The First Class Back Is Not a Test After a long break, students rarely come back exactly where they left off. Timing is usually off. Their circadian rhythm may be off too. Summer does that. Later nights. Later mornings. Different schedules. Less structure. And for a lot of kids, less physical activity. So if I take a student who has been off for most of July and August and immediately throw them into complicated poomsae, hard sparring drills, burpees and push-ups, it is probably going to be...
2 days ago • 3 min read
Changing the Drill Doesn’t Mean Lowering the Standard Parents sometimes want change from their child. Listen the first time. Pay attention. Stop doing this. Start doing that. And when the change does not happen, the natural reaction can be to repeat the instruction. Sometimes louder. Sometimes more often. I understand that. I do it in martial arts too. But over the years I have learned something: If the student is not changing, sometimes I have to change what I am doing first. That does not...
4 days ago • 3 min read
The Belt Is Winning Again There is a point in almost every beginner’s martial arts journey when the belt decides it no longer wants to participate. One side gets longer. The knot starts turning. The jacket opens. The student notices. And suddenly the drill has stopped because we are now performing emergency belt maintenance. Again. I understand it. In fact, I would probably be more concerned if they looked completely disheveled and did not notice. I want them to care about how they look. I...
7 days ago • 3 min read
You Can’t Give a Child Confidence Parents will sometimes tell me they want their child to become more confident. I understand what they mean. They want a child who is not scared every time something new or unfamiliar happens. But I don’t know if I can simply give a child confidence. I teach martial arts. If confidence is what they’re looking for, martial arts gives them plenty of opportunities to find it. That is different. The First Day Usually Looks Conservative A first-time student often...
8 days ago • 3 min read
I Can’t and I Won’t Are Not the Same Problem When a student is struggling with something, one of the easiest mistakes an instructor can make is assuming they simply aren't trying hard enough. Sometimes they aren't. But sometimes they genuinely can't do what you're asking them to do yet. Those are two very different problems. And if you treat can't like won't, you can make things worse. First, I Want to Know What I'm Looking At If a student is having trouble with a movement, I usually start at...
10 days ago • 4 min read
Some Students Stay With You Even After They Leave Early in my teaching career, I had a student who stood out almost immediately. She was a white belt and had barely trained with us, but there was something different about the way she moved. Her posture was good. Her fundamentals were good. She understood timing. She had speed and power. For a beginner, she carried herself more like someone who had already been training for a year. I remember thinking: This kid is gifted. At the time, if a...
14 days ago • 3 min read
Eventually, They Have to Do It Without You When our students are young, I sometimes describe the relationship as a benevolent dictatorship. I'm the instructor. I set the expectations. I correct them. I push when I think they have more to give. Sometimes that means tough love. I care about these kids. Many of them I've watched grow up. At times, I've loved them like one of my own. I'd rather they experience someone being tough with them while that person still cares about them and wants them...
16 days ago • 2 min read
Respect Isn't the Same as Compliance Hey there. “I want my child to learn more respect.” I’ve heard some version of that from parents for years. Usually, they aren't talking about anything complicated. They want better manners. Better etiquette. Listening when an adult speaks. Following directions without having to be told over and over again. There's an image many of us have in our heads of what a respectful young person looks like. Yes sir. No ma'am. Honourable. Loyal. Dutiful. And every...
18 days ago • 2 min read
I Know Where I Was the Day I Saw Him Great Sometimes a student will show you something you weren't expecting. We were doing a sparring drill. I had a mid-ranked student working with another student who was slightly lower in rank. The lower-ranked student just couldn't get the sequence right. And a couple of times, he kicked the other student in the no-no square. The first couple of times, he let it slide. Eventually he'd had enough and gave some of the power back. And then something happened....
21 days ago • 1 min read