Have you ever been the only one?

[ozm8ey]

Have you ever gone to your Martial Arts class and been the only student there? I did once and i was terrified for some reason, it was like going out on a date. I don't know it just feels awkward.

 

[TwentyThree]

Yep.

I look at it this way - free private lesson!

 

[Ironbear24]

Have you ever gone to your Martial Arts class and been the only student there? I did once and i was terrified for some reason, it was like going out on a date. I don't know it just feels awkward.

I have never had this happen but I have had a case where it was just me and two other students. The sifu basically said "well since everyone else is to be busy to become awesome you three earned yourself a special lesson!"

I honestly felt embarrassed for sifu because normally many people show. He was pretty annoyed by how many people didn't show up. I can understand what you mean though. I would felt weird about being the only one there, but hey you got a free private lesson out of no one else showing up .

 

[crazydiamond]

several times. Best lessons I have.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I don't recall ever being the only student, but I've taught very small classes. Last Tuesday, Sue and I went to the dojang and had a whopping 4 students for the beginner class (it was spring break...). Three 10th geup and a 9th. Just means those students got a lot of attention and (one hopes...) learned more from that class than they would from a class with 20 others in it. The intermediate class which follows had about 20 in it.

 

[Lameman]

I was always the only student. Course, I didn't go to a class with other people.... Do you get to fight your teachers in martial arts training? I can't even imagine not getting my butt handed to me every class. Broke my leg, my ankle, my wrist, inverted my elbow.....

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

More times than I can count. I'm naturally drawn to smaller clubs without a lot of people, it means the instructors can spend more time on you. If I'm the only one there, I'm the only one they spend time on! Plus, there is a clear goal to both of us about what we will be doing during that time, so even if I didn't like the instructor, I can't imagine it being awkward.

 

[ks - learning to fly]

I've had several classes as the only student and love it!! I get help with the little things and
more time spent focusing on hard kicks

 

[Azulx]

I was the only student at my school for almost three months. This also allowed me to rank up a bit faster than the usual standard.

 

[JR 137]

My school is pretty small. We've got about 40 students total. My teacher recently retired from his day job, so the dojo has always been a part time thing passion rather than a full time business.

I've had 2 or 3 classes where I was the only student. I love it. We worked on the stuff I needed to work on, and it was more relaxed. We usually end up going for longer than scheduled.

I promoted to green belt tonight (4th kyu). It was me and a 13-ish year old girl who's quite good testing for brown belt. My teacher ran it with help from a senior student. It was basically a one on one test, as they took turns working with the two of us and pushing us as hard as we could go. That doesn't happen the same way when there's a dozen or so people testing. There's no hiding or looking at someone else to reassure yourself.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I was the only student at my school for almost three months. This also allowed me to rank up a bit faster than the usual standard.

Wow, is it an actual school, or just someone teaching from his backyard/garage/in a park? If it's a school, how did he afford to stay open?

 

[Azulx]

Wow, is it an actual school, or just someone teaching from his backyard/garage/in a park? If it's a school, how did he afford to stay open?

It was an actual school 35 students total 25 Kenjutsu 10 Tae kwon Do .5 Children, 5 adults, 2 adults quit,1 went into the military, and the other one took a 3 month break. I was the only adult Tae Kwon Do Student. The Dojo/Dojang was also rented out to yoga instructors and other things, I am assuming that is how they stayed open. My Head Instructor left the dojang and now is the Head Instructor of my University's Tae Kwon Do Sports Club , which is where I train now.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Ok, that makes sense. It's unfortunate the other adults had to leave.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Being the only student in the class is a blessing. Don't feel bad or nervous about it. 9 times out of 10 you'll get better training and better instruction when you are the only one, unless you take a grappling system that requires having a partner.

As a student your focus should always be as if you are the only person training in the school. You should be totally focus on yourself, your ability, and your development even if there are 40 people are in the class. By doing this there will be no difference in your training in terms of if people show up or not. If you are comparing yourself or measuring yourself against other students then yes it will feel strange and empty when no one else shows up.

If you focus on yourself then you'll learn faster either way, especially if you are the only one there. An small class is good for the student but bad for the Teacher's pocket.

 

[Azulx]

Ok, that makes sense. It's unfortunate the other adults had to leave.

To be honest it was a very rewarding experience. I was only about a yellow or green belt at the time, but I had a lot of 1 on work with my instructor. This included forms, sparring, and self-defense techniques. On top of that I stayed and helped him with the juniors aged 7-11. I was able to teach and learn a variety of things, putting me way ahead of the typical standard. For example blue belt on average is attained around the 15 month mark I was awarded mine right after 9 months.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

That's good then. I know that while I love 1 on 1 work, if it was only the two of us for months I would get very frustrated. As long as it helped and didn't make you burn out though, that's all that really matters.
And congrats on the speedy progress. Make sure that you don't progress too quickly though, and forget about the basics.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I've been the only student in class. I've also been the teacher when only one student showed up. Either way - private lesson!

 

[Phobius]

Being only student in class to me would be the perfect scenario. At least as long as the other students have paid their fees.

Don't want my sifu to run short on paying students.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Have you ever gone to your Martial Arts class and been the only student there? I did once and i was terrified for some reason, it was like going out on a date. I don't know it just feels awkward.

Many times and it was great

 

[oftheherd1]

To be honest it was a very rewarding experience. I was only about a yellow or green belt at the time, but I had a lot of 1 on work with my instructor. This included forms, sparring, and self-defense techniques. On top of that I stayed and helped him with the juniors aged 7-11. I was able to teach and learn a variety of things, putting me way ahead of the typical standard. For example blue belt on average is attained around the 15 month mark I was awarded mine right after 9 months.

One of the better ways to learn imho. If you are teaching, you are helping yourself learn by watching other's mistakes, so you watch for those mistakes in your on application of what you are being taught.

However, one has to be careful what one asks for. When I was in Korea the last time, there was a point when 3 of us convinced our GM to teach us, and any others who wanted a class over the lunch hour. It was very convenient for me, and I sometimes still went to evening or Saturday classes. There was a set routine to go through no matter the number of students, and a set amount of time to do those things. Stretches, static kicks, that took the same amount of time no matter the amount of students. But lining up and kicking the focus pads was different. You kicked and ran to the back of the line. If there were 20 of you, it would be a while before you got back up to the front. If there were only three ... well. And then there were the multiple kicks where the GM would call out a random series of kicks and you had to remember them and do them correctly in the correct sequence he had called out. After doing a set a few times, he would change the set.

The other two students didn't always make the classes. That meant I was constantly on the move for the entire amount of allotted time. I used to literally beg them to be sure and come the next day. But the one on one for the techniques was very helpful and valuable. Only once did he take pity on me. I had a very severe case of flu. He finally told me to take a break much sooner that normal. I was so run down, I didn't argue. Every other time, I did maximum workouts whether the three of us were there, or only me. Tough, but I did learn a lot, so it was worth it in the long run.