Themed classes vs. General all-bases class

[dvcochran]

Forms and stances obviously are. But that's usually about 5-10 minutes of class time.

Punching in forms is a bit different than punching outside of forms. For example, in forms we typically use a static front stance, or shift from back stance to front stance. We also do punches that are not covered in the forms. And when we do punches...it's usually for about 3-5 minutes.

Kicks are barely a part of the Taekwondo forms. The type of footwork you would use in TKD (such as sliding kicks, skipping kicks, drag kicks, and lateral movement) aren't really part of the forms, either.

We don't teach any forms that include 540 kicks, kip ups, and butterfly jumps.



At my school we have the Master, his wife, and me as instructors. Everyone else who helps out (even the couple that are higher rank than me) are assistant instructors. I'm not the CI, but as far as instructors go, I'm pretty high up on the list. Now, I'm not going to pretend to be anywhere near as good a martial artist or instructor as my Master and I still have a ton to learn on both fronts. But I have a good rapport with the students and their parents, and I'd probably get enough students to show up that it would be worth my time.

And the less that show up, the better for those that do!



Definitely not the case at my school. There is a TON to learn for each belt test, which means the majority of class time ends up spent on the curriculum. As a result, there isn't a whole lot of time to focus on any one thing. It also can cause issues trying to learn some things when we don't go over them much in class. When I first joined, we mostly had 1st degree black belts (probably 90% of our black belts) and the 2nd degree black belts felt frustrated that we spent 95% of the class time on 1st degree stuff.

It really sounds like you have your belt-to-belt wagon load too heavy. It sounds like it would be too easy to gloss over something just to get "ready" for testing.

 

[_Simon_]

We do themed classes, and had exactly this problem. So what we decided to do was to cycle through the themes during the month. So one week, Mondays and Tuesdays might be forms, and the next week, those classes will be sparring. We do have one class a week that's always sparring, because some people like to get extra sparring in, but the other classes change theme each week. That way, no matter which classes you come to, you'll still see everything.

Yeah I love that idea , to not have the themed classes set for certain nights but rotate them through from week to week.

Then again general classes tend rotate the emphasis like that in a way, just maybe not as focused.

 

[skribs]

It really sounds like you have your belt-to-belt wagon load too heavy. It sounds like it would be too easy to gloss over something just to get "ready" for testing.

I do feel that at times. But I also feel that we get much better work in some areas than we would at other Taekwondo schools. For example, the school I was at before basically did 90% forms and sparring. We'd do self defense maybe every other week, and it was more like "let's showcase a move you can do" and then we never practice it again. So we do have a lot in the test. But we also end up practicing what IS on the test quite a lot.

 

[skribs]

I do feel that at times. But I also feel that we get much better work in some areas than we would at other Taekwondo schools. For example, the school I was at before basically did 90% forms and sparring. We'd do self defense maybe every other week, and it was more like "let's showcase a move you can do" and then we never practice it again. So we do have a lot in the test. But we also end up practicing what IS on the test quite a lot.

To elaborate on this. At my old school, for example, we might learn a body grab defense one day. We'll practice it for 10-15 minutes that day and then never do it again. If you showed up that day, great! If not, too bad. We might do it again 4-5 months later. Maybe once every 2-3 weeks we'd do something extra like this.

At my current school, you learn three body grab defenses, and you practice them 5 minutes a class, but you practice them maybe once a week or once every other week for usually anywhere from 1-2 years. It becomes something ingrained in your physical memory.

But then anything off-script instead of being once every 2-3 weeks becomes something every 2-3 months as a result.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

To elaborate on this. At my old school, for example, we might learn a body grab defense one day. We'll practice it for 10-15 minutes that day and then never do it again. If you showed up that day, great! If not, too bad. We might do it again 4-5 months later. Maybe once every 2-3 weeks we'd do something extra like this.

At my current school, you learn three body grab defenses, and you practice them 5 minutes a class, but you practice them maybe once a week or once every other week for usually anywhere from 1-2 years. It becomes something ingrained in your physical memory.

But then anything off-script instead of being once every 2-3 weeks becomes something every 2-3 months as a result.

That is a trade-off. A balance between those might be best practice.

 

[dvcochran]

To elaborate on this. At my old school, for example, we might learn a body grab defense one day. We'll practice it for 10-15 minutes that day and then never do it again. If you showed up that day, great! If not, too bad. We might do it again 4-5 months later. Maybe once every 2-3 weeks we'd do something extra like this.

At my current school, you learn three body grab defenses, and you practice them 5 minutes a class, but you practice them maybe once a week or once every other week for usually anywhere from 1-2 years. It becomes something ingrained in your physical memory.

But then anything off-script instead of being once every 2-3 weeks becomes something every 2-3 months as a result.

Do you always to go back to the first body grab (or whatever) every class? That is where it really gets hard to find the time for everything. And hard for my pea brain to keep up with. We have 35 one-steps. I can usually get to the mid 20's on my own but then I need reminders. Once you get me started on the next one I am usually fine. Just can't get started on the higher ones most of the time.

 

[_Simon_]

Yeah that's the thing... it can be quite difficult when there's quite a bit in the syllabus to work on everything and keep it well-practiced on a consistent basis... perhaps here's where the themed classes shine?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yeah that's the thing... it can be quite difficult when there's quite a bit in the syllabus to work on everything and keep it well-practiced on a consistent basis... perhaps here's where the themed classes shine?

I think that might be the case. I've added quite a bit to what I teach from what was at my instructor's school. I have trouble getting around to everything (I only teach twice a week now), so themes can help out.

 

[skribs]

Do you always to go back to the first body grab (or whatever) every class? That is where it really gets hard to find the time for everything. And hard for my pea brain to keep up with. We have 35 one-steps. I can usually get to the mid 20's on my own but then I need reminders. Once you get me started on the next one I am usually fine. Just can't get started on the higher ones most of the time.

In the red belt class, when we do body grabs, we generally do the same 1-3 or 1-5.