andyjeffries
Senior Master
Tonight while the adult class was warming themselves up (we're generally all black belts, one long term blue tag) I was helping one child prepare for her grading. One of the senior black belts (I've a higher rank) started getting the others doing some paddle work. I have no problem with that, it got them busy while I was finishing up with the child.
However, the senior black belt was having them do an exercise I disagree with (and have mentioned to him in the past) for the reason that in my/our opinion it causes bad habits that are potentially dangerous habits, so I stopped the group by saying "No, no, no - don't do that one" and he then proceeded to say "no, carry on group, we'll go on to another one in a minute" at which point I was firmer and clarified that the group was to stop and do something else and agreed to discuss it with the senior black belt privately later. The group then went on to another exercise and the senior black belt quietly fumed.
After the lesson I discussed it with the senior black belt and he said that I was absolutely in the wrong to stop him when he was in the middle of "instruction" and I should respect his teaching methods and bring it up with him after class. I said that if I saw someone teaching something that I consider to potentially cause bad habits or be dangerous that I would stop them there and then and then discuss the reasons privately (or publicly if they ask me there and then).
He asked me how I would feel if it happened to me - and I replied quite honestly that I would probably also feel like the rug had been pulled out from under me but a)it has previously happened to me and b)it turned out that the senior grade was quite correct. I would also hope that if I did it again in the future, that a senior grade would immediately correct me.
What are your thoughts? Would you do the same (stop them immediately) or let them continue to the end and tell them at the end of the lesson? Do you feel I acted properly or improperly.
To clarify, at no point did I insult the senior black belt (claiming his methods were useless or any such thing) and just wanted/instructed him to do another exercise.
In case anyone thinks it's relevant (although I'm interested in general answers based on principle rather than on this specific exercise) - the exercise in question was simply doing front kicks with the foot/toes completely pointed, kicking a horizontal paddle. We disagree with this because it often causes people to get used to kicking this way and we have to correct it to toes pulled back for poomsae and when kicking power shields. IMHO, it's a bad habit to get in to as it leads to toe injuries during our fairly regular power work.
As an aside, the senior black belt in question doesn't perform front kicks very hard on power shields because it generally hurts his toes ;-)
However, the senior black belt was having them do an exercise I disagree with (and have mentioned to him in the past) for the reason that in my/our opinion it causes bad habits that are potentially dangerous habits, so I stopped the group by saying "No, no, no - don't do that one" and he then proceeded to say "no, carry on group, we'll go on to another one in a minute" at which point I was firmer and clarified that the group was to stop and do something else and agreed to discuss it with the senior black belt privately later. The group then went on to another exercise and the senior black belt quietly fumed.
After the lesson I discussed it with the senior black belt and he said that I was absolutely in the wrong to stop him when he was in the middle of "instruction" and I should respect his teaching methods and bring it up with him after class. I said that if I saw someone teaching something that I consider to potentially cause bad habits or be dangerous that I would stop them there and then and then discuss the reasons privately (or publicly if they ask me there and then).
He asked me how I would feel if it happened to me - and I replied quite honestly that I would probably also feel like the rug had been pulled out from under me but a)it has previously happened to me and b)it turned out that the senior grade was quite correct. I would also hope that if I did it again in the future, that a senior grade would immediately correct me.
What are your thoughts? Would you do the same (stop them immediately) or let them continue to the end and tell them at the end of the lesson? Do you feel I acted properly or improperly.
To clarify, at no point did I insult the senior black belt (claiming his methods were useless or any such thing) and just wanted/instructed him to do another exercise.
In case anyone thinks it's relevant (although I'm interested in general answers based on principle rather than on this specific exercise) - the exercise in question was simply doing front kicks with the foot/toes completely pointed, kicking a horizontal paddle. We disagree with this because it often causes people to get used to kicking this way and we have to correct it to toes pulled back for poomsae and when kicking power shields. IMHO, it's a bad habit to get in to as it leads to toe injuries during our fairly regular power work.
As an aside, the senior black belt in question doesn't perform front kicks very hard on power shields because it generally hurts his toes ;-)