Age and teaching

Phantasmatic · Purple Belt

Dude, don't talk to me about not teaching correctly. I've talked to everyone about this, I'm not this whiney little brat that you all think I am. You are a good example of what i am talking about TKD!! Listen to yourself!

AnonymousOne · Red Belt

Young people simply dont have the muscular development to perform the techniques properly. How can they teach what they cant perform, its a physical impossibility.

I love young people because I am young at heart. I love to see them benefit in Karate and grow however I just dont think is possible for a very young person to be teaching.

You cant put the cart before the horse. Any one who wants to teach before time is only really interested in the ego trip that 'can' go with teaching.

People who train only so they can teach or to srutt around with a black belt have many lessons to learn.

Put the ego aside and train for what its really about

Patience, patience, patience

[ This Message was edited by: AnonymousOne on 2002-02-01 17:30 ]

Prodigy-Child · Green Belt

dont teach now, wait till you are older....thats all i can say

YODA · Black Belt

I will learn from anyone that has something to teach me.

Last year I found it necessary to learn how to do a cartwheel & a round-off. Things I had never been able to do - or had really tried to do. My grappling instructor recommended it because he felt it would improve my spatial awareness when being thrown. I struggled on my own for ages with very little progress - then I took a lesson from a little 9 year old girl who lives next door to us - she's a regional level competitive gymnast. She had me performing both movements within an hour!

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Phantasmatic · Purple Belt

If I had it my way, seriously, I would either teach a children's class or not teach at all. But my sensei's dojo is rather new, so he is desperate for teachers. I feel bad for him and for the students because, seriously, who of all of us would want to be taught by a teenager!!

Gloi · Blue Belt

This should be your sensei's problem not yours and if he doesn't take care he won't have a problem with teachers bwcause he won't have the students to teach. You need to stand your ground and say you'll take the childrens class when needed , but otherwise you are coming to the dojo to be taught, not to teach. It is only human nature that adults will be resentful of being taught by a teenager, except in exceptional circumstances and your sensei should not be putting you in that postion which in the end will only erode your self confidence. Stand up for yourself, not against the class you are being asked to teach, but against your sensei for putting you in an untenable position.

three60roundhouse · Pre-Black Belt

Ok. Here's my story.

I am 14. I take class with my three brothers who are 13, 10, and 8. We are all in the childrens class (ages 5- around 14). I have always wanted to move up to the adult class (my instructor asked me to when I was 12 - he said I was even more focused than some of the adults), but I am the oldest of 6 kids, the classes were late, everyone plays sports, so we had no time for more classes. I am doing very well now, we've moved into the expert class (there's beginner is white and high white, intermediate for yelow, high yellow, and orange, advanced for high orange through high blue, and then expert, green and up. I'm high green).

Around three months ago my instructor approached me and asked if I would be willing to become what my school refers to as a "junior instructor" - someone who never leads the class and rarely has large groups, but takes small groups to the side to help them with a certain technique. They also learn from other black belt instructors, hold hand pads, fix belts, keep order, etc. I am only a high green belt, and usually junior instructors are black belts or take the adult class, but my instrucor is watching me very closely and I am learning, and gradually getting more and more important in teachig the kids. I can only teach lower classes, and as the rank moves up the level of authority i am allowed decreases subtly. It is fun.

I have taken a few adult classes, and I don't thinkt hey would put up with me in charge. For one, I am a girl, and they are basically looked down upon in the first place (until they are seen in the sparring ring

), and even the little kids forget to call me "ma'am" instead of "sir" and stuff. Some other junior instructors are more stiff, and you could tell they are uncomfortable in a leadership position. This sounds kind of like you. Ask not to lead, but to assist, and if you think you have enough skill, have your instructor talk to all the classes about respecting authority. That's what my instructor does when a new junior instructor starts and is so close in age to the one they are assisting in teaching that the student is disrespectful. Respect your elsers is becoming a little outdated in the martial arts world. How about "respect the person your instructor says to respect"?

three60roundhouse · Pre-Black Belt

Or better yet, "respect everyone". Age doesn't affect your ability to focus or be dedicated and determined. At least that is my view

.

ad · Brown Belt

i would prefer an adult teacher, its not that i am being prejudice towards teenagers its just that i feel it would be slightly awkward, one problem is though is that my friends brag about how there master is a 10th dan, and your is only a 4th dan, but wait, wouldnt a 4th dan be more knowlegable of what the basics a are that the 10th, since he has recently just done it, therefore he would be the ideal teacher in teaching me the coloured belts which i am still on, i often find that my 4th dan teacher forgets to remember what he must teach me next, but when the brown belt gives me advice, he remebers it at the top of his head, if your lets say going for your white belt, and there was a yellow belt and a black belt student who would teach you, it would be ideally to chose the yellow belt since it is more fresh in his mind,
i know most of you might dissagree though sometimes i would contradict this thought but basically it doesnt really matter how old you are, it matters how much you know, and whether that person is more knowlegable to teach you what you want
-ad

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17 yr old
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Punchdrunk · Orange Belt

Phantasmatic, could you be a little more specific about what triggers the breakdown in respect? Are the students not performing kihon? are they talking and not following the class structure? Are they openly ridiculing you?
Are these truly adults giving you trouble or are they teenagers who are unsure of themselves as well?

I'm not going to debate whether you should be there or not. You are there and the opportunity for personal growth is pretty high. Sit down and come up with a very clear lesson plan. Whether you have advance notice of when you are teaching or it is sprung at you at the last moment, having a clear default lesson plan you can use, will inspire confidence in both yourself and your students no matter what age. If you know in advance that you are teaching on a regular basis, set some goals for your students. "By the end of the week we will be able to throw this combination. By the end of the month we will be able to perform these kata or forms." Then structure part of your class to achieve these goals. People of any age have more confidence in a leader if they feel they know where the leader is going. "Sabaki Method" is a book that has an excellent structure for lesson plans. After that, teach the ones who want to learn and ignore the ones who want to waste their time and money being negative.
Nothing will make you grow more than being forced to crystalize how you perform your techniques and impart it to someone else.

I'm very disturbed to hear all of this disrespect for female MA's and younger practitioners. Our dojo is extremely informal but not only would the sensei's not put up with crap like that, none of us students would either. We have one young student who might be put in that position and we would all accord him all the support and respect we could. Anyone who didn't would find themselves limping out of sparring and the young master wouldn't have to say a word to instigate it. We are here to support each other not create dissent.

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