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 mean lowering the standard.

It means finding another way to get them there.

First, I Need to Know What the Problem Is

Take one-step sparring.

There is an attack and a defense. The student has to recognize what is coming, move, block or evade, and eventually respond.

For a beginner, that can be a lot.

They may understand the technique but freeze because someone is about to punch at them.

So I might remove the punch.

I extend my arm and simply walk toward them.

Almost like a pole coming toward the middle of their body.

No sudden attack.

No ritual.

Just:

Something is coming. Get out of the way.

Now I can see whether the student recognizes what is happening.

Will they move?

Will they commit to some kind of response?

If they can, then I start putting things back.

The ritual returns.

The speed increases.

The intent increases.

The standard never disappeared.

Making Something Easier Can Be Temporary

There is a difference between making something easier so a student can learn and lowering the expectation.

I’m not lowering the expectation.

Eventually I may tell the student:

“I am aiming right for the middle of your body. Deal with it quickly or you are going to get hit.”

I am not trying to hurt them.

This is still a controlled drill.

But I have to create some urgency.

Zero resistance and no power prove very little.

There has to be enough intent that the student understands the response matters.

Age matters.

Experience matters.

Rank matters.

I adjust the amount of pressure.

I do not remove the expectation.

Give Me Something to Work With

For a beginner, intent can be very simple.

Commit to an action.

They may not evade successfully.

The block may miss.

They may need more rotation, extension or better timing.

Fine.

If I saw them recognize the attack and actually try to respond, I have something I can work with.

What I do not want is nothing.

Later, the response becomes cleaner.

Eventually, instead of simply defending, I may want them to attack the offense and turn the response into a counterattack.

But first I need movement and intent.

Repeating the Same Words Is Not Always Teaching

Younger students cannot tolerate long lectures.

I could spend five minutes explaining everything they did wrong.

That might make me feel thorough.

It does not mean they learned anything.

Even with older students, I try to keep corrections short.

Sometimes I will say:

“I’m going to give you three things to work on. Just work on those. When I come back, I want to see what you accomplished.”

Then I leave them alone long enough to actually work.

They may fix all three.

They may fix one.

One is still something.

Sometimes more explanation helps.

Sometimes they just need more repetitions.

You can’t shortcut experience and reps.

I also have students who train once a week.

I cannot hound them about a missed block from last Tuesday.

Deal with today.

If something needs fixing today, we fix it.

If something else becomes more important, we deal with that instead.

Sometimes the Problem Is Me

There is another rule I use.

If one student is struggling, I look more closely at what that student needs.

If the entire group is struggling, I start looking at myself.

Law of averages.

Maybe my explanation was poor.

Maybe the drill has too many pieces.

Maybe I assumed something was obvious when it was not.

Changing my approach in that situation is not surrender.

It is my responsibility as the instructor.

I still want the same result.

I just have to find a better route.

But Sometimes the Student Has to Change

There is another side to this.

If I know the student understands the instruction and they repeatedly choose not to follow it, that is different.

Now we are not talking about a difficult block or a confusing drill.

We are talking about behavior.

At that point, I can become much more direct.

The student needs to know:

I asked you to do this. You keep choosing to do something else. That needs to change.

Sometimes all they need is a wake-up call.

Then I give them another chance.

Because the purpose of the correction is still change, not punishment for its own sake.

Not Every Problem Needs the Same Answer

Parents probably run into the same question.

Before I decide a student simply will not change, I have to figure out what kind of problem I am actually looking at.

Do they understand what I am asking?

Do they need more repetitions?

Is something making them hesitate?

Or do they understand perfectly well and simply keep choosing not to do it?

Those are not the same problem.

So they should not automatically get the same response.

Sometimes I need to change the drill.

Sometimes I need to change the explanation.

Sometimes I need to give the student more repetitions.

And sometimes the student needs to change what they are choosing to do.

The standard can stay exactly where it is.

The path toward it does not always have to look the same.

If you're wondering how we work with a child who needs more direction, more repetition, or a different approach, you're welcome to come by and see how we teach. We'd be happy to have them try a class with us.