# Class layouts



## GouRonin (Dec 21, 2001)

How do people here lay out their class in terms of material and work out etc?


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## Kyle (Dec 22, 2001)

The exact breakdown varies, but falls into the following ranges:

~15 minutes warm-up
~30-60 minutes technique/drills
~30-90 minutes sparring

    - Kyle


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## GouRonin (Dec 22, 2001)

What length of class is that for?

What length class do you find to be effective timewise?


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## Cthulhu (Dec 22, 2001)

Well, I'm guessing the length of the class would depend on how many classes there are per week.  Personally, I think a one hour class isn't long enough.  If you give 15 minutes to warm up (and you should), then that only gives a half-hour or so for actual material, with the other fifteen minutes going to cool downs, putting on/taking off equipment, etc.

Cthulhu
am I rambling again?


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## GouRonin (Dec 22, 2001)

I'm a big fan of an hour and a half.

But that is because I have a short attention span.


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## Cthulhu (Dec 22, 2001)

I like two hours if meeting at least three times a week and 3 hours if meeting twice a week.  Once a week depends on the teacher and student.

Cthulhu


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## arnisador (Feb 27, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Cthulhu _
> *I like two hours if meeting at least three times a week and 3 hours if meeting twice a week.  Once a week depends on the teacher and student.
> *



It varies for me by art and of course my skill at it, but once I have a little skill and confidence at an art I like a relatively short structured period and a relatively long time to work on what I need. I like an hour-and-a-half to two hours with a very short warmup period (I'll stretch on my own time)--5 minutes is plenty--followed by review of some basic techniques for about 15 minutes, taught material for half an hour or so, and then time where I can work with a partner on my weak spots and get the instructor's attention when I have a question, followed by a sparring period at the very end (15 minutes).

I'll drill kata/anyos, punches and kicks, etc. at home. I want to have time to work with a partner and to be critiqued on whatever kata, etc., I am presently focusing on. Having the class break up into small groups working on either what they need to work on or what the instructor feels they need to work on works best for me.

A class longer than two hours is usually too much for my tastes, though with arnis I can easily keep going. The better I know the art, of course, the easier I find it to keep focused and enthusiastic through an entire class. But if I don't know it so well then I find myself wanting to get out and practice what I have just learned on my own before I forget it!

But all this varies from person to person, and you can't possibly make every potential student happy with your teaching style. That's just one reason why students must shop around.


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## TLH3rdDan (Mar 1, 2002)

personaly i run an hour and a half class

ussually 30 min of stretching, cardio, push ups, and sit ups
then i spend the next hour with the theme for the night which varies some night its all sparring... some nights it kata... some nights its weapons training... sometimes self-defense... i try to never get locked into a set patern of doing the same thing over and over like i dont have my schedules set up as mon kata tue spar wed tech thur weapon fri self defense sat kata i dont do that i mix it up its never the same thing about once a month i have an indepentant work out night where the students break up and work on the things they enjoy some do katas some spar some just do kick sprints or bag work


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## old_sempai (Mar 15, 2002)

:asian:

I always look to see what manner of Kami dama is set up and its content.  This alone speaks volumes, about the school and the system or style.

:asian:


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## Stickboxer (Mar 29, 2002)

I hope I don't open a can of worms here, as this has certainly been discussed to death elsewhere, but I don't have my students "warm up" or "cool down" within the confines of my class sessions.

While I have trained for several hours at a time from back-to-back classes, mostly in different schools, usually the classes I've taken were an hour. A few classes were an hour and a half, with the first 30 minutes or more dedicated to physical aspects (cardio and various fitness exercises). Thus on average, at best, an hour per class was spent working techniques, etc.

It's unusual, I know, but my advanced students train first. They warm up by themselves, at their own pace, in their own ways. After their class, they lead beginners through various warm-ups before the lower-level class. Then we all meet and begin working techniques, attribute development, etc.

I'm of the mentality that the instructor's time is at a premium. Professors don't give college students time in their class to go through notes and study; people come to the class to TAKE notes or take a test, without sample questions to get them in the mood. Likewise, I feel cheated when I take a 90-minute martial arts class but spend the first 60 minutes warming up. This is something that can be done outside of class.

Currently, I have to arrange my strength-training routine to match the classes I continue to take. When one instructor decides to have us do multiple sets of calf raises, squats and lunges as part of our hour-long warm-up (Mondays and Wednesdays), it'd be foolish for me to lift weights focusing on my lower body on alternating days (Tuesdays and Thursdays); I'd get no rest then. Likewise, in kickboxing classes that really work the shoulders, the teacher loves to exhaust us with push-ups; I have to do upper body weight-lifting at the gym on these days, so I can get at least 24 hours off to recuperate.

I suppose I should note that sometimes my classes are all sparring, sometimes a confusing mix of material, sometimes exclusively knife disarms, sometimes its combat scenarios in an alley, and a few times it was even doing combinations while wearing a business suit in the snow or a heavy backpack while walking on ice! Its hard to narrow down a fixed format for my classes when we try to adapt to the changing nature and possibilities of combat... blah blah...


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## Seig (Apr 18, 2002)

Hi All,
I'm new to this board although I have known Gou for a while.  Every time I join a booard somewhere, he leaves!  My classes are 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, but I also run the class 5 nights a week.  I've been open almost a year now and what I have finally settled on is this:  Warm-ups, about 20 minutes.  The next 40 to 50 minutes I work on whatever the format for the night calls for.  I further broke it down as Monday-New Belt Material, Tuesday- Sparring, Wednesday- New Belt Material and review of old, Thursday-sparring or review, Friday- what ever I come up with.  I try to make Fridays fun and more than occassionally, off the wall.  I'm still very small and am trying to drum up more students.  I currently have about 20 at the dojo and I also teach at the local college.  Teaching at the College has been a major advantage for the school.  I'm working on building a demo team this summer and am going to aim for going on the road with them by September.


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## GouRonin (Apr 18, 2002)

Good to see you man! Hope all is well with the Dojo. You deserve success!
:iws:


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## kenpo3631 (Aug 14, 2002)

I used to run my classes in this fashion.

Adults - 50 to 55 minutes
7-12 yr olds - 45 min.
4-6 yr. olds - 30 min

What I did was make the classes like that of a college. There was a syllubus of everything that was being taught for that testing cycle. and that's what the students would cover for the first three weeks. The fourth week was review week in which they rerviewed the material of the past three weeks and subsequently were tip tested.

Adult class structure was as follows:

Warm Ups/Basic Drills - 10-15 mins

Core Curriculum - 30 min (Techs, Forms etc.)

Cool Down/Announcements/Bow Out - 5 to 7 min

(All times were adjusted accordingly for each age level)
:asian:


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## lvwhitebir (Aug 14, 2002)

> _Originally posted by kenpo3631 _
> 
> *I used to run my classes in this fashion.
> 
> ...



This is very similar to my current class structure.  I find it works well.

   WhiteBirch


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## AMP-RYU (Dec 1, 2008)

I teach my class in one hour increments. I feel if you train too much in one session you have a tendency to burn and blow out students. Students should be taught self control and taught to train at home as well on their own. If you are not teaching this, it works. 

My students train in ryu twice a week for one hour. And then are trained to practice at home, just like practicing baseball.

little dragons 3-4 30 min. twice a week group a and b
little tigers 5-6 30 min. twice a week    group a and b
children 7-15 1 hour twice a week       group a and b
adults 16-up 1 hour twice a week        group a and b
aerobic kickboxing 1 hour three times a week group a, b and c
womens self defense 3 hours once a month
children self defense 2 hours monthly


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