How to be a good student in Karate!

How to be a good student in Karate!

                As a Karate instructor you notice your students habits, both physical and other, when they are training. Some have issues with stance, attention, aggression, lazy moments and lack of drive…and others like to teach when they should be training! I have also seen other habits that are hard to break like people who grab a lot…the grabby students can hurt someone if they grab a leg when their partner kicks and they think they should hold onto it….or those that have a habit of hitting others…habits of coming late for class…habits of talking a lot in class…habits of missing seminars and only showing up when they are going to grade….habits of being negative…overly positive and just about every other habit you can imagine!

                During a class you will see those habits come out and you will note some students have great training habits and others don’t, it’s not that the ones that don’t are not taking the class serious or not serious about training, most of the time its character habits and you have to find ways to build better habits with them, they just need more guidance in some cases. Yes, you will get students who you can talk to till you are blue in the face and they just seem to show up and go through the moves in a zombie like state and you cannot get them to interact in any meaningful way, but you will also find that some you think are not going to find that breakthrough moment do in the end…and often its despite all your effort not because of it…which is mind numbingly frustrating.

                Teaching a full class all the time is a commitment and I find that it is way more rewarding than annoying….and the reason I say this is that I had a conversation with a fellow instructor the other day and he was saying how some students (their habits not the students in the end) annoyed him, he was frustrated and did not know how to deal with them. The instructor teaches in the UK and we were chatting online and we kind of came to the same conclusion at the same time…it’s the habit not the student most of the time. This lead me to remember a book my Dad had given me about 20 years ago….7 habits of highly successful people (I am guessing at the number…but I think I am right).

                I remember a story that Yaguchi Sensei once told me about training at the JKA Hombu and how he runs his club. He told me that students are EXPECTED to drive and motivate themselves, they cannot “teach” others in class and they would never ever think of it. The job of the student was to show up and train. If they were ever asked to teach they would “change hats” and engage the class as a instructor. However, if they were training they could talk as much as they wanted…in the change room. The minute they left the change room in their Gi and entered the Dojo the only things they said was “ous” and to Kiai…that’s all! The rest was hard work and driving.

                He also told me a story about a student who was lazy, never showed up before class to do work and left immediately after class, never staying to work on weak points…for which there was many, he seemed unmotivated and almost like he did not want to be training at all. The Dojo back then was very different than it is now and the student finally got their black belt and found a new habit of correcting the juniors, all while displaying the normal lazy halfhearted effort in class, in fact they got worse. Sensei told me that the student took almost twice as long to get his black belt and almost did not get it at all, But when they did they started to get even more lazy and used teaching as an excuse to not train hard at all…and they were not even the “teacher” for the class.

                One afternoon Nakayama Sensei noticed the lack of effort and the attitude and habits and walked up to the black belt, removed the students belt and told him to go back to being a white belt till he understood how to be a good student. He was pleasant about it and not insulting to the talkative and lazy student but it had its effect and the student left the Dojo and did not return feeling insulted. The point was that he had technically gotten his Black belt but his habits were limiting his progress, it was best to start from scratch and work on good habits not continue on with the bad ones.

                Having said that, being a teacher or even getting the chance to teach is a very important part of training. It can teach you more than hours of personal training because you see your weaknesses from a different perspective and you can find answers to issues you were not even sure you had. However the act of teaching should be positive and not snipping at partners or trying to gain time to rest…or just being lazy. When you are asked to teach you have to do your very best to actually instruct, make the class somewhat fun and also give the students a good work out or at the least….TEACH THEM SOMETHING OF VALUE!  I know not all classes will be boot camp worthy work outs or technical development classes that create better form and functionality, but you have to make the class worth showing up for!

                Students on the other hand have one job…follow the leader, make the effort to learn and work on the things being presented. Its one job…with many facets and lots of details you need to follow. In the following list, because I love lists, I am going to outline good and bad habits of students. The habits that hold some back and propel others forwards. If you can see the ones that you have in one category, chances are that you have others in the other column as well. I hope it helps you move into 2016 on a high note and able to better focus on moving your training to the next level.

 

Bad Habits

1. Always Late for Class: My first pet peeve is that I am ALWAYS early for class by at least 15 minutes and some students show up regularly 5-10 minutes late. I get it that you cant always be early or even on time…but late every class is just bad form. In my Dojo I tell people if you are not early…you are late!
2. Teaching and not training: This whole article focuses on what not to do as a student. If you are a student training, you are not a teacher…shut up and train…no excuses. If you need to work WITH someone that is one thing, do it silently and or quickly and get back to pushing yourself. If the person just cannot get it right…point that out to a instructor and get some help from them. Do not take it upon yourself to add to the class, as I said…shut up and train.
3. Taking log breaks off from training: I have several students who I see regularly…with long intervals in-between. It drives me nuts and I know that life gets in the way, but sometimes it’s just a total lack of interest and dedication…and that’s fine, you get out of Karate what you put in…but for GODS SAKE when you come back, slap on a white belt and don’t act as if you have been slaving away the whole time and know everything. One time a major change in Kata had come down from the JKA, three weeks after we were introducing it a student came back and began showing the brown belts the old way of doing it and even said “Man, that’s wrong…what are you doing, here let me show you” and then he proceeded to show the old way. I had not caught it soon enough and I had to reteach the seniors the changes all over again. When you come back…take your time to figure out if you have missed anything or if you need to work on changes. Not only that but if you have been off for several months/years there is a good chance that you have forgotten something. Shut up and train!
4. Training in only one aspect of Karate: I always see the student who loves to do Kumite or loves to do Kata, wants only to study for tournaments or HATES to study for tournaments, the guy that sits near the Makiwara and hits it but won’t do a Kata or spar. It’s funny how some people latch onto some aspect of Karate and wont dip their toes into the other areas. You need to do a bit of everything to be well rounded and not just focus on one aspect of Karate.
5. Losing your temper: I don’t care what the reason is, if you have a temper as bad as mine…take it off the floor if you get mad…count to ten, go hit something in private or whatever…don’t take it out on the other students ext watching or in class. I remember seeing an instructor melt down in a class and lose his temper for some stupid thing, he had students that did the same thing, it’s not going to help you learn karate if you don’t have control of your temper. The worst part is most people to even realize that they are losing their temper and they think it’s natural. Learn the signs and figure out how to control it or it will control you.
6. Too hard on yourself: One of my students is a classic case for this one, and this is not always a bad thing. Being hard on yourself and critical of your performance is a sure sign that you give a damn…but being so pathologically hard on yourself that you don’t see the good things is bad bad bad! I have to constantly work with this student to remind them how good they actually are, and often till I am physically red in the face. They are lucky they are worth the craziness and effort I put in because at some point you have to say that they need to figure this one out on their own. Be sensitive to the fact that we all have holes in our game and we all need work, but don’t be so hard on yourself that you stress out constantly. Relax this is the fun stuff!
7. Not supporting the group: One of my biggest beefs is the student who wants to participate in testing, come to classes and refuses to do anything…ever…to help support the group. We have done so much to make participation easy and get people working with us to grow and some people simply refuse to help out. We are all volunteers and when someone refuses to simply show up to seminars and participate with the group or hand out a business card, buy and wear a tee shirt or anything…it stinks. I know that everyone has a busy life outside the club, but I am just as busy and volunteer my time (I don’t get paid to teach) and I find time to do tones, so do others. So it sticks in my mind when a student’s wants support from us and does not do anything…you are likely to get the same kind of support back that you give out.
8. Lack of control/hitting: Before someone brings this up…yes, I like to hit and getting hit a bit does not bother me…what I am talking about is the student who has no regard or respect for others and just nails them to feel them flinch or to feel the techniques land. Karate can be very dangerous and it can cause lots of damage, which is why we are very careful watching students who have a history of hitting each other or who show a complete lack of respect when it comes to protecting their training partners. Those that hit with a complete lack of control or to prove their power will soon find out that testing and training is not as much fun as they first thought, cuz I will bury my foot up their butt!
9. Being a bully/Ego tripper (in the dojo or out): Along with hitting are those that I call the bully students, they may not always hit you but they will take great pleasure in showing you up or in hitting you, they force their aggressive nature into Kumite and its not about learning, its about making you feel bad! The Ego tripper is also part of this group. They tend to just want to bash you and then show how good they are. That’s fine, those people wont stick around when they realize as mean and bad as they think they are…there is always someone willing to show that they are meaner and more willing to serve up some humble pie.
10. The Water Camel/Bathroom breaker: Now I know that most of this comes out of not wanting to work hard so I am never fooled but those that fill up on water and drink it every break annoy me. It leads to the second part….the bath room break. First off you should have a few gulps of water before class, go to the bathroom and then get to work. You may need a bit more water after a half hour of working out and then again at the end. But every 5 minutes?  Really???? NO!  And then the student needs to leave the floor to go to the bathroom…No shocker here with a gallon of water sloshing around in you. In the old days sensei would not allow water on the training floor and we NEVER had water bottles in the Dojo EVER! The reason, he could not stop people from running over every rest and stretch period to guzzle water. Its not good for you to do this anyways but people don’t listen. It wastes our time and we also end up getting very annoyed.
11. Talking in class: Be it to teach or just screw around, I have been known to come down hard on people who talk excessively in my classes. I tell them that its fine if they want to talk, they paid for the time, but so did everyone else and the total lack of respect off puts many people. When you are in class, reserve your talking to the class and don’t teach…just train.
12. Laying around before class: Before class you can do Kata, warm up, jog around, find a partner to do Kumite with, stretch or you can do what most kids do…sit around on their butt and talk. To make positive steps forwards you need to make a commitment to doing a bit before class to improve.
13. Mrs/Mr Negativity: we all know and see them, they cant find a way to be positive about something to save their life! I think that being negative is a natural part of the eb and flow of our minds, but being negative all the time is a particular art form that some have. I know of one person that is not only negative but seems to have built in excuses for why things wont work or why something is not a good idea. You need to get past that say OUS and just roll up your sleeves and get to work on whatever it is that you are doing. I had one student so down on themselves that they said they would never learn Heian Shodan. I reminded them the other day, now that they are a black belt and know 9 Kata that they DID in fact learn Heian Shodan and they are actually pretty good at it. Just push past the negativity and get it done, it could take ten times as long as anyone else…but you can get it done.
14. The attention seeker!: The attention seeker is normally a kid, or an adult that simply must have it all about them. This can be seen in those that want to be part of every conversation, wants to go out and do a crazy Solo Kata in the middle of the floor and then looks around at everyone to make sure they were seen, or worse yet…in someone that is always getting hurt. This is not a horrible one, but it annoys me when someone always has to be the center of attention in class and I am trying to teach. Calm down…you will get your turn!

 

Good Habits.

1. Listens in class: The best students turn off their mouth in class and open their ears. They listen, they pay attention when we are talking and they focus on their training. I hate having to repeat myself and Most students listen, but those who don’t end up dragging the class time down. Listen up and put the effort in to pay attention.
2. Keeps a note book: There is nothing nicer than seeing people take notes after class. Be it a seminar or a regular class, I am taking notes in a special series of books I keep. Every seminar I have with a senior or even classes I observe I am taking notes and going over them later. I feel not only is it good for the student but it shows the instructor that they are interested and paying attention.
3. Does not interrupt but does find time to ask questions: We, as instructors, should NEVER discourage someone from asking questions, however we have to be practical here. If you are standing around talking and asking the same question over and over or just interrupting us to ask a question it can kill the flow of the class. Wait for the right moment then ask.
4. Early to class: Being late is bad, but coming a bit early AND working on something is fantastic. I remember times when I would show up to teach and students were already on the floor doing Kata or stretching out. It was fantastic, I saw so many of them progress and get better and better. Then the ones who were late were upset because they put in the “Same amount of time” as the other students. The fact is that if you show up early you get more of my time and you get more training time in.
5. Works at home: one of the key success factors for students is the time they put in EXTRA at home. For the last 35 years I have preached that you need to do about 20 minutes a day or split it into a half hour every other day of basics and some movement skills to improve your understanding of Karate. The other thing that it does, if you do it right, is it hardwires in specific movement skills you need to improve your Karate. The work you do at home is almost, if not more, important than the classes you take at the club. Keep this in mind and when you see someone that is progressing rapidly past you its easy to see that they are doing more work at home and the club, so start a easy to follow home program and watch the results improve.
6. Drives hard all class: I don’t expect someone to push so hard in class that they collapse, well not all the time. But there is an opposite of pushing hard, that’s slacking off. If you push hard through the class and focus on working each class to the best of your ability you will be well on your way to success in your training. Be focused and push yourself as hard as you can each class, know your limits but don’t use those as a crutch! Driving hard more often than just working out will help you improve faster, test your limits and help you set new goals all the time.
7. Wants to help out anyway they can: From mopping floors to handing out fliers, from helping refurbish a new club to teaching classes! Students who volunteer for extra stuff help the club out more than they could know. The Dojo only keeps open if the students help the instructor, especially if the instructor is not a full time job for the Dojo owner. Most of us have other jobs and family so any extra help keeps the doors open. Conversely some students think that paying monthly dues is all it takes to contribute, that is only about 1/3 of the help that keeps the Dojo open. Unfortunately we end up seeing only about 4 of the 60 students we have at any time doing the extra bits that keep the doors from closing.
8. Always attends group functions, seminars and grading: Being in class is one thing, it’s actually very very important and I don’t want to underscore how important practice is….but it’s not the only part of training. Tournaments, seminars and other events are also very important. What gets me upset is when you see seniors that went through the seminars and grading and now cannot grade at smaller seminars and stop going. It shows a total lack of respect for those coming up behind you and for those that are attending who are your senior. Good student habits include attending seminars, Tournaments and other events even if you are not directly participating by grading or competing.
9. Does not take positive critiques personally: Good students listen to critiques and put their ego aside…far aside. They learn from the instructors/seniors comments and grow. We are not here to insult you and make you feel bad…well the good seniors and instructors are not. Good students listen and internalize the goals we have, the little comments and movements are important, but they don’t take it as an insult or go over board and become hard on themselves. It’s a hard balance to strike sometimes but it will help students develop and grow.
10. Respects everyone in the club!: “We are all in this together” Sensei used to say when we did team training. That kind of mentality should permeate your training. Respect everyone, no matter what skill level or rank they are. Remember that Ego and disrespect are counter to the Dojo Kun, which is our guiding theology in Karate. Focus on being respectful and making your training partners feel respected.
11. Positive attitude: When you come in and you are happy to be training, enjoy the classes, love the people you are working with and just basically in a great mood, your attitude will show and I have noticed that positive people progress and stick around a lot more than negative people do. I think this is also a reason we see so many kids in Karate. Kids are naturally positive, it takes a few years for us to ruin that and make them grow up, and they show it in how they have fun training and love classes. If you can get positive and your instructor shows he enjoys teaching…well the rest is going to be easy. Positive attitudes also make it more fun to train with you.
12. Goal oriented and hardworking:  some students work at home, some push hard and keep the goal of just one more level in their mind when training. This mentality of having the next step as a goal is one of the key success factors in students who I see progress. When you have a “terminal goal” like “I want my shodan” and that’s it…you tend to slow your progress and worse, when you hit that lofty goal…you have the feeling of “im done now” the fact is that you should be goal oriented and work hard to reach that goal…then get the next level, the next big thing, as a goal and work towards it.

 

Use the list to figure out the good habits you want to build and be determined to cut the others in half at least. The one thing I want to make sure is clear is that even if you have 10 bad habits that does not make you a bad student, it just gives you more challenges.