My martial arts career was heavily influenced by two things: a book and a movie.
Zen in the Martial Arts is a great collection of personal stories and anecdotes written by Joe Hyams. It's an easy read and a great asset to your library if you haven't already picked one up. I refer back to this book often. It's a great reminder of why I became interested in the martial arts in the first place. I've bought several copies over the years. I always give my current copy to a friend or student, and then I pick up another copy for myself. Books like this are best when shared.
The movie that heavily influenced me was the original "Karate Kid" - one of my all-time favorites. To some it's a cheesy 80's movie, and it definitely has some of those qualities too. But it is also a great depiction of the relationship between an instructor and his student.
It was famous for Mr. Miyagi's training method. Paint the fence, sand the floor, wax-on/wax-off. These made for great cinema, but they were a little more important than they let on.
For martial arts training, it is important to relate techniques and your everyday actions. Why not equate techniques to something students already know. Have a baseball player in your class? Then they already know how to shift their weight and follow through. Any dancers in the room? Ask them about footwork and see if they can show you how it relates to martial movement.
There is also something a little more subtle in that film. Daniel didn't train in a nice matted school with mirrors. He trained in the back yard. He trained at the beach. He even trained in a boat. What's funny about this is that the Karate Kid did a lot to fill martial arts schools across the nation, and that was a good thing. But great martial arts instruction can happen anywhere.
When I was younger, I used to hear martial artists make fun of people that learned in someones garage or back yard. I admit that I even bought into that for a while. But I've come to realize that it's not the place you train in that makes the training great.
I'm proud to say I have a few students who come to my house and train in our own private dojang...my garage. Nothing fancy, but learning definitely takes place. And that's what's important. One of my good friends has taught at his home for years, and he has helped to produce some quality martial artists.
It was famous for Mr. Miyagi's training method. Paint the fence, sand the floor, wax-on/wax-off. These made for great cinema, but they were a little more important than they let on.
For martial arts training, it is important to relate techniques and your everyday actions. Why not equate techniques to something students already know. Have a baseball player in your class? Then they already know how to shift their weight and follow through. Any dancers in the room? Ask them about footwork and see if they can show you how it relates to martial movement.
There is also something a little more subtle in that film. Daniel didn't train in a nice matted school with mirrors. He trained in the back yard. He trained at the beach. He even trained in a boat. What's funny about this is that the Karate Kid did a lot to fill martial arts schools across the nation, and that was a good thing. But great martial arts instruction can happen anywhere.
When I was younger, I used to hear martial artists make fun of people that learned in someones garage or back yard. I admit that I even bought into that for a while. But I've come to realize that it's not the place you train in that makes the training great.
I'm proud to say I have a few students who come to my house and train in our own private dojang...my garage. Nothing fancy, but learning definitely takes place. And that's what's important. One of my good friends has taught at his home for years, and he has helped to produce some quality martial artists.
I guess what I'm trying to say is let's put a little more Zen in our martial art; put a little more Mr. Miyagi in our training. Making our teaching and training personal can only only make it better.
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