Has this ever happend to you?

[karatekid1975]

Actually yes. A few of our students expressed 'getting bored with the tecs..sooooo.. we kicked it up.. they were going through the 'motions' of Kenpo.. could perform the tecs for their level.. So they were instructed to actually Hit harder.. kick harder, resist (as the attacker).. now how did the tecs work? Gee.. Advanced Purple belts were finding out.. how little they actually understood the basic tecs.. so this brought us to why it was not really working for them.. stances not as good as they thought... proper body mechanics not being employed, even their breathing was not 'correct'. Instructors can spoon feed the student til their minds are so overly filled with information, but until the student actually begins ingesting what has been voiced over and over, and they actually feel what they're dong.. the learning process may become tedious.

Now our students are not Bored with same ole same ole... the 'tweaking' process has them actually wanting for more

~Tess

Nice Tess I'm not an instructor, but my instructor has used Tess' method, and it works well. I also teach forms to the lower ranks this way. If they are bored with the same form, I "show" them what the moves are for and how to apply them. It usually works like a charm

 

[karatekid1975]

Sorry, chinto01, I didn't see the rest of your posts before I posted. I'm not an instructor (other than "helping" out), but would it be worth it to sit down with the youngster AND his dad, and talk it over? Go into your office, shut the door (in private) with the two, and talk to the boy. Tell him why he shouldn't do what he did, and have the dad talk to him also. If that doesn't work, Grenadier's idea will.

 

[MJS]

Should I really put any more effort into someone like this? What happens if he runs his mouth one to many times and ends up hurting someone with a technique I taught him while he is trying to be tough?

in the spirit of bushido!

Rob

I wouldn't give up yet. Maybe a talk with the 3 of you, privately, is in order. This needs to be a serious discussion, explaining to him, his actions both in your dojo and at school. I see where you're coming from though, and you certainly don't need the headache of him doing something at school that'll come back to haunt you.

I'd say give it one more shot. Lay down the rules and make sure he gets them!

Good luck with your decision and let us know how things turn out!

Mike

 

[Flying Crane]

Thank you all for your responses. I had a chat with the students father last evening. Come to find out that this student has been running his mouth off at school about his abilities and someone there has called his bluff. He obviously nervous now and doubting his ability.

in the spirit of bushido!

Rob

Ahh, the terrible truth comes out. People dig themselves into a hole, and then want to blame someone else.

While it may be an uncomfortable situation for the young man, this could be a very valuable lesson for him in the long run.

 

[chinto01]

Ahh, the terrible truth comes out. People dig themselves into a hole, and then want to blame someone else.

While it may be an uncomfortable situation for the young man, this could be a very valuable lesson for him in the long run.

I am looking at it the exact same way. Hopefully his motuh does not get him physically hurt.

in the spiritof bushido!

Rob

 

[Flying Crane]

I am looking at it the exact same way. Hopefully his motuh does not get him physically hurt.

in the spiritof bushido!

Rob

Here is a suggestion: Now that you know what he has done to create this situation, you could use it to perhaps drive the point home and make him really think hard the next time he feels like behaving like this. Tell him that he is not allowed to come back to class for perhaps a month or so. He needs to think about what he has done, and why he has disappointed you as his teacher. Maybe he can even write an essay about it. Tell him that if he feels he can behave more honorably, he can rejoin the class in a month.

You could emphasize that it is not really your intention to punish him, but rather you are teaching him some skills that are potentially deadly. If he cannot be mature enough for you to trust him with these skill, then you cannot teach him any more. Provoking fights with other kids at school is immature behavior, and you cannot have students who are doing that.

 

[chinto01]

Thanks for the advice. I already have a meeting with the student and his father scheduled for next Monday. I will keep your advice in mind.

in the spirit of bushido!

Rob

 

[arnisador]

Good idea chatting with a parent! Now you know the facts, and can possibly help.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Students (not just children) tend to brag when they first get into the arts and will do so from time to time as they progress if they think it improves their social standing. This is common (unfortunately) and you need to have that talk and explain that the outcome of such behavior might be not letting the student come back to class. Also explain how bad it looks to everyone when the brag is not fulfilled or how bad it will look if he is successful (now he is just a bully).
Being bored in class happens changing a class program can change the problem for only a moment the students still need to learn not just do a technique and that takes time and practice

 

[Rich Parsons]

Was wondering if any other instructors have had a student tell them that they are bored with the lessons they are learning and feel that they are not learning anything. If so did it hurt your feelings and how did you resond to said student?

in the spirit of bushido!

Rob

This has happend a couple of times.

In the first case, I asked the student if they would prefer a different art and they said yes. So, I gave them my recommendations for those instructors in the area.

In the second case, I explained that the student has to find an instructor that they can learn from, for if the instructor is not able to communicate with you in a mnnaer for you to learn then you may have to find an instructor elsewhere. That is what I told him, in reality this student was the type that would swear you had never shown them anything even from the last class, and would swear you had never bothered to teach them the technique. It was sometimes frustrating, but I took it as a challenge, to try to find a way. He did some, but still, ..., . His work changed, and he stopped training.

So, to handle this, look at what you could do to help this student? If it is possibel with out loosing the rest of the class, then go ahead, if not then do not take it personally, as it is hard to please 100% of the people 100% of the time.

 

[theletch1]

I've heard students say "I'm bored." "I don't feel like I'm learning anything" and a whole host of other things along that line...even been there myself a time or two. The vast majority of the time it's a simple matter of the student having hit a plataeu in their training. A new technique or maybe even testing for their next belt usually fixes that. There are times, too, when you have a student (especially in the slow paced world of aikido) who is just so locked in on getting that blackbelt (as if the belt is like a magic ring with powers of some sort) that working to learn the skills needed isn't happening fast enough for them. As if they don't understand that in order to gain something worth having that they will have to put in the time and effort to get it. There is only so much that an instructor can (and should) do to encourage a student to continue training. As an instructor you can only show a student the path, you can't put them on your shoulders and carry them.