Things That Drive You Crazy In The Dojo

[MJS]

Thought I'd make a thread where we could all vent a bit about some of the things that happen in the dojo, which leave us less than pleased at times.

Some of the things that are pet peeves of mine:

People who don't take the time to really learn the material, but are always wanting to move on to the next thing. How can someone move on, if they don't understand the basics?

People who are more concerned with showing you what they know, rather than focusing on the lesson at the time. I was at a seminar a few months ago. Fortunately for me at one point I was paired up with someone who was constantly trying to show me a 'better way' of doing something. Now, I'm all for a better way, but the problem was, it really wasn't a better way! Rather than focusing on what we were supposed to be doing, this guy seemed more interested in bragging about the other arts he is doing.

People who seem to always want to perform a technique fast, but yet they have no control. I have a wrist injury that was caused due to someone putting on a lock a bit too quick. Speed will come with time, and its certainly not something thats going to happen overnight. This all goes back to getting the basics down first, IMO.

Anyone else have any training issues they'd like to discuss?:ultracool

Mike

 

[Gemini]

People that constantly talk in class. I'm not there to talk, I'm there to train and am not really interested in little anticdotes. People often take this that I'm a snob. Well, I'm really not. we can talk AFTER class all you want, but there's a time and a place for everything and when we're on the mat, I'm all business.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

All of the above. Plus uke's that give you loads of resistance, and then complain when it hurts. One gentleman I work with does that all the time. He's even gone to our instructor to complain about my "roughness" with him. Sensei watched me work with him for about 3 minutes and just said relax and it won't hurt so much. Now resistance is good to train against, but it can end up causing you to experience more pain.

Oh, and I know I"ve mentioned this other places but here it is again:

LISA

Jeff

 

[Grenadier]

Now, now, if I had to list everything, I'd probably exceed the allotted bandwidth...

Anyways, my biggest pet peeves are as follows:

1) Someone comes in, bragging about having "lots of previous experience" and that he insists he's ready to come in and take his black belt exam. Don't get me wrong; I'm grateful when someone with real experience comes in and starts with our organization, and will gladly work with them on an accelerated manner if they want, but when someone comes in with an attitude of superiority (and ignorance), then he is crippling himself.

2) That same person, who boasts of much previous experience, when starting out, refuses to perform the basic techniques the way we are teaching them, during class. I'm NOT opposed to adding new methods to the repetoire, and in all honesty, if someone with good experience wants to discuss it with me outside of class in a respectful manner, I'm all for listening to them, and at least exploring to see if their methods are compatible. However, when someone starts punching with his elbows hanging out, constantly throwing scooping kicks, or doing a half-hearted job of blocking, claiming "that's the way we did that at our old school," then I get a bit peeved.

To me, it would be the same thing as if someone whose sword experience comes solely from watching those b-grade ninja movies, enrolls in a JSA-based school, and tries to twirl around his stainless steel ninja-to, insisting that he's right, while the sensei in the dojo looks quizzically at him...

3) Students who gain some decent proficiency, but then start letting their heads swell. Sometimes, these students will then try to get rough with other students, just to prove their (self-perceived) superiority. Thankfully, this has been extremely, extremely rare in all of my years, and in most cases, a well-placed warning can stop them, but if someone has become unregenerate, then drastic steps must be taken.

There are very few things in the world that hurt more than shredding someone's contract, but when someone doesn't listen and endangers the well-being of his fellow students, I won't be shy about cutting him loose. I haven't had to do this since 1995, and I hope I NEVER have to again.

 

[chinto01]

Things that drive me crazy:

1: People who after two years of being a part of the dojo still wearing their previous dojos T-shirt to work out in.

2: Students who win at a tournament and think they know it all now.

3: Double standards in a dojo.

4: Parents who influence when a student is promoted by their whining to the dojo owner.

5: Students who do not show up for weeks at a time and expect to learn something new without reviewing the previous lessons as a re-fresher.

6: Students who correct an instructor by saying " well sensei so and so showed me this way."

7: People who complain about every little bump and bruise

There are more!

In the spirit of bushido!

Rob

 

[kingkong89]

the main thing that drives me crazy is people who do not have respect and honor to their fellow students. they come in for a few classes and think they are the next bruce lee or yip man.people who come then don't show up for weeks and think they are just as good as the sensie.a small thing that bugs me is the younger belts, once they are out of class and during the day anywhere they are trying to show off there martial arts skill.
whenever someone ask's me to show them martial arts i tell them, to go over to that chair or stump and sit down, when they do i tell them thats martial arts. HA HA HA HA

 

[Kenpojujitsu3]

Thought I'd make a thread where we could all vent a bit about some of the things that happen in the dojo, which leave us less than pleased at times.

Some of the things that are pet peeves of mine:

People who don't take the time to really learn the material, but are always wanting to move on to the next thing. How can someone move on, if they don't understand the basics?

People who are more concerned with showing you what they know, rather than focusing on the lesson at the time. I was at a seminar a few months ago. Fortunately for me at one point I was paired up with someone who was constantly trying to show me a 'better way' of doing something. Now, I'm all for a better way, but the problem was, it really wasn't a better way! Rather than focusing on what we were supposed to be doing, this guy seemed more interested in bragging about the other arts he is doing.

People who seem to always want to perform a technique fast, but yet they have no control. I have a wrist injury that was caused due to someone putting on a lock a bit too quick. Speed will come with time, and its certainly not something thats going to happen overnight. This all goes back to getting the basics down first, IMO.

Anyone else have any training issues they'd like to discuss?:ultracool

Mike

Wow, nail on the head. And pretty much all of the above as well. I'll add parents who live vicariously through their children. I'm all for parents being proud of the children. But when they're on the sidelines barking orders at the kids and acting like martial arts experts when in most cases they haven't taken a single lesson it gets really old really fast.

 

[terryl965]

Mine are easy people who know everything but has yet to take a class.
People always talking in class
people that have no respect for the partners as they work out
My biggest pet peeves is a un qualified person instructing in a class room.
Terry

 

[SFC JeffJ]

parents who live vicariously through their children. I'm all for parents being proud of the children. But when they're on the sidelines barking orders at the kids and acting like martial arts experts when in most cases they haven't taken a single lesson it gets really old really fast.

I never noticed that until my wife opened up her own school. Man, that gets old really quick.

Jeff

 

[IcemanSK]

Mine are easy people who know everything but has yet to take a class.
People always talking in class
people that have no respect for the partners as they work out
My biggest pet peeves is a un qualified person instructing in a class room.
Terry

I second that! It's amazing how ego works, sometimes. People who's only connection to MA is watching movies or they have an uncle, cousin or brother-in-law who trained & they want to tell you their vast knowledge of the subject. As mentioned above also, folks who want to be know-it-alls at other people's seminars! I have 2 friends (one a school owner, the other a student of a different art than the school owner) that went to a seminar together. They both learned the same material. Two weeks later the school owner invited his friend to a seminar at his school, where the school owner taught the SAME material & charged his friend $25!!!!!

Ain't this country great!

 

[Sam]

Double standards at the dojo? What do you mean?

My pet peeve is boys(and I do mean boys...13-19 year old egotistical brats) who hit me too hard because I'm scoring legitimate points.

People pretending you didn't score/not breaking

Bad hygene/rumpled clothes or uniform

to name a few which I havent seen mentioned.

 

[Kacey]

Pretty much all of the above, plus parents who think that the dojang is a babysitting service - especially one who kept bringing in the student's younger brother "to try it out and see if he wants to join now" so they could go shopping for birthday or Christmas presents.

People who've been in class for years who can't be bothered to pay on time (we're on a 7 week cycle at the Y, which is weird, I know, but I send out reminder emails a week or two in advance, and mention it in class too).

People who never practice at home and wonder why ohters test and they don't

I'm sure there's more... but those are the ones that come to mind right away.

 

[matt.m]

I hate when kids get out of hand. I hate it that sometimes I am not the most optimal partner, I try to be but sometimes I fail.

 

[Kenpojujitsu3]

....Bad hygene/rumpled clothes or uniform.....

Man how did I forget that! We had two guys at my old Kenpo school that always smelled terrible BEFORE the workout started. Seemed like they never washed their uniforms. Also we had a guy that had an aversion to cutting his toe nails. Cut my foot open hitting me with a leg check and sliced my arm open when I blocked a kick. Talk about disgusting..... Flashbacks...ugh.....

 

[karatekid1975]

1) My biggest thing is politics .... gggrrr.... I bust my **** in class, get better, technique-wise, and this not-so-good student gets to test instead of me because he's on the black belt board. Or on the accelerated program (I turned that down myself when asked to do it, because I rather learn the material right instead doing "crash-coursing" everything and winging it).

2) Paying too much for the above (when I get Jujitsu for free and it's politic-less).

3) egos

 

[Swordlady]

Dojo politics. 'Nuff said.

 

[Carol]

Uncommitted training partners. I'd rather be partnered with a first-day-on-the-mat rookie white belt putting their heart in to doing something right than an advanced student that can't be bothered with doing something right.

 

[Fluffy]

Drive by bowing! :whip:

I've read the thread and I agree with most, just the one thing that will drive me up a wall is the head nod or the "by-by Saboonim"-wink-nod-while running out the door.

 

[ArmorOfGod]

I have a few pet peeves. One is students who lean on the wall and the other is when students cross their arms, which to me implies they are bored. Oh, also I can't stand it when students wear watches or watch the wall clock (there is not one at my current school, thank goodness).

AoG

 

[Brandon Fisher]

Students correcting the sensei

People who won't study the lesson and try to move on by themselves

People who treat others badly because they are different or even those hat still shun and mistreat women (that happened to my wife).

People who can't keep themselves clean and they stink.

Parents who won't let us teach their kids because they know more or think they do.

Plus a few others!!