Private sessions seem like an efficient way to begin learning an art. My new instructor offers private sessions at a reasonable rate. Have any of you experienced learning one-to-one as a beginner? Or are you an instructor who teaches one-one... if so, what are the pluses and minuses?
Private sessions?
- Thread starter Dragonfly
- Start date
skribs161 182
Grandmaster
In my opinion, they're only really worth it if you have specific things you're struggling on. One of those could be anxiety with joining. But in general, it's much better to be a part of a class. In class...
The reasons I would go with a private lesson as a beginner:
- You can learn from corrections others receive. So it's not all about fixing your mistakes, but learning together as a class.
- You can see what other people in the room are capable of. It's easy to get self-conscious when you first start and you're not as good as the black belt instructor with 20 years experience. But if you're as good as all the other white belts, it gives you a better idea of what's going on.
- You get to work with people of different skill levels and body types, which gives you a better understanding of the art.
- Safety in numbers; less likely to be taken advantage of in a group class than a private lesson. Especially when you're starting out and building that trust with people.
The reasons I would go with a private lesson as a beginner:
- Extreme anxiety about starting something new, either social anxiety or performance anxiety of being part of a larger group.
- The schedule doesn't really work for you right now (i.e. you're in a college class during the time of the beginner's class, but in a few weeks your schedule will free up). You could also just wait a few weeks to start.
- You have a ton of money and time available because your husband is an NFL quarterback.
- It's outside the normal curriculum
- It's not the "move-of-the-week" this week
- It's something you're struggling with and regular class time isn't enough
- Moderator
- #3
Personal opinion - most of the time if the question is "Should I do a private lesson or not?" in a vaccuum, the answer is yes. The biggest question is, is it worth it compared to the money that it costs? And is it taking away from regular classes?
It's ultimately beneficial since any questions you have can be asked and answered more thoroughly, and get direct feedback on your technique. Also just time training with someone who knows exactly what's going on. But that feedback isn't necessarily needed at the very beginning (when everyone is learning the same punches/kicks/etc., and ultimately you're not expected to have great form), and if you replace regular classes with them, you're losing out on the opportunity to train with others at/close to your skill level.
As you get more and more advanced, you'll have more questions or things that you'd like to work on, and that's when they have the most use. You know what you want, but not necessarily how to get it, and you can get individual instruction.
Then at some point, you can figure out how to get to your want, and it'll be as beneficial for you to just train at home what you need and self-correct. Then have any larger corrections happen in class. And private instructions are useful if there's a specific thing you need assistance with. An example is that I was struggling with a complex series of drills that take 20-30 minutes just to practice them all once, and they were more advanced than anyone else at my dojo were ready to learn. So I scheduled a private after class to have them reviewed with me, since otherwise we just wouldn't have the time to answer all my questions about it without detracting from everyone else in class.
It's ultimately beneficial since any questions you have can be asked and answered more thoroughly, and get direct feedback on your technique. Also just time training with someone who knows exactly what's going on. But that feedback isn't necessarily needed at the very beginning (when everyone is learning the same punches/kicks/etc., and ultimately you're not expected to have great form), and if you replace regular classes with them, you're losing out on the opportunity to train with others at/close to your skill level.
As you get more and more advanced, you'll have more questions or things that you'd like to work on, and that's when they have the most use. You know what you want, but not necessarily how to get it, and you can get individual instruction.
Then at some point, you can figure out how to get to your want, and it'll be as beneficial for you to just train at home what you need and self-correct. Then have any larger corrections happen in class. And private instructions are useful if there's a specific thing you need assistance with. An example is that I was struggling with a complex series of drills that take 20-30 minutes just to practice them all once, and they were more advanced than anyone else at my dojo were ready to learn. So I scheduled a private after class to have them reviewed with me, since otherwise we just wouldn't have the time to answer all my questions about it without detracting from everyone else in class.
When you’re a beginner, you have a mountain of new information and a deep pit of practise you need to fill. A private lesson is like a person shoveling, spade by spade, earth and rocks from the mountain into the pit of practise. As a beginner, those spade loads of earth do very little but as an advanced student with mountain very eroded and the pit almost full, they make a huge difference.
Remember, mountain of knowledge and pit of practise…
Remember, mountain of knowledge and pit of practise…
I learned my Balintawak 100% from Private Lessons.
Go in empty of preconceived notions and move like they want you to move.
The early lessons are by rote many times. Like 1 + 1 = 2. we all know it.
We were even shown one of the proofs for it as part of our learning.
Yet most cannot produce the proof. They understood after the rote lessons and they could then see how it worked.
Always come to class prepared to ask a question from your own work at home or from class or form working with others. Not a challenge question.
Like I did this and they move here and I didn't know what to do. So I got hit or kicked or had to move out of the way. What would have been a better optional move for me.
If you do not get along with the instructor one will find it hard to learn.
Mileage will vary per person and instructor and teaching methodology.
Go in empty of preconceived notions and move like they want you to move.
The early lessons are by rote many times. Like 1 + 1 = 2. we all know it.
We were even shown one of the proofs for it as part of our learning.
Yet most cannot produce the proof. They understood after the rote lessons and they could then see how it worked.
Always come to class prepared to ask a question from your own work at home or from class or form working with others. Not a challenge question.
Like I did this and they move here and I didn't know what to do. So I got hit or kicked or had to move out of the way. What would have been a better optional move for me.
If you do not get along with the instructor one will find it hard to learn.
Mileage will vary per person and instructor and teaching methodology.
A 75 year old teacher teaches a young guy "overhead throw" one-to-one. In order for the young student to learn this throw correctly, the 75 year old teacher has to let his young student to throw him over head 100 times.
How much do you think the young student needs to pay to the 75 year old teacher for this one-to-one 2 hours lesson?
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- Thread starter
- #8
Money is no barrier. Your experience is encouraging. My first sessions are booked and paid for. Thanks for your advice.
Appledog68 40
Brown Belt
What if the teacher is famous and does not need money?
What can you offer if nothing you can offer has any value?
In the weight training world, you sometimes hear the aphorism, ‘The body is built in the kitchen, not in the gym’ meaning optimal nutrition is what builds bigger, stronger muscles.
In the combat sports, you could modify this and say, ‘Effective, strong technique is built during personal practise and not while being instructed.’
Make sure you practise what you are taught for an hour everyday, preferably at 4am…with incense burning after an hour’s meditation.
thanks for this because I was thinking a lot about getting a private one but price for me is so big that I am thinking that those private ones will destroy my wallet)
There are so many resources (youtube) out there that will expand your learning but of course you will need a teacher to tune your learning from time to time. I hope you’re exploiting those too.
When my daughters were 10-12 I took them to Mt Snow Vermont
with the plan that they would have ski lessons. The school had not opened yet for the season but the school director offered to give them a lesson. He was also an Olympic coach. The lesson went on longer than it would have in class and he invested some time
to get them started. The result was beyond expectation.
If you are not in shape for the task probably a student tutor is a better idea. He can give you the conditioning expected and you can do it so a private lesson isn't a waste of time.
When I attended class with Prof Wang I followed this route with Pat Good and it helped
a lot.
I had private weekly lessons with Jwing Ming Yang for specific Chin Na.
Very good and worth while however his method was to show the conditioning -
the technique - and real time practice. The stipulation was that next class I had
to -
be conditioned
know the technique
apply the technique
or no new material.
with the plan that they would have ski lessons. The school had not opened yet for the season but the school director offered to give them a lesson. He was also an Olympic coach. The lesson went on longer than it would have in class and he invested some time
to get them started. The result was beyond expectation.
If you are not in shape for the task probably a student tutor is a better idea. He can give you the conditioning expected and you can do it so a private lesson isn't a waste of time.
When I attended class with Prof Wang I followed this route with Pat Good and it helped
a lot.
I had private weekly lessons with Jwing Ming Yang for specific Chin Na.
Very good and worth while however his method was to show the conditioning -
the technique - and real time practice. The stipulation was that next class I had
to -
be conditioned
know the technique
apply the technique
or no new material.
Skiing is much easier than martial arts, though, don’t you think? I learned to ski with confidence in a week but martial arts took me much longer to be barely competent.
I think conditioning should occur outside martial arts instruction. Do press ups, squats and sit ups in your own time…probably even stretching too…and in your private classes do martial arts to maximise your time.
Gyakuto -
Skiing is much easier than martial arts, though, don’t you think? I learned to ski with confidence in a week but martial arts took me much longer to be barely competent.
yes
I was trying to make the point that one-on-one can produce
a confident start. Better start with the best example than a bunch of bumblers.
And as an instructor I have to ask - in a week of lessons? = 7 or just in a week
of trial and error? Because rule of thumb is generally 3 lessons to get you started
linking turns and skiing safely. A week with the best MA master would be a lot of material.
I think conditioning should occur outside martial arts instruction. Do press ups, squats and sit ups in your own time…probably even stretching too…and in your private classes do martial arts to maximize your time.
agree
Again I was hoping that the key word would be should as many group classes, say of an hour, consist of 30 minutes exercises/gigong/stretching. Much like hiring a personal
trainer and then the trainer puts you on the treadmill for 15-20 minutes. I constantly
ask - why don't you just walk to class? Or even - in my gym it's a long stair to get to
the second floor and as I step 2 steps at a time I say - look this is a free exercise you can do.
Skiing is much easier than martial arts, though, don’t you think? I learned to ski with confidence in a week but martial arts took me much longer to be barely competent.
yes
I was trying to make the point that one-on-one can produce
a confident start. Better start with the best example than a bunch of bumblers.
And as an instructor I have to ask - in a week of lessons? = 7 or just in a week
of trial and error? Because rule of thumb is generally 3 lessons to get you started
linking turns and skiing safely. A week with the best MA master would be a lot of material.
I think conditioning should occur outside martial arts instruction. Do press ups, squats and sit ups in your own time…probably even stretching too…and in your private classes do martial arts to maximize your time.
agree
Again I was hoping that the key word would be should as many group classes, say of an hour, consist of 30 minutes exercises/gigong/stretching. Much like hiring a personal
trainer and then the trainer puts you on the treadmill for 15-20 minutes. I constantly
ask - why don't you just walk to class? Or even - in my gym it's a long stair to get to
the second floor and as I step 2 steps at a time I say - look this is a free exercise you can do.
I remember, in my Karate classes, doing endless press ups on our knuckles and sit ups with someone holding our legs down, but our classes were 2.5hrs long and I think our teacher, at times ran out of inspiration!
I’ve heard that an Iai 8th Dan chastised his students for warming up in the dojo before a class saying that a samurai wouldn’t have the opportunity to warm up before engaging in combat so they should practice in the same way.
I’ve heard that an Iai 8th Dan chastised his students for warming up in the dojo before a class saying that a samurai wouldn’t have the opportunity to warm up before engaging in combat so they should practice in the same way.
- Moderator
- #17
Most definitely!
- Moderator
- #18
Like a lot of things, it depends. On your level of experience and who’s teaching you what.
It’s probably a waste of money for a beginner, just go to class as much as you can.
I used to do privates for my students free of charge. (Yeah, I’m not a good businessman) I used to do privates at my instructor’s dojo in L.A. for a hundred bucks an hour. But I did them both places in the same way. I would only do one a day because as long as they would stay I’d just keep going. I think three hours and change was the longest anyone stayed. (They probably had a life.)
I was going to be there all day and night anyway, so I didn’t care.
That probably doesn’t make sense, but an hour really isn’t long enough in my opinion.
It’s probably a waste of money for a beginner, just go to class as much as you can.
I used to do privates for my students free of charge. (Yeah, I’m not a good businessman) I used to do privates at my instructor’s dojo in L.A. for a hundred bucks an hour. But I did them both places in the same way. I would only do one a day because as long as they would stay I’d just keep going. I think three hours and change was the longest anyone stayed. (They probably had a life.)
I was going to be there all day and night anyway, so I didn’t care.
That probably doesn’t make sense, but an hour really isn’t long enough in my opinion.
What you do with your privates is up to you, as long as it’s legal!
Prince_Alarming99 35
Senior Master
I remember doing private sessions with an MMA guy once, and he turned my kick in a single session from a relatively puny one into something that knocked the pad holder over (a malicious habit, but I digress). So it's worth it if you have something specific in mind. You'd be amazed how welcoming martial arts clubs can be, and that's part of the fun. An important part of the experience. It's an experience I have only ever had elsewhere in church. We had one guy who joined up to help deal with his social anxiety, and he's now a black belt.
