taking control of your own training

[Flying Crane]

How many of you train on your own or with your own group of friends, outside your school and without a teacher present? How many of you only train when you are at your school? If you are a teacher, do you encourage your students to do this?

I have always felt that training outside the school is very important. This is when you find out if the lessons have sunk in and you have really learned something, or if you have just been mimicking the instructor and not really learned anything.

When one is a beginner, it is more important to be in the school because a beginner knows nothing and needs guidance in everything. But I feel that as one progresses, it becomes more important to spend time outside the school practicing on your own or with fellow students, but without an instructor guiding you. In this situation, you are forced to rely on your understanding of what you have learned, use your own creativity to practice the material, and really make the art your own.

Of course it remains important to go to the school regularly for further instruction and corrections, but I think the need to be in the school 3 or 4 or 6 days a week diminishes, and it become more important to practice on your own 3 or 4 times a week, and be in class once or twice, for example.

I have seen schools where classes are offered almost every day, and students are encouraged to be there every day. Even the high ranking students in these schools seem like a fish out of water when the instructor is not around. They are unable to run a good class themselves, because they have not really internalized their training to make the art something that they really own for themselves. They are so used to following instructions for everything they do, that they don't know what to do when there is nobody there to tell them. In essence, they just turn off their brain, follow the instructor, get a good workout, but learn very little because they forgot to turn the brain back on.

Does anyone have any comments or observations about this?

 

[stickarts]

I have trained in the school as well as outside the school and i encourage my students to do both as well.
At more advanced levels, I don't think training only in the normal classes is enough.
I consider my school a base for my staff, and they each can go out, learn other things, and share it with each other so long as it is introduced into the school in a safe and organized manner and is a positive addition to what we do. It should enhance our current training, not distract from it.
This has worked pretty well for us. We have a pretty good retention rate with our staff.

 

[Andrew Green]

How many of you train on your own or with your own group of friends, outside your school and without a teacher present? How many of you only train when you are at your school? If you are a teacher, do you encourage your students to do this?

I do... and did when I was still a student too

I have always felt that training outside the school is very important. This is when you find out if the lessons have sunk in and you have really learned something, or if you have just been mimicking the instructor and not really learned anything.

Not just that, you need to learn for yourself too. Instructors point you in the right direction, but the problem solving and thinking things through are what really get you to improve.

When one is a beginner, it is more important to be in the school because a beginner knows nothing and needs guidance in everything.

To some extent, but making mistakes are part of the learning process, beginers need to learn how to make them

6 days a week diminishes, and it become more important to practice on

No one needs to be in class 6-days a week, those that think they do need a life

I agree fully, you can't be a good student if you need to be spoon fed everything.

 

[beau_safken]

Can't disagree with the importance of training outside of classes. However, I think that people who are practicing outside of class are generally those that are driven. Its that drive that makes for a person that will be extremely effective as students of the martial arts. I think a lot of the people that came to the majority of classes were there for the socializing and workout..not the art. I guess its one of those, you make what you give things.

 

[Eternal Beginner]

Training outside of structured classes can contribute greatly to your development. If you are fortunate to have the time, getting together with others, working on conditoning, or practicing on your own is a great thing.

There is a group of us from karate who get together to practice and discuss kata outside of class because it gives us the opportunity to work at our own pace and on particularly troublesome areas. Same with BJJ/grappling...when we are outside of the structured classes we can take a technique from that class and really break it down and make it work for us.

Although I have to say that I'm very lucky, I'm semi-retired and have the time to indulge my whims. I can attend classes six days a week and still have plenty of time to train outside of them and still manage to have a life separate from MA to spend with family, friends, charity work and church. I don't know that if I had to work full time or had very small children that I would be able to do the classes as well as train on my own or with other small groups.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

I get together once a week and train with people of various styles. Lot's of experimentation and trying techniques on different people who react differently from the ones we train with in class. Very educational. Also, on sundays, a lot of us from the primary class get together and train away from the school just to get more reps on technique. Great time had by all.

Jeff

 

[Flying Crane]

No one needs to be in class 6-days a week, those that think they do need a life

Yeah, not for most people. I was just pulling numbers out of my **** for the sake of discussion.

Thanks for the comments.