Potential Student's First Class

[Brian King]

What should this be? How do you approach this without potentially turning him/her off?

Azulx,
Trust yourself and your art. Do not worry about turning him or her off...or on. Just train and let your art do the selling. If they are a good fit great, if not that is ok too. Lots of martial paths in the world and perhaps this is just not the right time or place for you and the student to travel together.
If there are safety issues (such as doing throws and take downs) help them explore falling safely. Then just let them train. The process of training will provide them questions and so just be there to answer the questions that they ask.
Good luck
Regards
Brian King

 

[Ironbear24]

Not all students are 200 lb. guys who need a quick demonstration in the power of technique

Not all 200 pound dudes are like me, some are smarter and nice ;D.

 

[RTKDCMB]

At the right school all the teaching should be first class.

 

[Buka]

Business wise, maybe think like the student before you start, not like the teacher. Make them want to come back. What made you want to come back? What made your dojo mates want to come back? You've probably talked about it.

Martial wise, teach them. Period.
In a striking art, dojo etiquette and protocol are the obvious first step/ first class. (first techniques thrown in) They eat that up anyway, it's an easy experience for them. It doesn't hurt and they usually feel like they're part of something they haven't experienced before.

The easiest second step are some basic techniques, exercise, stretching etc,

Application is another discussion.

 

[marques]

- body unification (all body parts move and stop at the same time), and...

Is it as simple as that? I found that term many times in French and never understood. I thought it was something esoteric. Thanks.

 

[WaterGal]

What should this be? How do you approach this without potentially turning him/her off?

What's been working for us really well lately for our TKD program is do a short private class for their first class, and cover:
- basic school etiquette
- a couple basic warm-ups/stretches
- fighting stance
- straight punch
- front kick
- axe kick

You could teach a basic block instead, maybe teach a little piece of a form or some footwork.... it's up to you, but I think the big thing is to get them comfortable with you and your school, and to stick to a few very basic techniques. Unless they have past experience, this is all totally new to them and possibly a little intimidating. So help them feel like this is a thing that, with time, they can really learn, and a place where they'll feel welcome (aka don't be Cobra Kai, lol).

 

[Gerry Seymour]

What's been working for us really well lately for our TKD program is do a short private class for their first class, and cover:
- basic school etiquette
- a couple basic warm-ups/stretches
- fighting stance
- straight punch
- front kick
- axe kick

You could teach a basic block instead, maybe teach a little piece of a form or some footwork.... it's up to you, but I think the big thing is to get them comfortable with you and your school, and to stick to a few very basic techniques. Unless they have past experience, this is all totally new to them and possibly a little intimidating. So help them feel like this is a thing that, with time, they can really learn, and a place where they'll feel welcome (aka don't be Cobra Kai, lol).

There should be a LOT of attention in the first class, IMO, to help them get acquainted, learn the rules, etc. The private class works well for this. If I have a student start in a regular class, I don't get to spend much time with the full class unless I have a relatively senior student who can shepherd the new person.

 

[JR 137]

So help them feel like this is a thing that, with time, they can really learn, and a place where they'll feel welcome (aka don't be Cobra Kai, lol).

What if they want Cobra-Kai? When I first started, I wanted Cobra-Kai. I found a Kyokushin offshoot. My sensei even looked like Sensei Kreese. Picture Kreese with a mullet (same hairstyle in front, long and curly in the back), and you've got a visual of my original sensei. We wore white gis with sleeves though.

My sensei was a great guy. Pretty sure he still is.

 

[Ironbear24]

At the place I been going to we are very gung go, because of that many people don't come back. This isn't that big of a deal though because we get people who understand martial arts is not easy.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Is it as simple as that? I found that term many times in French and never understood. I thought it was something esoteric. Thanks.

Here is an example.

- You have right leg forward.
- Your opponent shoots in with "single leg".
- You step back your leading leg, put hands on the back of his head and press his head down to the ground.

Here is another example.

- You are in rhino guard.
- Your opponent punches at your head.
- You freeze your arms, you move your hip, your hip move your body, your body move your arms.

In both training drills, Beginners can learn "hands, legs, and body all start to move at the same time and stop at the same time". It's different from "isolate arms from the body (freeze the body and only move the arm)".

IMO, the "body unification" principle should be addressed during day one.

 

[JowGaWolf]

For me I give students a couple of "easy wins" by covering the basics. By basics I mean, the core foundations that may Jow Ga Kung Fu effective. The core foundations are the things that the student will need in order to progress. For example, in Jow Ga our legs are the most important so much of our training is centered around strong stances. I let student know the focus of our training, so they aren't surprised. Foundations are also good when it comes to progress because everything is build off the foundation. If that is weak then everything that comes from it will be weak. I find that if I'm up front with that, students are more willing to accept the difficult training.

I always want new students to start on the right foot. I want them to "fall in line" and get with the program. I don't want renegades who think they have a better way of doing things. They can share their thoughts on their "better way to do things" after they have trained Jow Ga for 5 years. Until then I just really need for them to follow the "Jow Ga" way.

Regardless of what you do. YOU MUST SET EXPECTATIONS FOR YOUR STUDENT. You student should know what you expect of them and from them on day 1. If you expect students to train hard then be up front with that. You don't need to be a jerk about it. But telling the student that EVERYONE trains hard and EVERYONE gives their best, is a way to set that expectation.

Any behaviors that corrupts training or decreases the effectiveness of training needs to be set as a rule of what now to do or a rule of what is not accepted. For example, in my school we do not laugh at each other's ability. If a person is having difficultly we do not make that person feel less simply because they are having difficulty in learning. We always encourage and support.

 

[marques]

For me I give students a couple of "easy wins" by covering the basics.

I tried to said this. You chose better words.

Just want to add one thing. The instructor should check (feel, ask...) the students level, so the "easy wins" are not going to be too easy (boring, useless).

Actually, two things. The second one is in the long term, after students decided to stay, I think they will be more motivated by "hard wins", so they have an objective for the next classes/years.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I tried to said this. You chose better words.

Just want to add one thing. The instructor should check (feel, ask...) the students level, so the "easy wins" are not going to be too easy (boring, useless).

Actually, two things. The second one is in the long term, after students decided to stay, I think they will be more motivated by "hard wins", so they have an objective for the next classes/years.

Agreed.

Part of the reason I use the sequence I do in the first class is that I can adjust the material a bit to fit someone with more experience. So, if I get someone who has some fundamentals, I breeze through the wrist escapes and let them spend some time on the strikes with a striking pad or heavy bag. This person will also get some basic movement in that first class (which I wouldn't normally get to).

The idea is to start stretching the wins out immediately. I want a win or two the first class, then the next week, then the next two weeks, etc. There are long stretches where the wins come sporadically, so I want to condition them to those over time, as those will be the wins that eventually become most important to them.

 

[kuniggety]

Since some people didn't like my humor of white belts being cannon fodder.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Since some people didn't like my humor of white belts being cannon fodder.

It's not that we didn't like it. We didn't get that it was humor. We do make jokes about it a lot. My instructor (who isn't really known for joking around in class like I am) at least once introduced a new student as, "This is 'Fresh Meat'...I mean, Bob."

 

[Andrew Green]

What should this be? How do you approach this without potentially turning him/her off?

A taste of what you do. They should get a bit of a workout, should learn enough to have fun, should definitely have fun, and save the details for later. Should come out thinking "that was fun, I want to do that and feel like I am capable of doing that"

 

[Balrog]

What should this be? How do you approach this without potentially turning him/her off?

Find out what the new student's expectations are and tailor that intro lesson to hit one or more of those expectations.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Find out what the new student's expectations are and tailor that intro lesson to hit one or more of those expectations.

This is something I actually don't do. I don't see anything wrong with it, it's just not my approach. I want them to see what we do, and be able to decide if it's a fit for them. I'm hoping that if it's not a fit, they'll figure that out (or at least get some inkling) from that first class.

 

[kuniggety]

It's not that we didn't like it. We didn't get that it was humor. We do make jokes about it a lot. My instructor (who isn't really known for joking around in class like I am) at least once introduced a new student as, "This is 'Fresh Meat'...I mean, Bob."

Even though I take my training (and fitness/health) seriously, I'm not about the whole Cobra Kai attitude. I'm the guy people always ask why he's smiling and am really mild mannered. Sarcasm/jokes are difficult on the internet.

That aside, I make no qualms stressing that I think the core of BJJ is learning how to use your body while under pressure. That's visualized as the small woman with a big dude on top of her. I think people should be introduced to the pressure early on otherwise they will not be really getting a good picture of what it's about and if it's really for them in the long run. You're gonna get sore joints, bruises on weird parts of your body (some visible), and be uncomfortably closed to other people' sweat (ie it dripping into your eyes and mouth) and it's not for everyone. And that's okay.

 

[Headhunter]

Business wise, maybe think like the student before you start, not like the teacher. Make them want to come back. What made you want to come back? What made your dojo mates want to come back? You've probably talked about it.

Martial wise, teach them. Period.
In a striking art, dojo etiquette and protocol are the obvious first step/ first class. (first techniques thrown in) They eat that up anyway, it's an easy experience for them. It doesn't hurt and they usually feel like they're part of something they haven't experienced before.

The easiest second step are some basic techniques, exercise, stretching etc,

Application is another discussion.

I remember what made me come back....I left my watch in the changing rooms.