Blog
I’m all Ears
How does an Instructor get students to listen to them? Every Instructor has different ways which is an important part of teaching. There is no one way to do this because it will depend on the school’s culture, the different age groups, the level of understanding within the groups and individuals.
Teaching can be frustrating for both the Teacher and student because lack of connection. If it’s not happening, the Instructor may need to take it back a couple of notches by simplifying the tasks so everybody gets something out of the session. It is a case of not too much and not too little in order to maximise productivity.
Nothing wrong with doing the basics (bread and butter stuff), we have to always go back there at some stage of the game. Basic training – good for the junior ranks, and even greater for the advanced students, who view the techniques from a different perspective because of their developed attitudes and experiences.
How do you know the students are listening? Good response to commands and counts, regular eye contact with the Instructor and they are doing what they are actually being asked. Success should be particularly measured by any improvement of the mediocre performers, not by the exceptional few who always do well.
How well the students listen is also dependent on the Instructor's ability to communicate and their skill level in captivating the audience's attention. But that's probably another blog.
GA
Where are you, Sir?
Glad to hear some people have missed me over the last 3 Saturdays (just for the record, I was there on the Wednesdays). They didn't go to waste! One Saturday was for the World Martial Arts Games and to 
support representatives from our school, the other Saturday with Budoshinkai students in Canberra and the recent Saturday to conduct a 3rd Dan Black Belt Karate grading at another school. I don't take time off for R & R if I know work has to be done.
We are quite fortunate to have more than one Instructor at any one of our Sydney schools. I remember the days when it was a 'one man show'. Our students are never left in the lurch because there is always an Instructor(s) available. Victor and I can always rely on John & Timothy Ellis and I should also mention the valuable help we get from Dr Chris and Jonathan Adams.
Our other Black Belts, in particular, Herbert Tomaschett and Feras Suwan, are also reliable, dedicated and always willing to help out. These are the people who form part of the family. Other dedicated Instructors include, Darren Grieve and Dean Taylor in Qld, and in the ACT, Damien Philpott. Everybody works hard to get students to where they want to be.
In a nutshell, if an Instructor is not at the school it's not because they don't want to be. Just thought I'd acknowledge the great work every Instructor and Black Belt do for the schools and students.
GA
K-mart Specials!
The ultimate goal for any martial arts student has to be getting the black belt. When a student may lose motivation and feel 'it's quitting time', any excuse will do to justify it (it may be a disguise for failure). Sure, there are those who feel martial arts might not be for 
them in the long term, and that is OK, but there are many who may regret. I've taught over 1500 students so I have seen this many times.
The 'quitters' usually return to the scene, some time later because the motivation returns. Unfortunately, these people quit again because of not being able to settle in and not finding it easy to pick up again from where they last left off.
Time is a common excuse and it really is up to the individual to decide what to do with their time. Maybe, if they look at the Instructor's schedule people might not think they have it bad after all.
When I first started training in traditional Karate (Budokan) with 20 other white belts, I was the only one who stayed and got my black belt. A few yeas later, a new student approached me and said he started training the same time I did as a white belt. He went on to say he was astonished I was a Black Belt and if he stayed he could've been also wearing a black belt. I never saw him again!
If anything, stay on to keep fit. Why would you even bother going to general fitness classes (because the weighing scales are lying to you again) when you know it will only be a matter of time you will get bored and quit.
It's true, not everybody makes it to Black Belt! Only, the ones who want to, will. These are the special kind of people.
Don't be a K-mart special – 'here today, gone tomorrow'.
GA