to tell or not to tell?

[lonekimono]

I want to know how many people this happens to?
you have students in line and you are doing this teq (any one)
and then you tell them about there stance, that it should look like this and you show them how to do it (not that it's wrong)
but maybe to wide or short back foot should be this way or that way.
now after all that you are ready to see what it looks like now
and there they go, yes they now have their feet just right (lol)
BUT now after you told them about stances they now have their
hands all messed up,now you have to let them know all about how the hands and feet work together.
did it ever happen?


yours in kenpo

to understand how a strike works you must know how the strike feels.

 

[Nightingale]

sounds like you're teaching too much too fast...

wait til they've got the first move of the tech somewhere close to correct, then add on the second move, and so on.

 

[theletch1]

I always saw learning a technique kinda like making a statue out of clay. Get a rough shape of what the finished tech will look like first then start to fine tune. Pretty much what the last post said... too much too soon. Get your training partner comfortable with the foot work first to a point where they don't have to stop and think about it. Then worry about the hand work... general target and hand position. Once they are comfortable with that you can start to get the really fine points down. There aren't a lot of students who can grasp the entire tech at once. Some will grasp it quicker than others but don't get discouraged, keep at it and always view a situation like that as a learning situation for yourself as well.:asian:

 

[Master of Blades]

When Im teaching someone a n00b Kali I tend to make sure they have the Hands right before even thinking about the feet. I start off by showing them the whole technique so they know WHAT the Technique SHOULD look like once they have it all. But I have found trying to teach it all at once just gets them muddled up because they end up thinking too much. After they have got the hands THEN I teach the footwork. Works best that way :asian:

 

[lonekimono]

maybe i said this the wrong way? this had nothing to do with the way a person teaches, what i wanted to say is that when you teach something to (it could be anyone or anything) someone,
but lets say it's thundering hammer (we all know this?)
look at the leg work,then look at the hands.
now lets say we are all doing this at class one night,and you (the teacher) shows something we all know called an insert .
please try to understand whats going to happen when you do this, you know it's kind of funny lookin, but one thing takes over from the other,and if i have to say what it is,,well you do the math
try it you will see.
and oh yes i'm always open to criticism for anything but never do i teach anyone anything to fast.

yours in kenpo

look up in the sky,it's a brid,it's a plane, yep that's right

:asian:

 

[michaeledward]

I think what you are describing is a very normal part of the learning process. Of course, each of us will have different learning styles ... but we all need to process the information presented.

My instructor talks about the '100 Times Rule'. You have to do the technique well about 100 times before you 'know' it. Only then, can you start getting proficient with the technique. Of course, we never try to complete these 100 repetitions in a single night, single week, or even a single month.

I also notice that often my instructor will give me very broad explanations of a specific technique. Then, after I have achieved some level of ability to perform those 'broad strokes', he will add a bit of refinement; adding more detail or color. As these refinements are added, I am going to focus on the new stuff and, because I am not focusing on it, it will appear that all the original stuff has slipped.

I think that when I am running a technique with some 'new detail' ... or maybe a better way of putting it is some 'new awareness' (I wasn't aware that I was supposed to be in a close-kneel stance at that point in the technique), it doesn't count toward the '100 Times Rule'.

Just keep giving out your knowledge, in little bits. First, I have to get my brain around the technique, then the muscle memory, and lastly, I have to get my brain 'out of' the technique.

Each time an instructor adds a new piece to a technique or form, --- a correction or an insert --- he brings me back to the first step of learning .. where my brain is involved with the technique. It just like the first day of school, all over again.

I have to keep reminding myself of 'Zen and the Art of Archery' ... as I recall, the author went to practice archery every day ... he kept trying and trying, but his instructor indicated that he needed to keep trying. After about 4 years, the author seemed to indicate that he was getting sick and tired of coming to practice every day, and never seemed to be making progress, almost as if he was ready to give up.... And it was at that point, when he really didn't care any more, that he was able to take himself out of shooting the arrow. His instructor, from across the room, noticed the author did everything 'just right' for the first time, after 4 years of training.

Just keep giving out good information, in little pieces, and let the students 'get it' ... and don't worry about how long it takes.... Two years into my study, and I think (think - mind you) I am getting to know this 'Delayed Sword' technique.

 

[lonekimono]

if it looks like a rose, and it smells like a rose, is it a rose?
i like what you had to say keep training.

yours in kenpo

why look that way, look this way

 

[FlashingDaggers]

First Master Elmer I hope you're not talking about me...lol jk. But for everyone else out there I can tell you that he does not in any way teach too much too fast. One of the things I like most about trainning under Master Elmer is that he always takes time to explain the technique, makes sure we understand everything going in it, and stresses proper foundation. :asian:

 

[lonekimono]

I pay him well
lol




yours in kenpo

if you have to be there? why are you here?

 

[Michael Billings]

Are you training your students to be good or great yellow belts, or to be black belts? Regardless of the rank, when is there an information overload? And do we let this affect our teaching? Or do we continue to present and instruct at a level that "raises the bar" for students?

These are just a couple of questions that ocurr to me. Especially when I find myself teaching to the lowest common denominator in the class. Everyone has it but this one or two students. Yes, I often teach the base or foudation first, but never without the context. Show, walk through hands and feet. Then isolate as appropriate. Since stances are so hard for beginners, I always spend some extra time there. It is still not enough. MORE BASICS - MORE BASICS. But then do we risk losing the faster paced students.

Ah, the woes of a teacher. Juggle all the balls now, and don't let any slip.

Whoops,
:boing1:
-Michael

 

[lonekimono]

Well now,, i stand before you with my head hung down
(if i'm reading it the right way) judge??? the same one i'm thinking about?
anyway if i went to the book of kenpo i would see YOUR face next to the word teacher.
you be the judge,,,,oh sorry lol


yours in kenpo

one good turn gets most of the sheets

:asian: