I have a little story about a case of this happening in an Aikido class, and wanted to share as I feel it would make an excellent talking point.



We've all been to a class where the teacher is using a "seminar-style" of teaching at some point in the lesson. It's usually extremely effective, picking a student to come up to the front (usually a senior student) and demonstrating that technique to the rest of the class allows the other students to see a technique being applied, and gives them a more in-depth visual understanding of how that said technique operates.

However, in this case, this wasn't the best idea. This Aikido instructor, picks his newest student, a close family friend of mine and martial arts student of some 30 years, to the front. He proceeds to tell the class that he is going to ask the new student to attack him, as a means of showing how flexible this technique and so on.

The new student turns to the instructor and asks if this is really the best idea to demonstrate the technique. The instructor chuckles, and reassures my friend that no harm will come to either of them...

...The instructor soon after, lands on him back.

Now, here's where the problem begins.

After much talk about how there was an uneven balance in his Ki, the instructor asks his newest student to the front again. And asks him to "stand still" while he demonstrates a pressure point. He then, with seemingly no restraint, punches his newest student in the spine.

I can in my mind find no explanation for this teacher's conduct, other than petty ignorance. Not to mention what he was teaching seemed nothing like Aikido at all.

I am curious to see if anyone else has had similar experiences with teachers who, if slighted, become bitter and in some cases quite aggressive.

Your thoughts guys,

All the best

LSD<br><br>Post edited by: Liu Shui Dao, at: 2007/11/16 23:04

Ive never had that kind of experience in terms of blatent assault from an instructor. However I have been mugged once or twice!

When I used to do kickboxing with friends back in the school days, the instructor allowed us to fight senior grades who were much older, more experienced. They only thing that taught me was how to get a beating and you dont learn anything from that.

You dont really hear of these stories much anymore though I have to say. Its becoming much more of a professional industry and you need police checks etc.

Interesting story though. I hope the student got his own back!

I think he rose above it to be honest, had to have physio for a good 3-4 weeks after though.

And Pete, you were mugged? What happened?

Mugged as in been taken advantage of. Like I was saying in the above post where when I first started out in kickboxing it was not set up to encourage the beginner, rather it favoured the more experienced. Not a good learning environment I have to say!

As an instructor you should always want your students to be the best they can be. After all that is what they are being paid to do. Even if this means that they may get better than you!

I remember years ago completely mis-reading a kick that one of students threw at me in sparring. I lent into the kick and got a boot in the face. It was my student's reaction after the round that really stayed with me. He pointed out that I had taught him how to disguise the kick. Rather than being disappointed in me, he was pleased that I had shown him the technique and through practice he had been able to pull it off while sparring his instructor.

In general terms I think that martial arts can learn a lot from sport. Does a coach have to be better than the person he is coaching? Is Enzo Calzaghe a better boxer than Joe Calzaghe? Is Alex Ferguson a better footballer than Cristiano Ronaldo?

However, often martial arts put themselves seperate from elite sport and insists on a hierachical structure that I feel if abused can be counter productive to students. It often insists that the instructor is the best person in the room at everything even though their beer belly may suggest that they are not.

Now, don't get me wrong I think instructors have a responsibility to be the best they can be. They should want to be the best in the room, but not by holding back their students. As my students get better, I up my game against them and keeps me on my toes. However, I don't achieve this by holding back what I teach my students. If I see a hole in their game then I tell them and help them work on it and don't just exploit it.

I think problems can emerge as the instructor gets older and isn't as good as they were when they were younger. On one side they are physically slower and weaker, but on the other hand they have numerous stripes on their belt so must be better than they were!?!

Hopefully I will grow old(er) gracefully and accept that younger guys will be more physically able than me. I think there are a few instructors who can't accept this and you see them coming up with random stuff (no contact KO's anyone?!?) to keep them &quot;better&quot; than their students.

take care
Steve

I think that we are also dealing with ego here and the ability to be an effective teacher.

Having recently come from a large taekwondo school, where there were several British team members, of course they could beat our instructor in sparring. What our instructor had though was a lot of experience and was able to mentor even the highest ability students in whatever sparring scenario.

I think if a teacher is jealous of their student, their ego is bigger than their martial spirit and is therefore, a bad teacher.

I firmly believe the teacher doesnt need to be better than the student, he just needs to know more, and to be able to get that over to the students efectively.

I personally love having new students to my class who have experience in other martial arts, and are sometimes better than me. I like to learn from these people..... I used to like having a guy down who I think was black belt in about 4 martial arts, up to a 4th dan in one of the grappling arts if i remember correctly. I was flattered he would train at my lowly club!

Yeah thats why you liked you having me down so I could teach you a few moves

Then theres always the cocky kid who strolls in, eyeing up the ladies and thinking hes the dog's bollox...

Im still waiting for the rematch! 2:1 to you?<br><br>Post edited by: PeteMills, at: 2008/01/05 02:01

Pete and Matt battle it out for Taekwondo glory?

This I have to see!!

Thats so two seasons ago!
And im sure its 2-0
I think my new years resolution is actually to give up TKD and find a sport thats bit better on my joints! Suggestions?