imitated what I saw through the big plate glass window. One day, he came out and corrected me then went back in and continued teaching the class. About a month later he came out with a broom and mop and said "I teach, you clean. Good trade." So I cleaned every day after school and in exchange I got two classes, fees waived and eventually made dan 8 years later. I was still a product of my environment, but I think he saved my life. In the end, I made some extremely bad choices which involved a visit from police and the next class he ripped his back insignia from my dobok in front of everyone and told me never to come back. It was a huge turning point in my life.

Nowadays would I put up with the abuse? No way. But I do very much appreciate what he did for me.

 

[donnaTKD]

my sensei has "invested" a lot in me over the years and i've repaid him by learning and keeping out of trouble and stuff. i wouldn't leave believe me life before i found him was just a wreck.

and i know that in time he'll make it up to everyone

donna

 

[Chris Parker]

Hmm… is this your school? Warrington Kickboxing Studio

Is this where you do TKD as well?