# Why did you want to teach?



## Gufbal1982 (Jan 23, 2007)

I will honestly say that I wanted to teach MA since I was about 9 or 10 years old.  I saw Steve DeMasco teach a seminar at the Fred Villari Studio I trained at and I wanted to teach after that.  I wanted to be like him.  I have more reasons, but I'll say them later.  What are your reasons?


----------



## Steel Tiger (Jan 23, 2007)

It just seems to come naturally to me.  I have always been able to pick up techniques easily and have always wanted to help others learn as well.  As time went by it became obvious to me that these two attributes should combine and I should teach what I know.


----------



## Kacey (Jan 23, 2007)

When I was a color belt, we all helped with those who were junior to us.  I liked it enough that when, shortly after I tested for BB, another instructor was looking for an assistant who could teach kids independently one night a week, I jumped at it - that was around 1991, and I've been teaching ever since.


----------



## almost a ghost (Jan 23, 2007)

I always enjoyed helping people with technical subjects, and I figured it was a good way to make a living. Also, I was naturally able to work with children that were hard to teach because of mental issues or because they didn't want to be there. Probably because I really did want to help them. Unfortunately, I can't sign up people for spit.. well, that turned out to be blessing down the line 

Luckily I was able to take that skill of helping people and apply it to my second love of computers.


----------



## Gufbal1982 (Jan 23, 2007)

almost a ghost said:


> I always enjoyed helping people with technical subjects, and I figured it was a good way to make a living. Also, I was naturally able to work with children that were hard to teach because of mental issues or because they didn't want to be there. Probably because I really did want to help them. Unfortunately, I can't sign up people for spit.. well, that turned out to be blessing down the line
> 
> Luckily I was able to take that skill of helping people and apply it to my second love of computers.


 
Lol!  computers are rad, plus you don't have to sign them up on any type of financial responsibility.


----------



## BigKiai (Jan 23, 2007)

I wanted to teach because I like helping others. I like sharing knowledge. And I like to see what makes people tick.


----------



## tellner (Jan 23, 2007)

We took a graduate seminar in teaching women's self defense and helped the teacher update her curriculum from the early 60s when she studied with Bruce Tegner to the early 90s. One day we got a call from her saying that a local University had lost its self defense teacher that morning and did we want a job?

A few years back our Silat teacher told us we could start teaching beginners, so we started doing that.


----------



## bushidomartialarts (Jan 23, 2007)

i sort of fell into it.

i've always been a teacher, always worked with children.  a mid-twenties crisis had me spending 15-20 hours a week at my dojo.  before long i was assisting in classes.  after that i was teaching classes.

i intended to teach for the public schools.  i would up doing this.  lucky me.


----------



## almost a ghost (Jan 23, 2007)

Gufbal1982 said:


> Lol!  computers are rad, plus you don't have to sign them up on any type of financial responsibility.



It has its ups and downs... guilt free though


----------



## Kenpojujitsu3 (Jan 24, 2007)

To give the same gift that saved and changed my life.


----------



## LawDog (Jan 24, 2007)

It is part of the Old Code which requires you to pass it on down. Besides, I enjoy & live the Arts. I want to share this enjoyment with others.


----------



## jdinca (Jan 25, 2007)

I've done hands on instruction in the fire service for a number of years. This was a natural extension of that. Not to mention that the subject is really cool! :boing1:


----------



## IWishToLearn (Jan 28, 2007)

I was pestered for two years by several of my current students to begin teaching on my own. I acquieced finally.


----------



## stickarts (Jan 28, 2007)

I was asked to teach but I had liked teaching long before I started Karate. I enjoyed teaching swimming, weightlifting and baseball.
There have been a few teachers that have made a huge difference in my life and I find it rewarding to help to teach, or coach, anyone that I can help.


----------



## Dr John M La Tourrette (Jan 28, 2007)

(the following post was about one martial art. Just take the post and
slip into the slot for Kenpo Karate what you do and then read it for
you. Dr. John M. La Tourrette)

Why did you ever decide to do Kenpo Karate?

I've been asked this question a thousand times (or more) in the 37
years I've practiced, studied, researched and taught Kenpo Karate.

AND I go back into my mind and remember the first time I heard about
Kenpo, thinking forward to how I was actually convinced about the
validity of Kenpo Karate and it's principles of fighting.

So this post is about CONVINCER STRATEGIES and NOT about Kenpo
Karate, right?

I was a senior at Southern Oregon College (1966) and was a member of
the Okazaki Juijitsu Demonstration team that was giving a giving a
demo at that college. Part of the team was a Kenpo man from Hawaii by
the name of Harry Kim. I never thought much of him, and I'd never
seen him work out. I knew I could kick his skinny ***.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- If I believe what you do does not work on me, I
will ignore it.

His portion of the Demo was a full-contact fight with a rather mean
boxer, a boxer that I personally never wanted to mess with. Harry
Kim devastated that boxer like he was 6 year old retard. The boxer
never had a chance. Harry just front snap kicked him then hit him a
couple of times and the boxer quit. I figured Harry Kim was
just "lucky", and promptly dismissed the bout.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- If what you do works on someone that I am afraid
of, I still probably ignore what you do as valid. Why? Because I need
to see "proof" several times before I can believe.

About a month later Harry Kim gave a Kenpo Karate DEMO at the college
talent show. It did not place, but my jaw hit the floor. I have never
seen anyone move like that. I wanted to learn it. Harry was
graduating from college in a couple of months and refused to take on
any clients.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- I saw him move in ways I wanted to move. I saw
him do a 10 minute demo that did get my interest. I was ready.

I went into the Army. Because of my 4 years of college and my
aptitude for foreign languages, I went into the branch of the Army
called the Army Security Agency. After Basic Training I was stationed
at the Presidio of Monterey to learn the Korean language. It was 9
month training, 6 hrs a day, 5 days a week. Just before graduation I
was talking with a couple of newbie's that just arrived from Military
Intelligence basic training.

We got to talking about the martial arts, and the short guy with black hair
wanted to know if I knew anything about Mass Attacks. I asked him what he meant.
He then had me stand to his right side and had his friend stand to his left side
and told us to grab him. Before I could blink an eye, he had struck both me and
his friend BEFORE we could move. I was flabbergasted. I had no clue on how he
did it. I was sure he must be a high level black belt. I asked him his rank. His
reply, "I'm a green belt in Kenpo Karate".

It pissed me off. I felt like I'd wasted 16 years of training.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- I had Kenpo Karate effectively worked on me. The
BEST convincer strategy. I was now totally convinced about it's
effectiveness, but was going to Goodfellow Air Force Base. No Kenpo
Karate there.

The next time I saw Kenpo Karate was right after I'd ETS'ed from the
Army Security Agency and was teaching at a small Dojo called the
Medford Judo & Karate Academy in 1970. This guy from Sacramento came
in and he'd trained with Steve Fox. He became my student and while he
was my student I picked up some of what he did. It was Kenpo Karate.
At that time I was teaching Taekwon-do and was not much impressed
with what he was doing with his Kenpo Karate. He was easily defeated
in sparring, and sparring success really counted with me.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- I'd been doing Taekwon-do 6 days a week for 4
hours a day for almost 3 years. I was good. I was fast. I did win
tournaments in Korea and in the United States. Mr. DD, who came from
Steve Fox, was easily defeated in the sparring class, and his kicks
were ugly and ineffectual. I did not pay much attention to his Kenpo
Karate. That previous success erased the effectiveness of Kenpo
Karate from my mind.

I did love the martial arts, and even though I was going for a
teaching credential at SOC, I wanted to teach karate for a living
because I loved working out so much.

One evening I opened a Black Belt magazine and I saw that old Joe
Lewis ad, the one where Joe was hired by the Tracy Kenpo organization
to be their front man.

I thought the ad was ********, but I kept going back to that ad. That
ad ate away at my mind and my guts and I kept wondering, "what if
it's true?"

One evening, drunk on my butt, I did write a letter answering that
ad.

The next week I received a telephone call from Jim Tracy, and then he
came up to Oregon to meet with me. We decided that after my
graduation I'd go to Portland OR to learn the necessary Kenpo Karate
and the business aspects so I could open my own school.

CONVINCER STRATEGY-I was willing to learn something I did NOT want
(Kenpo Karate) to get a skill (business) that I did want.

I graduated from SOC in June 1973. In July 73 my wife Lynn and I
moved to Portland and I became a manager trainee at the Sandy Blvd.
studio run by Bob A. I hated the school. I hated Bob A. as a fraud
and a moral coward. I had no respect for him and since he owned that
school, I had no respect for that school or what it taught. So I
hated the Kenpo Karate, but I was doing what was necessary to get the
job done and the skills I wanted learned. I worked from 10am to 10pm.
I taught hundreds of students their Kenpo Karate; I learned their
business practices. I did that routine 5 days a week for 6 months.

NEGATIVE CONVINCER STRATEGIES- Things that STOP you from continuing.
See above paragraph.

Here's the strange part. I did NOT like Kenpo Karate. I could beat
all the people at that school in sparring. They couldn't kick. They
couldn't fight. The owner told me I needed work on X and Y, but would
NOT dress down and show me why he was qualified to tell me about
sparring and working out.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- If they can't do it to me, then they can't do it.

The only skill that they had was business (which I had to drive to
Salem to study with Jim Mitchell. Jim Mitchell is a different and
more pleasant story.).

CONVINCER STRATEGY- When any WANT is big enough any "how" will work
for you! Think on this one.

6 months had gone by. Bob A. told me that because I could fight so
well he wanted me and a few of the others to enter in the upcoming
tournament by Bruce Terrill and Super Dan Anderson, the Western
States Karate Kung-Fu championships.

So I did. I fought. And since I'd NOT been practicing my Taekwon-do,
my kicks were slow, ineffectual and easily seen. I like to fight even
if not properly prepared. I started using my hands, a tactic that I
never used when I'd fought before in Korea and in the US.

I went in on this big guy with a 3 punch blitz. It was a simple
split second combination, Left Sun punch, right reverse punch to the
gut, and left vertical punch to the nose.

The Korean referee said, "No power, no point", and then the big guy
passed out and buckled to his knees. That reverse punch had more
power than that Korean thought. Because the Korean was trained in
lock-out karate he could NOT see nor accurately judge Kenpo Karate
hands.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- The Korean master could NOT see the strike.
Knowing that really made me feel good. Having a hand speed so fast
that others from other styles could not see it meant they would be
putty in my hands in a real fight.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- The invisible punch skill had tons of power!

Anyway, I wasn't disqualified, and I fought my way up to the finals,
just using my hands. In the finals, I accidentally broke this cop's
nose (he writes books on the martial arts & doesn't like me) and I
was disqualified. So I took 3rd place.

CONVINCER STRATEGY- In my mind, losing a match by disqualification
was NOT losing. Back then, if a judge or a referee could not see what
I was doing, I'd just hit them harder and harder until the judge or
referee could see it. That means that the opponent sometimes got
hurt. We had no safety gear back then except tape. So we'd tape our
hands so our knuckles wouldn't break.

My wife had filmed all my matches on Super 8. I reviewed them
afterwards to see what I could have done better. I was surprised at
the hand work. Very fast, very deceptive, and totally UNSEEN by those
people who were NOT trained in Kenpo Karate. And I could see room for
lots of improvement to make them even better!

CONVINCER STRATEGY- Clarification of expertise and skill from a
source that was I could watch again and again, to see for MYSELF.

That's when I decided to take Kenpo Karate and to master it. That's
also when I added to it my kicking skills from the Taekwon-do. That
was 1974, 4 years after I'd started with Kenpo from Steve Fox's
student.

I'm very slow to change from what I do successfully to anything else.
After first noticing Kenpo Karate in 1966 it took be another 8 years
to realize that Kenpo Karate had some of the best and most effective
principles out there.

Does that mean that I'm slow? Or does that mean something else much
more important?

Hopefully you have enjoyed this simple story about CONVINCER
STRATEGIES, and how YOU can easily use them with others when you
explain what you do with Kenpo Karate.

And here's a few simple questions for you.

What went through your mind that caused you to start training in
Kenpo Karate?

How were you CONVINCED that Kenpo Karate was the martial art for you?

Why have you stayed with Kenpo Karate after seeing all the other neat
systems?

Dr. John M. La Tourrette
Neuro-linguistic Programming Trainer (NLP) 1980-2007
Kenpo Karate Student & Trainer 1970-2007
Ph.D. Sports Psychology Columbia Pacific University 1987


----------



## Seabrook (Jan 30, 2007)

I started Kenpo in 1985 and by the time I had reached Green Belt (probably around 1987) I knew that I wanted to do Kenpo Karate for the rest of my life, and to teach it as well. 

And while I will probably never be in a streetfight per se, I use Kenpo to help push me in all areas of my life - be it fitness, discipline, integrity, perseverance and so on. I try my best to instill the same values in my students, and to push them to be the best that they can be. If their motivation level is high, there are no limits to their abilities. 


Jamie Seabrook
www.seabrook.gotkenpo.com
www.jamieseabrook.blogspot.com


----------



## evenflow1121 (Jan 30, 2007)

At first I thought it would be cool because you see other black belts do it and you are just starting out.  Later as I grew in my art and developed an appreciation for it, I realized that the only way for the style to survive is for those you teach to eventually become as good as you if not better.  See, I got a lot out of my martial arts training, so I saw teaching as a sort of giving back.


----------



## Marshism (Feb 12, 2007)

Kinda full of yourself, aren't you, John?

The question was pretty simple:  Why did you want to teach?

Look, John, everyone knows you got your PhD from a degree mill and your videos stink.  Why don't you go waste your time on some other forum?


----------



## MJS (Feb 12, 2007)

_*ATTENTION ALL USERS:

*_*Please, keep the conversation polite and respectful.

-Mike Slosek
-MT Super Moderator-*


----------



## kidswarrior (Feb 13, 2007)

I see several posters wanted to be full-time teachers, but ended up in MA instead. Not a bad deal. For me, tho, other way around. Have been a teacher of worst of the worst kids (in most people's eyes) for almost 20 years. In the beginning, lots of freedom for teachers to help kids who might bring in any manner of baggage: from every imaginable abuse, to undiagnosed learning problems/needs, to homes with no father and mother a prostitute, to all older brothers and cousins and sometimes father and mother--even grandparents--in the neighborhood gang and kid had better be too, or else--and so forth. By about 2000, the pressure was really on educators to throw out everything but academics (hard to teach academics to a kid who hasn't eaten for 24 hours--and no, the county/state safety net doesn't care; or maybe they care, but just too overloaded to be effective).

Alright, too late to make a long story short, but I'll do better now. :uhyeah: Took up martial arts in early 90s to fulfull long-time interest and burn off stress. By the time public school teaching got to be a drag, had attained fairly senior position, and soon after began reaching those very kids I'd started out to help by teaching them martial arts after school. Starting to really catch on now. 

Now, do I get an honorary Ph.D. for this dissertation? _Hello?_...anyone still there???? No, oh well I enjoyed telling it anyway.


----------



## Gufbal1982 (Feb 13, 2007)

kidswarrior said:


> I see several posters wanted to be full-time teachers, but ended up in MA instead. Not a bad deal. For me, tho, other way around. Have been a teacher of worst of the worst kids (in most people's eyes) for almost 20 years. In the beginning, lots of freedom for teachers to help kids who might bring in any manner of baggage: from every imaginable abuse, to undiagnosed learning problems/needs, to homes with no father and mother a prostitute, to all older brothers and cousins and sometimes father and mother--even grandparents--in the neighborhood gang and kid had better be too, or else--and so forth. By about 2000, the pressure was really on educators to throw out everything but academics (hard to teach academics to a kid who hasn't eaten for 24 hours--and no, the county/state safety net doesn't care; or maybe they care, but just too overloaded to be effective).
> 
> Alright, too late to make a long story short, but I'll do better now. :uhyeah: Took up martial arts in early 90s to fulfull long-time interest and burn off stress. By the time public school teaching got to be a drag, had attained fairly senior position, and soon after began reaching those very kids I'd started out to help by teaching them martial arts after school. Starting to really catch on now.
> 
> Now, do I get an honorary Ph.D. for this dissertation? _Hello?_...anyone still there???? No, oh well I enjoyed telling it anyway.


 

Wow!  that's pretty cool!  I used to teach children with autism and that was fun!  The ADHD children weren't as fun in the beginning, but after I learned how to switch and keep them moving every 60 seconds, it was fun for me.  I love teaching children.  They are one of my favorite bunches to teach.  I love teaching adults as well...teens however are a whole different story.  I didn't like them very much.  Anyone else have problems with teens?


----------



## kidswarrior (Feb 13, 2007)

Gufbal1982 said:


> Wow! that's pretty cool! I used to teach children with autism and that was fun! The ADHD children weren't as fun in the beginning, but after I learned how to switch and keep them moving every 60 seconds, it was fun for me. I love teaching children. They are one of my favorite bunches to teach. I love teaching adults as well...teens however are a whole different story. I didn't like them very much. Anyone else have problems with teens?


 
Very cool, Gufbal! Good on ya'. We all have ages we're best with. I must have really made someone in charge of karma mad because teens are what I'm best at.... :shock:


----------



## Dr John M La Tourrette (Nov 16, 2007)

Marshism said:


> Look, everyone knows you got your PhD from a degree mill and your videos stink. Why don't you go waste your time on some other forum?



Well,
Even though this fellow is now gone, many probably do wonder and they should wonder because of the false slander on the internet, so I'll tell a short version of what actually happened. The good news is you can verify for yourself the truth of what Ill be saying.

I did receive my PhD in Sports Psychology in 1987 from ColumbiaPacificUniversity after 2 years of study and of writing my dissertation.

I also have 2 BA degrees from Southern Oregon College, which I attended from 1962-1966 (I had a 4 year stint in the Army Security Agency as a translator of the Korean Language, and cryptographer, with a Top Secret Clearance).

 And again from 1970-1973. My two majors were Humanities and Spanish. My two minors were, Secondary Education and Psychology.

My MBA (Master's degree) was in Business Management.

In 1997, 10 years AFTER I earned my PhD, ColumbiaPacificUniversity lost its California states accreditation. 

When the angry fellow attempted to discredit me on kenpotalk and a few other places, he told them about the 1997 loss of accreditation but neglected to mention that ALL DEGREES RECEIVED PRIOR TO 1997 ARE VALID.

Why did he do that? He does have his own agenda. I did kick him off of my own list 2 years ago. He is angry for many reasons. We know who he is, and where he lives. And people are working on it.

Now, what does this post have to do with the thread topic?

I love teaching and Ive been teaching martial arts (first Kano Judo, then Okazaki Dan Zan Ryu Jujitsu back in 1957), so I went a received a 4 year degree in Education. I do NOT like teaching High School but I love teaching Kenpo Karate and Ive been teaching it for 37 years.

I did want to earn a good living at teaching Kenpo Karate so I went back to college in BoiseID and studied Sales, Marketing and Business Management.

I love helping people, so I focused on Psychology, and because I love teaching Kenpo Karate I went back and earned a PhD in Sports Psychology.

Dr. John M. La Tourrette


----------



## Dr John M La Tourrette (Dec 7, 2007)

kidswarrior said:


> Now, do I get an honorary Ph.D. for this dissertation? _Hello?_...anyone still there???? No, oh well I enjoyed telling it anyway.


 
I liked your post until the INTENTIONAL "slur".

I'm surprised you are gullible enough to swallow "bad information".

You want to talk privately?

Dr. John M. La Tourrette


----------



## Clapping_tiger (Dec 17, 2007)

I started teaching because I knew that my version of Kenpo was the one and only way Mr. Parker wanted it taught.:wink2:

Just kidding. I started teaching because I really liked helping people learn what I learned. I knew what it was like to be the new guy/gal and wanted to just pay my experience forward and help others progress. Now I teach because I need training partners.


----------



## Dr John M La Tourrette (Dec 17, 2007)

Clapping_tiger said:


> I started teaching because I knew that my version of Kenpo was the one and only way Mr. Parker wanted it taught.:wink2:
> 
> Just kidding. I started teaching because I really liked helping people learn what I learned. I knew what it was like to be the new guy/gal and wanted to just pay my experience forward and help others progress. Now I teach because I need training partners.


 
Nice,
I especially liked that first one.

I've must have heard it at least 1,000 times by now. "I'm the one and only true disciple of Guru XXX", and of course, they are all doing their kenpo differently. Loved your humor.

Thank you for giving me a great launching start to a new day.
Dr. John M. La Tourrette


----------



## tellner (Dec 17, 2007)

John, the question was "Why did you want to teach?"

It wasn't "Why is my style the best thing since crunchy peanut butter".
It wasn't "Please give us an example of your advertising copy."
It wasn't even "How well do NLP verbal techniques translate to the printed page?" (to which the answer is "poorly").

It was pretty simple and phrased in clear words of one syllable. 

So what's your answer to the question he or she actually asked?


----------



## terryl965 (Dec 17, 2007)

[playnice]TerryStoker[/playnice]


----------



## stone_dragone (Dec 17, 2007)

I first started teaching because I knew that to teach something well was to truly know it.  I kept teaching because I love handing down the arts.


----------



## Clapping_tiger (Dec 19, 2007)

Thanks John, I knew most Kenpoists would get that humor. Those that didn't are part of the problem.


----------



## KenpoDave (Dec 19, 2007)

When I began college, I was struggling with that whole "What do you want to do when you grow up?" thing.  My father told me that the secret to being happy was to find that hobby that you liked doing so much that you wanted to do it all the time, everyday, for the rest of your life.

Then figure out a way to get paid to do it.

He was right.


----------



## Dr John M La Tourrette (Dec 19, 2007)

Clapping_tiger said:


> Thanks John, I knew most Kenpoists would get that humor. Those that didn't are part of the problem.


 
You are welcome.

I did find your post amazingly funny...and real.

Dr. John M. La Tourrette


----------



## Dr John M La Tourrette (Dec 19, 2007)

KenpoDave said:


> When I began college, I was struggling with that whole "What do you want to do when you grow up?" thing. My father told me that the secret to being happy was to find that hobby that you liked doing so much that you wanted to do it all the time, everyday, for the rest of your life.
> 
> Then figure out a way to get paid to do it.
> 
> He was right.


 
Yep.
A bit different here, but really close to what you went through.

I had two college degrees and I was getting tremendous flack from all sides "to go out and teach high school...to use my degrees...to make money"...

...But I loved martial arts so much (it was taekwon-do at the time, 1973) that I would rather die than do anything else.

But that insidious money thing kept creeping in. How can I make enough money to pay the bills by doing something like teaching martial arts?

Then I saw the Joe Lewis/Tracy ad, and went to work for one of their franchises at slave wages...and I found out "how to make money" and do what I loved doing, at the same time. I am eternally grateful to Jim and Al for that.

Then I went out on my own, and virtually every family member (with the exception of my wife) knew I was stupid, crazy, a loser, blab, blab, blab, so getting start up funds for that first business was difficult.

How I got the minimum finances is a book in and of itself, which I will not cover here, and should be on a different thread any how.

The good news is, 6 years later (1980) I did retire...until I started going crazy with lack of "doing martial arts"(which was Kenpo Karate)...

Which I found out, "doing Kenpo Karate" was much more important to me than anything else.

Even though the sells from my books (now DVD's, manuals and CD's) was doing rather well since 1978.

Thank you Dave for reminding me of that really important aspect.

Dr. John M. La Tourrette
www.realspeedhitting.com


----------

