What do you guys think about the mirrors in yur studio?

[geezer]

I guess it depends on the style. For WT, mirrors have limited utility for forms, and that's about it, since for chi-sau, you may even practice with your eyes closed. I also do FMA, and I don't want to practice anywhere near a mirror, especially if we are training disarms...

...and then there's those ninja guys. I don't suppose they bother with mirrors at all...

...after all it's "the art of invisibility"!

 

[Sukerkin]

As another persepective, my sensei has many decades in the martial arts and one of the things he has warned us about as being endemic in martial arts training is allowing the 'room' to dictate what we do.

By this he means that you get used to facing a certain way and seeing a certain view - in time, this can come to control your actions such that if you have to face a different way it actually becomes very hard to do your kata !

I can attest to the truth of this from when I first started helping out with instruction. I was suddenly facing the 'wrong' way and whilst I was fine for techniques going straight ahead, techniques on an angle or facing left or right were terribly dificult to do correctly. Of course, the circumstance was made worse because my mind was full of explanations of what the kata is about and what to avoid but the principle is still valid.

I would imagine that mirrors make that even worse.

 

[bowser666]

They are a great instructional aid. However they are simply to help you analyze posture, stances, and overall positioning. Just don't let them confuse you. Only use them to look at basic stuff. If that makes any sense

 

[IcemanSK]

They are a great aid for self-correction.IMO.

 

[YoungMan]

A few mirrors are great for self correction and checking form. Too many are distracting.

 

[cdunn]

We have full mirrors on 2 walls, and half-mirrors on one wall. I find them more useful for Haidong forms than for Tang Soo.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Our new school doesn't have them, but or old one had them on one wall. It was good to be able to say, 'look at how this stance should look and look at how you look'.

I don't think that the mirrors are a must have and I don't really miss them, though I do think that having another teaching tool at your disposal is always good.

Daniel

 

[ares]

As for myself, I love the mirrors. When I do forms I can look to see if my feet are correct. When my instructor demonstrates, you can see both sides of the action. Some of the younger students look in the mirror to just look at themselves, but the teacher puts a stop to it pretty fast.

 

[Fiendlover]

So what do you guys think about the mirrors in your school (if you have them)? Do you use them or do you think that they are just one more thing you can't throw your buddy into?

I know at one school I was at I got in trouble for looking into them during testing time. I even got caught looking in them when I honestly was not looking in them at all. If we were to get caught looking in them during our test our instructors would assume that we were looking at someone else to see how to do something, which put bad marks on us during the test.

But on the other hand I have been at a school that somewhat encouraged the lower belt to use them to watch the upper belts during a test. So how dose this situation roll at your school?

Our mirrors are used to just show us how we look when we are doing our forms to see if we are doing it right and to catch ourselves if we aren't by observing obvious mistakes that you wouldn't see if you didn't have a mirror. That's about it. We don't get marked off for looking at it or anything.

 

[tshadowchaser]

No mirrors in mine. Way to many sticks and other things flying around

If a student wants to look at themselves in the mirror they can do it at home

 

[astrobiologist]

I guess I'm a little spoiled... Since my father also owns a sign business which has been very successful, he and his wife were able to afford a gigantic building for our school. We're in a 15,000 sq. ft. bank building, built in 1899. The building is great and we have a lot of space, so we've made more than one training floor.

Our main floor has no mirrors. That's where I usually teach. I grew up always having mirrors, but it wasn't hard to work without them.

Our second largest training area, which we call the Dragon Room, has three walls covered with mirrors and parts of the ceiling as well. After the bank left, but before we moved in, there was a vintage clothing store here, so the guy who owned it put in these mirrors for a show room.

I like having the mirrors around in case I want a student to see some body mechanics in action with the mirror. For instance, the other night, I was working with my girlfriend on a problem I had been seeing. She really needed to see what she was doing in the mirror before she knew what I was talking about.

 

[fnorfurfoot]

At the Y that I used to teach at we had floor to ceiling mirrors along one wall. I would have the students line up facing the mirrors for basics and certain drills so they could used their reflection as targets. Also, it helped them correct errors in posture. The two major problems I had with them were that students would forget to look behind themselves during back kicks because they can see what is behind them in the mirror and the little kids just loved looking at themselves when they should be paying attention to the instructor. Looking up their noses, in their mouths, checking their hair, or just making faces at themselves. That was mostly a problem whenever they were sitting because I was demonstrating something or they were waiting for their turn to demonstrate something themselves.

Now I am getting ready to start classes at a new location. I have mirrors there as well but my plan is to hang them horizontally a couple of feet off the ground so the kids wont have anything to look at when they are sitting but they will still be able to see during basics.

 

[chinto]

So what do you guys think about the mirrors in your school (if you have them)? Do you use them or do you think that they are just one more thing you can't throw your buddy into?

I know at one school I was at I got in trouble for looking into them during testing time. I even got caught looking in them when I honestly was not looking in them at all. If we were to get caught looking in them during our test our instructors would assume that we were looking at someone else to see how to do something, which put bad marks on us during the test.

But on the other hand I have been at a school that somewhat encouraged the lower belt to use them to watch the upper belts during a test. So how dose this situation roll at your school?

mirrors are a great tool to teach self correction and well to use in self correction of form in kata. they are a tool, and a good one. we have them and do use them.

 

[Gyakuto]

Mirrors can be an invaluable training aid (as are video recordings). They give you a different visual angle as feedback allowing one to check one’s techniques at rest and in motion.

If you find yourself staring at your reflection in admiration….well, we’re all human…but simply turn you back to the mirror for a while. If someone ‘tells you off’ for doing so, then I’d suggest you ask to be treated like the adult you probably are!

 

[Jimmythebull]

don´t like training in front of a mirror, even weight training. Mirrors in a home gym can give a sense of more space but not needed IMO.

 

[Hanshi]

I consider mirrors in dojo an almost essential tool. I live in New England and the dojo I've so far visited have them. They are just fine as long as I don't see my own reflection.

 

[Gyakuto]

I consider mirrors in dojo an almost essential tool. I live in New England and the dojo I've so far visited have them. They are just fine as long as I don't see my own reflection.

At least you can see your reflection

 

[Alan0354]

I won't go as far to INSTALL mirrors. But I just look at the reflection on my big flat screen tv to check my body movements while swinging the stick or punching. That's good enough for me. I think it's useful to monitor the movement, but people have to answer their own question whether it's worth installing mirrors.

 

[Gyakuto]

I’d love to hear the reason(s) why mirrors are considered to be detrimental to progress.

 

[Jimmythebull]

I’d love to hear the reason(s) why mirrors are considered to be detrimental to progress.

I find mirrors distracting. It also gives me a feeling of being watched ( OK if you've a big ego ) because people look in the mirror not just at themselves but look at others. Talking about a Gym here. I also have heard this from women who in most cases don't want men perving on them. Believe me it happens.
Now in a martial arts Studio or dance studio it might be different for people.
Another thing is how good is the mirror quality? Is it slightly angled, giving a slightly inacurate Image.
But all in all I find them distracting