Really weird attitudes towards a newbie.

[louise 1]

Hi everyone :wavey:

This is my very first post. I just want to share something that happened to me at a martial art club recently to see if any one else has had a similar experience.

I've been keen to learn this particular art for ages but only recently have moved into an area that has a club. So I was really looking forwards to my first lesson. Unfortunately when I got there the instructor was pretty unwelcoming and made a point of saying to the class that he wasn't intending to slow down any of his teaching for anyone who couldn't keep up. (I was the only newbie there so it didn't seem too much of a stretch to feel that he was aiming that at me) :uhohh:

I decided to give it another go though and went to following week only to find that this time the unfriendliness came from some of the other students instead. I've actually been put right off going to another session purely because of this attitude.

I'm a total beginner and was finding the lessons quite hard to keep up with as i've not done anything like this before. I was trying my best though and don't generally have any problems with getting on with people. So i'm a bit confused as to what that was all about.

Anyone else had something like this happen to them when when trying out a new martial art?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I have not; and I'm sorry that you are. My dojo is extremely welcoming, and people work at their own pace. I wish I could offer you advice; if it were me I guess I would consider talking to the instructor about it and if that doesn't produce results; going elsewhere. Life's too short for stuff like that. If I could not find the style I wanted to learn locally, I'd look at another style; but perhaps that's just me.

And welcome to MT. We like newbies here. Make yourself at home, and good luck on your martial arts journey.

 

[louise 1]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

 

[Sukerkin]

Aye that is a most atypical attitude to find in any martial arts school. If it flows from the head of the school then there is not much to do except adopt the point of view that it is your money they are losing and go to a school where the style might not be your first choice but the atmosphere is more welcoming.

What is the art by the way?

 

[Tez3]

We love having new people join us and most places I know do as well, so frankly I don't think you should go back, go find a place that is welcoming and will help you. You wil llearn very little in such a hostile atmosphere and I'd worry you'd be hurt. 'Shop' around until you find a place you like, with sympathetic, competent instructors and friendly students, that matters far more than the style as you will learn far more in a good club/school/gym.
Welcome to MT, and please let us know how you get on.

 

[seasoned]

Greetings and welcome to MT. Many awesome people here, and I think you will fit in very nicely.

 

[jks9199]

Sometimes, a class has clicked and trained together for a long time, and just isn't comfortable dealing with a new student popping in. My teacher "closed" my class for about a year once, because he decided to focus on training us with some advanced material and new students would have been problems. It took us many years to earn the trust for those lessons... and we don't share that material lightly.

In another situation -- if you try to join a very traditional dojo, you may well almost be discouraged. It's not that they don't want new blood; they simply don't care. They don't solicit students. They do look for people to join the family and preserve the tradition. Unless they decide you meet that description -- they don't want you there. I can't find the article right now -- but Dave Lowry wrote an often-referenced piece about it.

And, sometimes, you just have a club or class built around a particular sort of interest that doesn't welcome outsiders. I might be training with a bunch of cops; we don't care who comes, but we're going to be training for real situations. And a lot of people just aren't ready or willing to do that sort of training.

In the end -- if they're not making you welcome, and you don't like being there... don't go. You might ask the teacher if perhaps there's a beginner's session around that you could join.

 

[Zealot]

Sometimes its just an ego thing also. You must forgive the instructor for his failings, we are all fallible. That being said I want to say that as an instructor, it is our job to lead people into the art itself. If he was not willing to slow down his training schedule, you might want to find a different instructor that teaches at different levels. Good luck in your search and its quite common to feel the odd man out when coming into a new dojo.

 

[Cyriacus]

Heres the thing - If you slow down the Class for ONE Newbie who might not even like it, all the other Students suffer.

You just need to go there a couple of times, and when its clear that you actually want to learn the Art, hell probably put you over with some other Higher Ranks to build you up to a level from which you can actively partake in Class.

Remember that you are one Person, who may not even stay. He is an Instructor with numerous Students.
Be Patient

 

[Zealot]

In the system I study, there is that Senior and Junior relationship. Even if the training doesnt slow down, you have someone there to help you along. Like I said I would look for a lower entry level class, or look to see if one of the senior students is willing to work with you to catch you up. This has the added benefit of creating a relationship with an already established student and getting you into the door in social situations.

 

[Tez3]

If the instructor and students don't want beginners there it should have been made clear before someone tries to join in, it should be discussed with the person who wants to join the class. To allow someone new in then treat them badly so that they leave isn't right.

 

[oftheherd1]

That is unusual. You still haven't said what art you are talking about. As some have said, it is possible you are simply being tested ahead of time to see how much you want to learn. Rather unusual, but possible. I would give it a couple or three weeks. Then it I didn't find the art worth the lack of early acceptance, I would move on.

 

[shesulsa]

Sucks being the FNG.

I'm with everyone else here - ask if there is a beginner's class. If that class is supposed to be for everyone, I'd suggest asking the head instructor once - ONCE - who you are to seek help from, repeat the answer, and try carrying forward. Seek your answers by asking questions and if you continue to feel ostracized ... move on. As Bill said, life's too short.

Good luck!

 

[softstylist]

Without knowing the art or school that you speak of its hard to say why you are being treated like this but as others have stated ther could be some legitmate reason for it but there could be some bad ones too. I would also say though that a experienced instructor should be able to teach on many levels to many differant people almost at the same time using subtle methods of approach but that is another subject altogether. I would follow the advice of the other respondants in this thread as there advice is pretty sound for the new guy.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Hi everyone :wavey:

This is my very first post. I just want to share something that happened to me at a martial art club recently to see if any one else has had a similar experience.

I've been keen to learn this particular art for ages but only recently have moved into an area that has a club. So I was really looking forwards to my first lesson. Unfortunately when I got there the instructor was pretty unwelcoming and made a point of saying to the class that he wasn't intending to slow down any of his teaching for anyone who couldn't keep up. (I was the only newbie there so it didn't seem too much of a stretch to feel that he was aiming that at me) :uhohh:

I decided to give it another go though and went to following week only to find that this time the unfriendliness came from some of the other students instead. I've actually been put right off going to another session purely because of this attitude.

I'm a total beginner and was finding the lessons quite hard to keep up with as i've not done anything like this before. I was trying my best though and don't generally have any problems with getting on with people. So i'm a bit confused as to what that was all about.

Anyone else had something like this happen to them when when trying out a new martial art?

Just off the top of my head, I would say the instructor is teaching up. This means they are expecting you to try as hard as you can, and not expect any special treatment. He has a responsibility to keep the whole class happy and hopes that you will just blend in with out a fuss.
Sean

 

[Jenna]

Unfortunately when I got there the instructor was pretty unwelcoming and made a point of saying to the class that he wasn't intending to slow down any of his teaching for anyone who couldn't keep up. (I was the only newbie there so it didn't seem too much of a stretch to feel that he was aiming that at me) :uhohh:

...Or you may have simply misinterpreted, especially if you had never met the instructor before or know their methods.

I think the instructor comments are not unfair for any teacher. In this case, just because an instructor does not wish to slow down their tempo, we cannot automatically assume they are singling us out. If we cannot keep up, we simply drop out, break for breath and hydration, and rejoin.

You may be picking up intentional bad vibes (which I have to say, I have not encountered on my travels since I visited the Cobra Kai Dojo some decades ago and had my leg swept) or you may just be hyper-sensitive.

I would say one thing, irrespective of your situation here, that in ANY martial art, perseverance is a REQUISITE.

Your options are simple 1. do not return there and find a training place that feels to you more sympathetic and understanding. 2. persevere there until you can be absolutely certain you have not simply misunderstood the instructor, then goto 1. if you have not, or 3. ask the instructor what the deal is and are you being tested just like they do in old Jean Claude Van Damme movies until you either break or become a world-beater, or were they simply going through a bad time of the month.

Only you know what is what here, instructors are people too. And people can be nice, or have bad days, or be complete *******s. Good luck though in settling to a place that is just right for you. Do not be deterred. There are plenty of schools and clubs. One will be fitting for you. And welcome to MT, I hope you let us know what happens, wishes, Jenna x.

 

[seasoned]

Everybody was a newbie at one time. The norm is NOT to treat them bad, but take on the challenge of passing on to them all the benefits of training, while you watch them grow. Martial arts are suppose to build a person up, and tear them down.................

 

[seasoned]

Everybody was a newbie at one time. The norm is NOT to treat them bad, but take on the challenge of passing on to them all the benefits of training, while you watch them grow. Martial arts are suppose to build a person up, and tear them down.................

My intent was to use "not" instead of and "and tear them down".

 

[Cyriacus]

What amuses me is that Two People approved anyway

 

[Touch Of Death]

What amuses me is that Two People approved anyway

I just need more info.
Sean