In Theory, In Practice
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ClanLeader
Jan 21, 2008, 4:53:44 PM1/21/08
to Quest List
As a long time student of the martial arts (27 years now), I have been
witness to many different strategies on how a martial arts studio or
training group should be run. Granted that according to the means at
your disposal, you (as an instructor) would try to streamline the
teaching process to match your student body and facilities in order to
produce the best results. That being stated, at which point do you
believe as a martial artist that the "result" that the instructor may
be rushing you towards is not necessarily the real goal you desire?
In other words, when you started training, you did it for a reason.
How many of you though will move on to another goal before reaching
this imaginary result that was the original target point for your
training?
In Theory, as an instructor, you could set up a school that would
streamline the training process to put out black belts (the usual
imaginary result) as quickly as possible while retaining an acceptable
level of quality in the student population. In fact, this process is
what generally occurs in order to allow the trainer to make up lesson
plans that fit a timetable that is foreseeable to the student and
instructor alike. This insures that the instructor teaches the same
lesson over and over, getting better at delivering the message each
time while the student progresses at an expected rate towards the next
rank. It has been wildly successful and is the standard way in which
Tae Kwon Do became so immense and has retained its foothold on the
business world of the martial arts. Not to say that every school
following this standard will be successful, but it can increase the
mean for success across large numbers of schools. So, what does that
mean for me if I am a student? Well...
In Practice, what the above training means is this. Your instructor
is too busy running a school with multiple students that all need his
direct attention. This is to be expected and you truthfully can't
fault the instructor for this problem. I mean, if the guy is good at
what he does, he most likely will be busy with students coming through
the doors. Also, it would be selfish to expect your instructor to
ditch students and lose money that feeds his family just to increase
the quality of your training. The above training practices release
black belts into the world with little or no direction similar to how
college will spit you out into the real world with little or no
experience and high expectations. Does it mean they all produce lame
black belts? No. Not at all. It just means that the roll of those
die is heavily in favor of the house winning. The instructor has set
a system up by which you can progress at a rate. Note that I didn't
say a 30% per month rate. The rate is not determinable nor does it
have to be. It just has to be forwardly mobile. Let's say the
program says it takes between 5-8 years to get a black belt. Pretty
much the industry standard right now. First off, the martial arts
school phrases it that way for a reason. In other words, if they told
you that it took between 60 months and 96 months then it makes the 36
total months of sway much more obvious and a lot more imposing than
the single digit 5-8 years. That's very basic, but very much a factor
in this Theory. The instructor's next job is to lock you in to the
training by addicting you to "the next step". If he can manage to get
your desire up regarding whatever that next step in your training is,
then you are going to come back. If you are going to come back, then
you are going to pay. Every now and again, the instructor will gain a
student who stands out and "proves" the methods of training work. You
must realize that these are the first individuals that he will recruit
to help him teach in the future because they will BELIEVE in the
training and what it did for them and most of the time will help for
dirt cheap because of it. Over time, the instructor comes to believe
that this success is not due to shrewd business tactics, but instead
due to a combination of his martial art rockin' and him or her being
an awesome instructor at it. Also over time, it will be very hard for
the onlooker to prove or say any different because those "flash in the
pan" students will become more plentiful. The die come up seven on
the first roll every now and again, you know. The training then
becomes an institution meaning that it has structure and shape and
proven experimental trial students to point at and say, "Look it
works!"
So, what is the solution? Does the instructor need to do away with
his successful practices? Do you need to move to the moutains and
train under a mountain ascetic? Do you need to give up martial arts
all together and do something that has a modern usage for folks not in
the military or police services? The answer is so blindingly simple
that it may change how you train forever so be prepared. If you
thought this made sense so far and want to know keep scrolling
down... If you don't like this malarky so far, you definitely won't
like nor make use of the solution so don't bother...
The Solution:
The reason that martial arts suffer this dillemma between effective
training and real world business practices is simple. Martial Arts as
a whole are not applicable or respected in the real world business
practice arena any more. A qualification for your state
representative is rarely "Must have a black belt". Former CEO's
looking for work don't tend to put "I got a brown belt in Aikido" on
their resume. In the early 90's, the classic "The Art of War" got
major media attention as being a guidebook on doing business with the
Japanese corporate monster that was moving our way. It was the first
time in my lifetime that I saw a piece of Martial Arts History meld
with a feeling in the business world in a way that could be
respected. And the reason was simple: Fiscal results on both sides
of the equation could be verified. The "Business World" KNEW that it
made money with these theories. Companies became larger using them
effectively. People involved with their use became wealthy. The
corporation that was bought out and the corporation that bought both
felt like they came out with a benefit that could have a price tag
slapped on it. Tangibility.
The Solution to the sea of mediocre training locations is not found in
the training methods of your instructor. No matter what program the
instructor tries, if you do not employ the martial arts in your life
in such a way that there is a "tangible" result, you will not find out
what it means to be a martial artist and therefore will never gain
even the "imaginary result" that your instructor has planned. YOU
must determine to live your life as a martial artist to experience
both results, and that is the solution. "But you said it was
simple!" Let me explain "simplicity" in a way that you may have heard
before as a martial artist.
"When you eat, just eat. When you sleep, just sleep. When you walk,
just walk."
This is a Zen Koan that is meant in general to make you question the
level of complication in your life and focus you on the "stop and
smell the roses" idea. Simplicity is a direct result of a lack of
complication. The day you decide to invest in the martial arts, you
are a martial artist. To live as if you are not one, and then to
return to your class on Tuesdays and Thursdays to be one... Is this
practice respected among church goers? Politicians? Parents?
Bosses? Teachers? Is hypocrisy in any form a lauded practice? No.
No it is not.
I won't presume to tell you the avenue by which you should travel to
discover this for yourself. You will have to learn what a "Martial
Artist" is on your own. It will not be easy. It will be murderous to
the person you are now in the hopes of being reborn in this image that
you expect. Like all investments that have large payoffs, there are
risks. Sometimes they are life altering in both good and bad ways.
So, before you go back to the school, or darken the door of it for the
first time... take a minute and think about what you want this to do
for you... If you can't visualize this result, then don't do it.
Wait until you can if it means that much to you. We respect the elder
Masters in the martial arts for a reason. Their training put them in
positions of influence. Their students became statesmen and civil
leaders and military geniuses. They carried their confidence and
abilities into direct use and therefore saw a tangible result. Don't
continue to allow the results of your training only produce results in
one man's pocket. Your training is valuable. Make it real to your
family why you do this. Make it real to your boss and co-workers what
makes you live this way. It is the only way... and when you think
about it...
Would you want this type of training to be any other way?
Jon Kingsley
Clan Leader
Charlotte Warrior Heart Association
Charlotte, NC
704-545-7257
jonathan...@gmail.com
witness to many different strategies on how a martial arts studio or
training group should be run. Granted that according to the means at
your disposal, you (as an instructor) would try to streamline the
teaching process to match your student body and facilities in order to
produce the best results. That being stated, at which point do you
believe as a martial artist that the "result" that the instructor may
be rushing you towards is not necessarily the real goal you desire?
In other words, when you started training, you did it for a reason.
How many of you though will move on to another goal before reaching
this imaginary result that was the original target point for your
training?
In Theory, as an instructor, you could set up a school that would
streamline the training process to put out black belts (the usual
imaginary result) as quickly as possible while retaining an acceptable
level of quality in the student population. In fact, this process is
what generally occurs in order to allow the trainer to make up lesson
plans that fit a timetable that is foreseeable to the student and
instructor alike. This insures that the instructor teaches the same
lesson over and over, getting better at delivering the message each
time while the student progresses at an expected rate towards the next
rank. It has been wildly successful and is the standard way in which
Tae Kwon Do became so immense and has retained its foothold on the
business world of the martial arts. Not to say that every school
following this standard will be successful, but it can increase the
mean for success across large numbers of schools. So, what does that
mean for me if I am a student? Well...
In Practice, what the above training means is this. Your instructor
is too busy running a school with multiple students that all need his
direct attention. This is to be expected and you truthfully can't
fault the instructor for this problem. I mean, if the guy is good at
what he does, he most likely will be busy with students coming through
the doors. Also, it would be selfish to expect your instructor to
ditch students and lose money that feeds his family just to increase
the quality of your training. The above training practices release
black belts into the world with little or no direction similar to how
college will spit you out into the real world with little or no
experience and high expectations. Does it mean they all produce lame
black belts? No. Not at all. It just means that the roll of those
die is heavily in favor of the house winning. The instructor has set
a system up by which you can progress at a rate. Note that I didn't
say a 30% per month rate. The rate is not determinable nor does it
have to be. It just has to be forwardly mobile. Let's say the
program says it takes between 5-8 years to get a black belt. Pretty
much the industry standard right now. First off, the martial arts
school phrases it that way for a reason. In other words, if they told
you that it took between 60 months and 96 months then it makes the 36
total months of sway much more obvious and a lot more imposing than
the single digit 5-8 years. That's very basic, but very much a factor
in this Theory. The instructor's next job is to lock you in to the
training by addicting you to "the next step". If he can manage to get
your desire up regarding whatever that next step in your training is,
then you are going to come back. If you are going to come back, then
you are going to pay. Every now and again, the instructor will gain a
student who stands out and "proves" the methods of training work. You
must realize that these are the first individuals that he will recruit
to help him teach in the future because they will BELIEVE in the
training and what it did for them and most of the time will help for
dirt cheap because of it. Over time, the instructor comes to believe
that this success is not due to shrewd business tactics, but instead
due to a combination of his martial art rockin' and him or her being
an awesome instructor at it. Also over time, it will be very hard for
the onlooker to prove or say any different because those "flash in the
pan" students will become more plentiful. The die come up seven on
the first roll every now and again, you know. The training then
becomes an institution meaning that it has structure and shape and
proven experimental trial students to point at and say, "Look it
works!"
So, what is the solution? Does the instructor need to do away with
his successful practices? Do you need to move to the moutains and
train under a mountain ascetic? Do you need to give up martial arts
all together and do something that has a modern usage for folks not in
the military or police services? The answer is so blindingly simple
that it may change how you train forever so be prepared. If you
thought this made sense so far and want to know keep scrolling
down... If you don't like this malarky so far, you definitely won't
like nor make use of the solution so don't bother...
The Solution:
The reason that martial arts suffer this dillemma between effective
training and real world business practices is simple. Martial Arts as
a whole are not applicable or respected in the real world business
practice arena any more. A qualification for your state
representative is rarely "Must have a black belt". Former CEO's
looking for work don't tend to put "I got a brown belt in Aikido" on
their resume. In the early 90's, the classic "The Art of War" got
major media attention as being a guidebook on doing business with the
Japanese corporate monster that was moving our way. It was the first
time in my lifetime that I saw a piece of Martial Arts History meld
with a feeling in the business world in a way that could be
respected. And the reason was simple: Fiscal results on both sides
of the equation could be verified. The "Business World" KNEW that it
made money with these theories. Companies became larger using them
effectively. People involved with their use became wealthy. The
corporation that was bought out and the corporation that bought both
felt like they came out with a benefit that could have a price tag
slapped on it. Tangibility.
The Solution to the sea of mediocre training locations is not found in
the training methods of your instructor. No matter what program the
instructor tries, if you do not employ the martial arts in your life
in such a way that there is a "tangible" result, you will not find out
what it means to be a martial artist and therefore will never gain
even the "imaginary result" that your instructor has planned. YOU
must determine to live your life as a martial artist to experience
both results, and that is the solution. "But you said it was
simple!" Let me explain "simplicity" in a way that you may have heard
before as a martial artist.
"When you eat, just eat. When you sleep, just sleep. When you walk,
just walk."
This is a Zen Koan that is meant in general to make you question the
level of complication in your life and focus you on the "stop and
smell the roses" idea. Simplicity is a direct result of a lack of
complication. The day you decide to invest in the martial arts, you
are a martial artist. To live as if you are not one, and then to
return to your class on Tuesdays and Thursdays to be one... Is this
practice respected among church goers? Politicians? Parents?
Bosses? Teachers? Is hypocrisy in any form a lauded practice? No.
No it is not.
I won't presume to tell you the avenue by which you should travel to
discover this for yourself. You will have to learn what a "Martial
Artist" is on your own. It will not be easy. It will be murderous to
the person you are now in the hopes of being reborn in this image that
you expect. Like all investments that have large payoffs, there are
risks. Sometimes they are life altering in both good and bad ways.
So, before you go back to the school, or darken the door of it for the
first time... take a minute and think about what you want this to do
for you... If you can't visualize this result, then don't do it.
Wait until you can if it means that much to you. We respect the elder
Masters in the martial arts for a reason. Their training put them in
positions of influence. Their students became statesmen and civil
leaders and military geniuses. They carried their confidence and
abilities into direct use and therefore saw a tangible result. Don't
continue to allow the results of your training only produce results in
one man's pocket. Your training is valuable. Make it real to your
family why you do this. Make it real to your boss and co-workers what
makes you live this way. It is the only way... and when you think
about it...
Would you want this type of training to be any other way?
Jon Kingsley
Clan Leader
Charlotte Warrior Heart Association
Charlotte, NC
704-545-7257
jonathan...@gmail.com
dspau...@tc3net.com
Jan 24, 2008, 1:42:53 AM1/24/08
to Quest...@googlegroups.com
22 years ago at the age of 10 I realized I wanted to be a ninja. October
15, 2005 I started my training under an instructor. My goal is the same
now as it was then only broader and with more thought behind it.
I believe that our instructors don't care about how many black belts
they put out. Rather they care about the QUALITY of black belts they put
out. They spend as much time as possible making sure our lessons can be
understood by everyone. If you have a hard time they are right there to
answer your questions. I understand that there is a business end to this
but I don't believe that they would waste a students time to satisfy
their wallets. If they were I would have stopped going there a while
ago.
I also don't believe in the "hook" or "next step" to keep you coming
back. I knew many years ago what I wanted out of this and I am still
here. The student has to figure out what they want and they have to
figure out was is right for them. If someone walks in then out in a
month then so be it. Maybe it wasn't right for them. Who`s to say but
the person that left.
Our instructor`s constantly ask "Why are you doing this?"" How will this
better you?" They make you think about every action and thought that you
do. They want you to be the best person that you can be with hope of
becoming a tatsujin. They care about their students.
How do I know this? Simple. I talk to them. Before class, during class,
and after class. I call them and I email them and sometimes hang out
with them. I have two families. My blood family and my martial arts
family. I care for them as much as I do for my blood family.
Maybe I do pay more then most other students in other arts. I don't
care. It is worth it. My heart has been redeemed. My mind has been made
clear. I have made some great friends. I am on a path that has no end
and I love it!!!
Will I be in class this Saturday? You bet. Next year? Of course. The
rest of my life? Damn right. This is my dream. I am living it and you
cant put a price on that.
15, 2005 I started my training under an instructor. My goal is the same
now as it was then only broader and with more thought behind it.
I believe that our instructors don't care about how many black belts
they put out. Rather they care about the QUALITY of black belts they put
out. They spend as much time as possible making sure our lessons can be
understood by everyone. If you have a hard time they are right there to
answer your questions. I understand that there is a business end to this
but I don't believe that they would waste a students time to satisfy
their wallets. If they were I would have stopped going there a while
ago.
I also don't believe in the "hook" or "next step" to keep you coming
back. I knew many years ago what I wanted out of this and I am still
here. The student has to figure out what they want and they have to
figure out was is right for them. If someone walks in then out in a
month then so be it. Maybe it wasn't right for them. Who`s to say but
the person that left.
Our instructor`s constantly ask "Why are you doing this?"" How will this
better you?" They make you think about every action and thought that you
do. They want you to be the best person that you can be with hope of
becoming a tatsujin. They care about their students.
How do I know this? Simple. I talk to them. Before class, during class,
and after class. I call them and I email them and sometimes hang out
with them. I have two families. My blood family and my martial arts
family. I care for them as much as I do for my blood family.
Maybe I do pay more then most other students in other arts. I don't
care. It is worth it. My heart has been redeemed. My mind has been made
clear. I have made some great friends. I am on a path that has no end
and I love it!!!
Will I be in class this Saturday? You bet. Next year? Of course. The
rest of my life? Damn right. This is my dream. I am living it and you
cant put a price on that.
Daniel Spaulding
Adrian, MI
Ann Arbor Quest
DeafNinja
Jan 24, 2008, 12:28:40 PM1/24/08
to Quest...@googlegroups.com
I am not a Quest Student anymore, and I haven't been for quite some time, however I like to read some of the threads from time to time. I must say that this response is right to the point and should give some people a different perspective of their training, why and how they train.
It is UP TO THE STUDENT, to determine with whom, where and how they train. Each person's goal varies from one other. I realized a long time ago that the Quest Center way of things wasn't right for me. My reasons are my own however it is MY training and I am the one responsible for it, not someone else.
I encourage everyone to keep that following in mind. Why are you training? And remember, YOU are responsible for your training and what you get out of your training!
hatsumi sensei quoted once, which has always stuck in my mind everytime I train.
"Your life is on the line! Practice well!"
Good luck in your quests!
M.Goddard
Bujinkan
Dayton, OH
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