# Test Run - Getting back into teaching.



## JowGaWolf (Jun 21, 2020)

I'm gearing up to start teaching Martial Arts again.  My plan is to do some basics that are in Jow Ga and in other martial arts systems.  At the moment I'm just mapping out the things I'll need to make this happen.

While I'm hashing out the tech requirements. I would like to get some feed back from you guys as things that may interest you in terms of an online class.  I want to make the class as interactive as possible.  I don't want it to be just me teaching and no one asks a question.  I'm trying to get a good feel of how to continue to draw interest out on for an online martial arts class.

Once I get enough feed back, I'll try a test class.  If I can work out the magic formula then I can being to have guest instructors teach.  So with all of that said

What are some of the things that interest you guys, especially if you are a beginner.  But I'll take advance skill questions as well.  Would you be interested in Learning Jow Ga Kung Fu or would you be interested in seeing things that may help you within your own system?


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Jun 22, 2020)

Not really sure I can get into the mind of the beginner. But-if you were to offer these online classes to me, what I would be most interested in is jow ga kung fu. Which I would then figure out my own way to incorporate (or not) into my own fighting style. Unless you have experience with incorporating different arts (and experience with my arts), I wouldn't feel a need to rely on you for that incorporation. I'd just want to learn from you what you have to offer, and figure out if/how it fits into my style for myself. 

This is doubly so for online, where you would not have the chance to evaluate me in person to give me advice on where I'm lacking/Jow Ga could be most helpful.


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## JowGaWolf (Jun 22, 2020)

Monkey Turned Wolf said:


> Which I would then figure out my own way to incorporate (or not) into my own fighting style. Unless you have experience with incorporating different arts (and experience with my arts), I wouldn't feel a need to rely on you for that incorporation.


 This is a tough one.  I don't think it will be tough to incorporate into some of the fighting systems.  It has enough techniques to pick from. The tough part would be understanding how you move and fight in such a way that would help give me an idea of what may work for you.  Would it be easier for you to pick in choose if I thought techniques based on range.  So say I taught long range techniques together.  Short range techniques together, and variable range techniques.  And I'm saying this with the understanding  that you aren't a beginner and would have skill sets that a beginner doesn't have.

The variable length would be actual combos that move in and out of ranges and 

Or would it be better to teach circular techniques  together and linear techniques together?

I'm trying to think of how I train my when I shadow box.  When I shadow box, I do  Kicking only sessions, Punching only sessions, and all together sessions.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Jun 22, 2020)

JowGaWolf said:


> This is a tough one.  I don't think it will be tough to incorporate into some of the fighting systems.  It has enough techniques to pick from. The tough part would be understanding how you move and fight in such a way that would help give me an idea of what may work for you.  Would it be easier for you to pick in choose if I thought techniques based on range.  So say I taught long range techniques together.  Short range techniques together, and variable range techniques.  And I'm saying this with the understanding  that you aren't a beginner and would have skill sets that a beginner doesn't have.
> 
> The variable length would be actual combos that move in and out of ranges and
> 
> ...


Personally I would separate by principles if I were to teach online (after the basics). So circular techniques would be a separate section, linear techniques separate as well, and transition techniques as it's own. Just as a couple basic topics.


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## jobo (Jun 23, 2020)

JowGaWolf said:


> I'm gearing up to start teaching Martial Arts again.  My plan is to do some basics that are in Jow Ga and in other martial arts systems.  At the moment I'm just mapping out the things I'll need to make this happen.
> 
> While I'm hashing out the tech requirements. I would like to get some feed back from you guys as things that may interest you in terms of an online class.  I want to make the class as interactive as possible.  I don't want it to be just me teaching and no one asks a question.  I'm trying to get a good feel of how to continue to draw interest out on for an online martial arts class.
> 
> ...


probably a need to define your objective, are you teaching them to fight/defend themselves or are you teaching it as moving meditation where optimal performance is not the defining factor, rather pretty patterns and an appreciation of the art in an historic context is the key objective ?

achieving both seems to be the holy grail of TMA


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## JowGaWolf (Jun 23, 2020)

jobo said:


> probably a need to define your objective, are you teaching them to fight/defend themselves or are you teaching it as moving meditation where optimal performance is not the defining factor, rather pretty patterns and an appreciation of the art in an historic context is the key objective ?
> 
> achieving both seems to be the holy grail of TMA


I'm not teaching how to fight.  I can fill in some gaps but learning to fight actually requires sparring so that the student can start training reaction time, visual tracking and identifying incoming, and other things.   My goal is to teach up to that point.  I will be creating custom forms as well.  My goal is to teach Jow Ga, conditioning drills, and to cover things that will help to improve sparring.

I don't teach the meditation stuff.  The closest I get to that are relaxation exercises to loosen stressed muscles.


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## JowGaWolf (Jun 23, 2020)

I know why I would take an online martial arts class, but I don't have a good feel for why other people may take it.  Beginners I understand, but I want to include people who aren't beginners.


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## Flying Crane (Jun 23, 2020)

I agree with @Monkey Turned Wolf: just teach the jow ga for what it is.  I would say start with the foundation, stances and power generation and how those two items work together.  Show how they then power all your techniques.  Teach the method, even if you keep the number of techniques small.  Don’t try to cover a lot of ground, rather make the ground you cover really strong, show how diverse the few techniques can be, etc.


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## jobo (Jun 30, 2020)

JowGaWolf said:


> I'm not teaching how to fight.  I can fill in some gaps but learning to fight actually requires sparring so that the student can start training reaction time, visual tracking and identifying incoming, and other things.   My goal is to teach up to that point.  I will be creating custom forms as well.  My goal is to teach Jow Ga, conditioning drills, and to cover things that will help to improve sparring.
> 
> I don't teach the meditation stuff.  The closest I get to that are relaxation exercises to loosen stressed muscles.


general points on teaching, they are gaining value pnly fpr as a long as they are fully engaged with what your doing, saying, that is then depend on how intresting you are and what there attention span is,, either way 2 hours is a very long time fpr either of those to last out


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## JowGaWolf (Jun 30, 2020)

jobo said:


> general points on teaching, they are gaining value pnly fpr as a long as they are fully engaged with what your doing, saying, that is then depend on how intresting you are and what there attention span is,, either way 2 hours is a very long time fpr either of those to last out


yeah.. that's the question that I don't know the answer to.  In person I'm entertaining, online in front of a camera. Not much for me to interact with in terms of playing off the reactions of students.


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## Steve (Jun 30, 2020)

Well, teaching MA virtually is a real challenge.   I’d say keep the session short, no more than an hour, and approach as though it was a a seminar and not a class.  in other words, self contained.

I’ve done virtual training with classes as small as 10 and as large as 2500 students.   I can’t imagine trying to teach a physical skill to more than 5 or so people at once, virtually.  

Promoting interactivity is going to be a challenge.  

I recommend having a helper to manage the technical aspects for you so you can focus on teaching.  This person can move the camera, manage chat, or anything else you might need, even if it’s as simple as muting and unmuting people’s mics.


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## JowGaWolf (Jun 30, 2020)

Steve said:


> Promoting interactivity is going to be a challenge.


I've been working on trying to create a training tools that can help to bridge this gap.


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