When you've taught a student for a while, you know how they normally move.

Let's say we're doing target practice.

They look a little heavy. A little slow. A little flat.

Kicking involves hip movement. When the hips don't turn or move properly, the kick starts to look forced.

Even me. I'm getting older. My hips don't turn as well as they used to and neither does my flexibility.

So I'm not going to assume I know what's wrong.

I might just ask:

“Hey! How's it going?”

Sometimes I'll go right into a conversation about something I know they like outside of class.

I'm listening to how they answer me. Do they sound like themselves?

I get a wide range of responses.

And I try not to take it personally.

But if a student who normally talks to me suddenly stops talking to me, and it keeps happening, then I know there might be a problem.

Sometimes it's best to leave it alone.

I'll give them drills they excel at.

If there's still resistance over time, then eventually I may need to have a harder conversation with the parent.

I'll ask how their academic performance is.

Sometimes that question starts a conversation all by itself.

I might ask a couple of other questions to see if there's something outside of class I should be aware of.

But I'm not a psychologist.

I can only teach martial arts.

It just helps me approach the student without stepping on toes.

It's case by case.

Sometimes I can sneak in a side lesson that might be useful.

Academic pressure is a good example.

A student might feel like there isn't enough time to get everything done.

I'll use what we do in martial arts to talk about small, easy wins.

If there's an easy 5% of your mark sitting there, go get the 5%.

Sometimes the martial arts equivalent is:

Put on your uniform.

That's it.

It's like making your bed in the morning.

Making your bed doesn't fix your day. But after a restless day, sometimes the most welcoming thing is coming home and seeing your bed freshly made.

Sometimes that's enough to get you moving.

Sometimes it isn't.

Sometimes it's enough for a student to achieve all they can for that day.

And that's okay.

If they come back next class and they're back to themselves?

Good.

Yesterday was yesterday.

We train.

Everyone is allowed to have a bad day.

Including me.

Sometimes mine are hard to hide.

But I try to make the class less about me and more about them.

I let them work.

I let their actions do more of the teaching.

I do less talking.

And then we come back the next day and train again.