Quality of your school

[strikeris]

Browsing through the various topics one thing that most people seem to agree on is that the quality of your instruction is as equally as important as your commitment to the art. That being said many,many schools seem to be more dedicated to the almighty dollar then the continuation of Kenpo as a Martial Science.So how do I, as a student, make the distinction between good instruction and superior instruction. What should I be looking for so that if push comes to shove I have the proper tools to get the job done.

 

[Thesemindz]

Hello. I think the most important aspects of your training at the beginning is whether or not you have an instructor who challenges you without pushing you and that you're not getting hurt. Almost anyone, phony or not, can teach enough basic martial arts to get you started. Even if you go to a bad instructor, as long as he's not hurting you you'll be okay. At first, its all about learning how to do basic movements. Eventually those get easier from repetition and you can move on your own.

Then look for an instructor who has answers, but also has questions. After a while, you will begin to understand enough about motion and its analyzation that you will be able to answer your own questions.

Finally see if your instructor is continuing to learn. Will he always have something to teach or will he run out someday? Even if he will, has he yet? If there's still something there to learn, it might be worth staying to learn it.

How you train and how you're trained are equally important. Ultimately however, you're only ever as good as you are right now, and that can't ever change.

-Rob

 

[MA-Caver]

I would think that if the senior instructor at the school in question is a (low) ranking black belt and has browns and blues beneath him as assistant instructors then that's a pretty good indication of the quality of the school. Also as Thesemindz stated the instructor is continuing to learn and is seeking advancement to his next dan or belt level (depending upon the art).

Even if the instructor is one of a high ranking dan - black belt and is continually learning and growing and desires the same for his students then you got a good school.

Always take the time to interview your instructor, they should find time in their busy schedules to make an appt. see you, and also query him on what happens if you miss a payment, but are able to make it up the next time. Some will allow it maybe once because you've shown a sincere interest in learning the science/art of what they're teaching. If they have a "no pay no train" policy then chances are it's a McDojo...but this isn't necessarily true.
Watch a class (if permitted) and see how the instructor does his job.

Finally there is no law/rule/policy saying you cannot talk to the students (before/after) in the class about their instructor's quality. I'm in an area where theres MA schools of all types by the dozens. It is tough to make an informed choice ... BUT it'll be as worth it as much as you are serious about it.

:asian:

 

[MJS]

Originally posted by strikeris
Browsing through the various topics one thing that most people seem to agree on is that the quality of your instruction is as equally as important as your commitment to the art. That being said many,many schools seem to be more dedicated to the almighty dollar then the continuation of Kenpo as a Martial Science.So how do I, as a student, make the distinction between good instruction and superior instruction. What should I be looking for so that if push comes to shove I have the proper tools to get the job done.

You bring up alot of good points. Yes, for someone to walk into a school with no MA background going to know if the Inst. is real or fake? I have in past threads, metioned doing your homework. Using the internet, watching a class, talking to the Inst. and the students, etc. Granted, there are pros out there that will be able to fool many people. Most schools offer a free trial lesson. Take advantage of this! Also, watch a few classes. Nothing says that you can't go and watch a white belt class and then an inter./ adv. class.

Another big thing and probably the most important, is what do YOU want to get out of the arts? Are you looking for something to do after work or are you looking for SD? If the school is geared more towards point sparring, forms, etc. then you should probably look elsewhere. Now, before I get balsted for the forms comment, let me explain. Will you be able to defend yourself taking an art that has forms? Yes, of course. But compare 2 arts. TKD and JKD. In TKD, they focus alot of sparring, high kicks, and personally, the TKD classes that I have seen, are teaching some very poor fighting skills. JKD offers training in all the ranges of combat, and IMO is geared more towards learning to fight. Not saying that you have to train for the next UFC, but you'll get better Inst. IMO.

Mike

 

[Michael Billings]

... then TKD is probably where you want to go.

This is a weird comment coming from me, a Kenpoist on a Kenpo forum. But as MJS said:

Orig posted by MJS:

... what do YOU want to get out of the arts?

Not all of us want SD (Self-Defense) or competition grappling, or learning to roll on the ground tied up with a single opponent.

I am not sure it matters where you start to the novice, I think you learn basics that stand you in good stead wherever you train. Often as we progess through the belts or even other arts, these basics stand us in good stead, modifying some with time and experience. What I am trying to say here is that if you are in a Kenpo wasteland, like some of us starting off, you take what is there, be it TKD, Shotokan, Judo at the YMCA (my particular route before finding Kenpo in 1979), but when you find what you love, you will stick with it. Maybe you will visit other arts to add to your repetoire, maybe not.

It goes back to the old saying that "there are no bad Arts, but there are bad instructors." You can learn something from every art, even if it is how NOT to do something. There is always something positive to be learned, but you have to "Empty your cup" and be open to experiencing and learning new things, not how to be critical of every other thing.

Just my perspective ... everybody has their own.

-Michael

 

[youngbraveheart]

Browsing through the various topics one thing that most people seem to agree on is that the quality of your instruction is as equally as important as your commitment to the art. That being said many,many schools seem to be more dedicated to the almighty dollar then the continuation of Kenpo as a Martial Science.So how do I, as a student, make the distinction between good instruction and superior instruction. What should I be looking for so that if push comes to shove I have the proper tools to get the job done.

Tough questions.

I am so fortunate to have found my teacher simply by searching on the internet and saw that the training was in the same town I live in. (This was a big plus.) I was even luckier to have been accepted as a student after speaking with my teacher, although he did test my diligence and patience. I had no idea what the Chow/Chun Sr. Method was all about, nor did I know anything about my teacher. I only had read about Ed Parker Sr., Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, etc. in Blackbelt Magazine in my teens.

I discovered shortly after I started that Chun, Sr. was a genius with modifying our blocks and strikes, which made them very effective. I delighted that we did not have set techniques and names that I had to memorize and do over and over. I've learned quickly to appreciate who my teacher is and who his teachers were, which means we have a short family tree. It also makes a big difference to me that my teacher does not live and breathe martial arts - that there are more important things in life.

So many pluses...Pinch me. How did I get so lucky? My teacher calls it "FATE."