To paraphrase Bill's statement from another thread, the first step in learning anything is showing up. Showing up leads to exposure, and exposure leads to learning if for no other reason than diffusion. It seeps in.
That being said, people are mimics and parrots. They mimic what they see, and parrot what has been told to them. No problem with that, as long as they are seeing and hearing Good things. Buka's comments above spell out the stages of becoming a teacher for me quite well. I can look back on the/my early TKD days and I almost laughed out loud at "Counter," and "Talker," as I can very easily recall That Guy on the mat, trying to "Do It." I also remember the first time up in front of the class, FACING the class, with everyone bowing to me. It Was heady stuff, Buka, you're exactly right! It was certainly very, very cool. I didn't know at that time that the position of respect at the front comes with a very light feeling of accomplishment, and then, a couple years down the road, as that feeling is becoming so "usual" that it is fading, there was, all along, an almost hidden, yet crushing burden of responsibility. I've been at the front, facing lots of people for quite some time, and I have to admit, I was sort of glad when, first in the Muay Thai gym) I got involved with groups that didn't do that... the separation of teacher and student by such an obvious visual demarcation. He vs. Us. I vs. Them.
In our/my present avocation of instructing judo/Tomiki aikido, I've found that my personal style of instruction meshes with the Tomiki pedagoguey almost effortlessly (definition below, it's not a word typically in useage, though you've most likely heard it before -- we talk about it quite a bit).
Pedagogy: (noun) the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept. "the relationship between applied linguistics and language -- pedagogy."
(From like Definition.com or something like that. Came right up on google.)
First, I was introduced to the phrase, "Circle Up..." to start class my first day in a Tomiki dojo back in the day. That was different, as anyone who understands that class (Karate, Judo, BJJ, TKD, HKD etc etc etc) starts with "Line up!" Depending on dojo, and the teacher's thoughts on it, everyone gets in a circle facing inwards, sometimes everyone grasps hands with the persons to their left & right, and Rei is called, and class begins. Personally, I'm a fan now of the contact... as people have an unconscious barrier to touching other people, they want their own personal space, etc. Since there is so much touching, blending, atemi (there are strikes, atemi, but most of what I teach anymore aren't sharp, impactful things [though there are obvious openings for those and I DO point them out and they are worked on], the hard-style guys would be wondering exactly what effect they are supposed to have. Any judoka, BJJ person, Chinese wrestling, Sambo or fill in the other style of grappling art form that understands off-balancing would get it in a second. Anyway, I digress.... apologies.
Buka, I think you'd agree with me. A good teacher almost has to go through the stages (i.e. Counter, Talker... philosopher, whatever) in order to become sufficiently rounded to know what is needed, when it is needed. Some things Are suited for the counting method, sure. Some things need to be talked about, sure. I'd offer that the time for counting is at the very beginning of both stages, beginner student AND teacher. Counting is like training wheels, and it gives both people a framework in which to learn, not fall down and skin a knee or bust a head. Talking, and I am specifically meaning talking "at length" on some concept or other, in my opinion, should be done in the dojo, but off of the mat. The mat is a participant in training, and it's not there just to hold people up while they're shooting the breeze. Respect the time on the mat, as for most folks, it is there and only there that you can actually DO the art you're learning. Maximizing the movement-time, therefore getting the reps in, is what the mat is about. Those chairs over there off to the side and front of the school are for discussing things that take more than 20-30 seconds to utter, either question or correction.
My first adult aikido instructor, Ray, worked nights int he hospital. Sometimes, he'd come in to teach after being up for a full day, nd be operating on a pot of coffee and no food. For some reason, sometimes, he'd get excited about something someone had done (or perhaps disgusted would be the right word but he didn't let anyone know that, good guy that he was) and he'd set about eplaining what, how, when the whatever was not done right, and "fix" it, maybe talking for 20 to 45 minutes of class. I asked him about it once, and he really had no idea he'd been talking that long (I asked him off the mat, away from anyone else, btw). Not having a clue, he didn't think it was that long. So, I went and got one of the senior ranks, brought him in, nd asked him "How long did Ray talk about the oshitaioshi off-balance on Monday? He wants to know."
A: "I think it was at least a half-hour." Then I got another one, "Well, I glanced up at the clock a few minutes in... then again when he opened class back up again, and it was 40 minutes later." Ray was stunned. It' was obviously the coffee buzz and lack of sleep, but he should have known better. As Buka said, the lower ranks who literally understood nothing of what he was talking about were standing around, staring glassy-eyed at him, us, the walls... the floor... the door. Not good. I grant you, it was Great information, but completely the wrong time for it.
Give people knowledge in short, easily digestible "bites," if you will. Say short little catch phrases, whatever they are for the style you're involved in teaching. Some of mine are: Stand up straight, natural. You're not at parade rest. Get your weight off your heels. Unbendable arms don't mean locked, locked arms get broken. The body moves as a unit, that's where your power is, it's not in your arms, I don't care if you Do have 25-inch biceps. Move your whole body. Foot and hand timing, land both at the same time (that's not a kicking comment, btw... I can see my old TKD bretheren going "WTF?" and not about the federation, either) Hands are worthless if they are at your sides. Hands in front of you. Stop going backwards, backwards is where the dead people moved.
Say those things, and keep saying those things. Ray used to say, "Keep pouring water on the rock. Sooner or later it'll crack open and the water will get inside." Trying to practice perfectly leads to really good technique, and if a flaw creeps in, I've found that it takes nearly 3 times as long to unlearn the flaw and replace it with the correct method, so you've got to be on the ball with folks. But, you've also got to understand that those same people you are trying to instill perfect technique in aren't perfect, and neither are you. Perfect is the enemy of good enough, and you've got to be able to recognize Good Enough.
I could go on for a long time, but I sense that the readership is sitting around, staring glassy-eyed at the screen, me, the walls... the floor... the door. So, I'll stop.
