How to Minimize the Psychological Impact of Injuries in Martial Arts Classes
Injuries happen in the martial arts. It’s not stamp collecting. They’re bound to happen sooner or later. At our dojo, we’ve been very fortunate in that we’ve had very few injuries occur in the 6 years we’ve been in operation. But when they do happen, it’s important to minimize their psychological effects in the dojo.
When a person gets injured it serves as a reminder that what we do has its risks, and this “reminder” can act as a virus that spreads negativity and doubt throughout the class and to those who witness the event. Students become more cautious in their performance of techniques, and this “cautiousness” can cause them to move in ways that actually lead to the very injuries they fear. (more…)
The Tao of Saying Goodbye – Part 2: Tips for Martial Arts Instructors
Last week, I offered tips for martial arts students on saying goodbye respectfully if they decide to quit or take a break from their training. Instructors, on the other side of the equation, have an even greater responsibility for responding well to students leaving. The way I look at it, martial arts instructors are leaders in the community. We should hold ourselves to the highest standards in our personal relationships, even under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Tips for Saying Goodbye as a Martial Arts Instructor
There are no two ways about it; saying goodbye to students is tough, and the longer the student has been with you, the harder it is. While the financial aspect can be a factor, more often than not, it is the personal relationship you’ve developed that makes it hard. Here are some tips for easing the process for both you and your students: (more…)
How Martial Arts Instructors Can Give More
Martial arts instructors have the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of their students. They give students the opportunity to improve their coordination, endurance, strength, flexibility, etc, but they can also help instil confidence, discipline, and mental clarity, which can benefit all areas of their lives. Most instructors very much want to help their students improve their lives. They become instructors with the best of intentions. Then what happens? They pour all their efforts into running great classes, but find that students come and go very quickly and the majority don’t stay for the long haul. Even the very best instructors face these issues, no matter how much experience they have or how many accolades they’ve received. Naturally, instructors then try to figure out how to make their students more loyal. (more…)
3 Different Takes on the Sensei-Student Relationship
I’ve trained at a lot of different types of martial arts schools and I have therefore seen wide variety of ways that instructors relate to and connect with their students, varying from uber-traditional to laid back, with many variations in between. There is no one “right” type, with benefits and drawbacks to whatever type one undertakes as an instructor. Each type attracts different types people. In this blog post, I’ll describe 3 different variations that I’ve seen. (more…)
Encouraging Personal Development in the Dojo
I was recently discussing the topic of encouraging personal development in the dojo with a newly belted Shodan who was visiting us. Like many Shodans, he has come to realize the profound impact that martial arts training has had on his life, above and beyond the simple benefits of self-defense and fitness, including self-confidence, mental fortitude, perseverance, exposure to different philosophies and lifestyles, etc. This led to a discussion on how to encourage this kind of personal development in the dojo. (more…)
The Disadvantages of Having a Friendly Dojo
The title for this post may seem odd, but there actually are some disadvantages to having warm, friendly, welcoming students at the dojo. Now I don’t want to come across like I’m complaining. I’m not. I love my students and look forward to seeing them every time I go to the dojo. I love to see everyone coming out for social nights. It gives me great pleasure to see everyone greeting each other with happy familiarity as they arrive at the dojo. And I’m sure new students who come to the dojo to try classes appreciate when people extend their hands in friendship, warmly introducing themselves to make them feel welcome. (more…)
Understanding Physical Biases in the Martial Arts
We all have our own biases when it comes to the martial arts. Sometimes these biases are based on the style(s) of martial arts we’ve studied. Sometimes they’re based on how our instructors have taught us. And sometimes, they are based on your individual body types.
When it comes to self-defense, I think martial artists should strive to broaden their perspective and look beyond the biases of their style(s) and their instructors to determine the best approach for their own body types. If you’re an instructor, you should be able to look beyond your own physicality’s biases and understand the biases of other people’s body types so you can help students learn the most practical approaches to self-defense for them. (more…)
5 Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Market a Martial Arts School
Non-McDojo martial arts schools often don’t do much in the way to market themselves because they’re often run with a low budget. There are, however, a number of easy, yet inexpensive ways to market a dojo, even if you don’t want to spend much money. (more…)
Why We Use the Coloured Belt (Kyu) System
Many people eschew the use of the coloured belt system (or ‘kyu’ ranks) as not being traditional to the Japanese roots, claiming that they are simply a carrot dangled to keep impatient westerners interested. Mikonosuke Kawaishi is generally regarded as the first to introduce various colored belts in Europe in 1935 when he started to teach Judo in Paris. He felt that western students would show greater progress if they had a visible system of many colored belts recognizing achievement and providing regular incentives who felt that it would help westerners learn and stay.
While that was the original reason for the introduction of the coloured belt system, and not an altogether complimentary one towards westerners at that, there are a number of other reasons why the system makes sense, even if it’s not used as a dangling carrot.
In our dojo, we use the various ranks to break up our students’ learning into logical blocks. This is to provide the best platform for learning for our students, to ensure that the proper foundation is being built so that people don’t focus always on learning new stuff when they don’t have the skills they need to move ahead. The kyu system is also designed to help keep people safe. If people don’t learn the proper skills before doing live training like sparring or grappling, the chances of injury are greatly increased.
Belt/kyu gradings give us teachers a system whereby we periodically take a focused look at our students’ progress to ensure they have learned what they need to know before moving on to more advanced curriculum. In our dojo, a new belt is not a trophy to be coveted or lorded over other students, nor would we ever put up with such behaviour. It is meant to indicate what level of curriculum the student knows, serving as a guide for us teachers. It also helps newer students understand who can help them best when they need it.
This may not necessarily be the way it is done in dojos throughout Japan, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t equally valid in a western context. It is not necessarily a reflection of “the impatience of westerners.” Different cultures learn in different ways. In the west, people are more accustomed to systematized learning systems and tend to do best when knowledge is broken up into stepping stones.
At our dojo, you’re only invited to grade for the next belt level when you’re ready, as evaluated by the instructors. If a student takes twice as long as the average to move to the next level, so be it. I’ve had students wear the same belt for over a year, even two years without progressing. And I’m not talking about senior belts, I’m talking about lower levels here. If they haven’t learned what they need to learn to move on to the next level, they simply stay where they are. Many dojos would consider this practice bad for business, but in the kind of dojo I’m running, it is much worse for business to let people move up a level or learn curriculum they’re not ready for as it produces poor martial artists and can lead to injury (their own or others’).
This is not to say that I have anything against the traditional Japanese way, I just think that each way has its place and is relevant in different contexts both inter-culturally and even within one culture. Neither way should be looked down upon unless it is being improperly used (i.e. people are not learning what they need to learn) or with cynical motivations (just to make more money without care for quality).
Leadership Training Courses Now at Our Dojo
I recently had the privilege of attending the Assistant Instructor course for Jitsu Canada. This course is a requirement for the purple belt level in their organization. It’s a half-day course that trains students in the leadership skills that are expected of them at their belt level. They also have an Instructor course, required for brown belt and a Club Instructor course, required for 1st degree black belt.
Having a university background in Communication and Training, I have been meaning to put together some leadership courses tailored specifically for my Vancouver/Richmond BC martial arts dojo. I am now planning to run my first Assistant Instructor course early in the new year.
The purpose of this course is to teach intermediate colour belts how to run warm-ups and cool-downs, how to assist fellow students in their training, how to teach breakfalls, how to help fellow students with dojo etiquette, how to set an example for other students, etc. This will be a grading requirement to reach purple belt from now on. I will also be creating an Instructor course that will be required for brown belt, which teaches senior colour belts further leadership skills, classroom management skills, technique demonstration skills, etc. This is designed to support their learning as an apprentice instructor. Students of both classes will also receive manuals for reference.
Leadership is very important for the overall health of a dojo as newer students look to their seniors as an example of how to behave and what they can expect as they themselves develop. Most dojos impart these skills organically, meaning there are no set leadership classes. They simply lead by example and hope for the best. This can be an effective system, but sometimes certain information slips through the cracks. By having a set leadership training program, it ensures that everyone at certain belt levels are on the same page and that the leadership of the dojo is united in its approach.
And now to you… what is the leadership training like in your dojo? Do you find that it helps build effective leaders? What kinds of skills would you like to see in such a program?
We're proud to announce that Lori O'Connell Sensei's new book, When the Fight Goes to the Ground: Jiu-jitsu Strategies & Tactics for Self-Defense, published through international martial arts publisher Tuttle Publishing, is now available in major book stores and online. More about it & where to buy it.