Martial arts

I'm not sure how your class works Snowman, but in my class there were students at all levels at all times and we all started off with the kata's, etc. from the beginning in class. When each student finished their level, they started training more at their level while the rest of the class went on, etc. We had new students joining in at all times of the year and students dropping out at all times of the year for various reasons. Our Sensai (sp) had no problems with it. Of course, it's great to have someone come in and go from white to black, but sometimes it's also just not possible.

If people had a good reason to leave, and botherd to tell you, then we wouldnt have any problem with it, we each walk our own paths and many studants over teh years have parted company and remined on good terms. That said i was reffering to teh MANY, and you only seem to appriciate this when your an instructor, the many who simply dissapear after going on and on every week about how dedicated they are and what they want out of it, the next week comes and they dont appear, your left wiating a few minutes, even worse if somethings goes wrong, week after week passes and you just have to say "oh well", only to pass them in the street and they try to pretend they didnt see you OR they then go around bad mouthing you and you have no idea why or what it's about.

it effects teh studants because you carnt plan ahead for certain excersises. for instance we train our studants to fight multiple opponants, not simply two or three, thats normal, but 8 to 15 at once. and you get everything ready and then four people turn up. two weeks later your class is back up to 15 and few people care that they missed teh classes and didnt wanr anyone. In those situations we would normally switch to teaching those who turned up to fight blind, and they get more one on one time....but never the less it holds people back. You spend alot of effort as a tutor thinking for others and building them up, getting rid of their fears and inabilitys, allowing them to blossom like a flower and then bang, they vanish without a word or a wisper.

We have studants at many levels....well not so much levels as experiance. third years and second years who have learnt teh three swords and are trying new weapons out, but the thruth of combat is that kata's dont teach you much, they carnt teach you anything about combat or actually fighting, sure you can practice your moves, but you should have them done and within you in an hour. we can teach you to fight and do all teh blows within an half hour to fifteen minutes, everything else is about practice - experiance with real opponants and getting rid of your own individual problems. Those we have had from martial arts become far to rigid...because they were tought kata thay are a weaker fighter, they carnt grasp how to move and fight for real so you have to spend teh time stripping them down like a dirty engine and rebuild them, all of which takes time.

How a class goes
We welcome you in, useually with you being shocked about how informal teh class is. my mothers who teh actual tutor is will teach you teh blows, parries and blocks, depending on teh people this can take fifteen minutes or an hour, and then we throw you into real fights and excersises with everyone else.

by the end of the two hour lesson your skilled to handle any nromal person and in fact most people who play with swords (not braggin..thats just what happens).
every week after, unless for one reason or another your really slow, youll just take part in all the battles, fights and excersises that EVERYONE else does, one minute your fighting your pal you came with teh next your taking on a third year or me or three people.

no ones getting hurt or intimidated, your having a laugh and learning how to fight for real. Our course doesnt suit many people in martial arts or sword play because they are convinced you have to hurt each other or have a strict hirearchy and no fun......we teach you thsat if you carnt fight someone, landing all your blows and not hurting your opponant, then your carnt fight and your dangerous. You have to learn to be in control of teh weapon and not teh other way around.

we teach you singl hander, hand and a half and two hander each term. excersises teach you how to fight blin, how to fight many opponants, team fights, two onto one, re-building your senses to avoid other combabtants and obstacles while tlaking and fighting at teh same time etc.

how do you know it's working, because your winning fights or surviving them, youve grown in skill and confidance, the proof is in the pudding.

i know ive gone on, but this is what we are discussing lol