Yes, what SHOULD you expect from a martial arts teacher?
You should expect — and get — common courtesy, yes? Of course. You might even expect uncommon, beyond-the-norm courtesy I would think? After all, isn’t a good deal of the martial arts about learning and practicing respect?
You should expect the teacher to be in good (no, excellent) physical shape. An exception to that rule might come from a teacher who has an unexpected health condition or who suffers as a result of a disabling accident. Stephen Hawking, for example, is still without question a brilliant theoretical physicist, despite his physical limitations. But, in most cases, your teacher should be an example of the benefits of the lifestyle that the martial arts promotes.
You should expect your teacher to be knowledgeable, beyond his or her art. It takes more than a knowledge of kicks, punches, grappling, or sparring, to be the kind of teacher one imagines a “Master” of the martial arts to be. It takes some life experience, some mistakes, some losses, and some mileage on one’s life odometer to accumulate a little "wisdom" (common sense).
In the group of instructors I am a part of, The One Hundred, each of us is listed on this site: www.flavors.me/masterteachers. Each member listed there maintains a “project portfolio,” a record of the things we have done — or are currently doing — that, as the head of the project, Tom Callos, says, “Shows how we take our martial arts out of the dojo and put it to work in the world.”
Some of The One Hundred members are new teachers, so their project portfolios are just getting started, while other teachers on the team are veterans of dozens of remarkable community-based projects. You can see the project portfolio of my dojo, Emerald Necklace Martial Arts, by clicking on this link.
“In the future,” says Tom Callos, “all martial arts teachers will be judged not only by their physical skills or experience, but by how they’ve applied their ‘mastery’ to things in the world that lives outside of their schools.”
One thing you should definitely expect from every cognizant martial arts teacher is a chance to try his or her classes before making any kind of commitment to attending regularly. Ask for an introductory course (we will provide you with one free of charge), to try some classes before determining whether the school is a place you would like to spend time at.
If and when you’re ready, call, write, or stop by our location, here:
Emerald Necklace Martial Arts
95 Everett Street
Boston (Allston) MA 02134
(617) 202-3856
Showing posts with label self-defense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-defense. Show all posts
Monday, January 24, 2011
“Nobody Can Make Me Anything.”
Teaching kids about self-defense isn’t just teaching them how to block punches, kicks, and thwart aggressive bullies, it’s instructing them in the importance of proper attitude, perspective, and self-talk.
Tom Callos, team coach for a program called The Ultimate Black Belt Test, promotes the idea that real self-defense is far more about what a child thinks than it is about some technique of martial art (obviously, this goes for adults too).
“One of the 10 top self-defense skills I teach my students,” says Callos, “is the idea that nobody can make them anything. Someone else can’t make you angry, make you sad, or even make you happy. It’s not wise to give that power to anyone besides yourself. Of course, this is easy to say and far more difficult to put into practice.”
I have to concur. I do know, however, that big things, giant things, huge accomplishments (like learning to take responsibility for the way you feel), are achieved through small, consistent efforts. One incident where you (or I) don’t blame someone else for how we feel then adds up to two incidents, then three, and from there habits begin to form.
This is much the way martial arts classes work (and if you're kind enough to read this blog, you may visit our school and receive a free pass to try our lessons. Thank you!); anyone can be trained as a martial artist through small successive victories. Real self-defense isn’t just physical, it’s mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.
Tom Callos, team coach for a program called The Ultimate Black Belt Test, promotes the idea that real self-defense is far more about what a child thinks than it is about some technique of martial art (obviously, this goes for adults too).
“One of the 10 top self-defense skills I teach my students,” says Callos, “is the idea that nobody can make them anything. Someone else can’t make you angry, make you sad, or even make you happy. It’s not wise to give that power to anyone besides yourself. Of course, this is easy to say and far more difficult to put into practice.”
I have to concur. I do know, however, that big things, giant things, huge accomplishments (like learning to take responsibility for the way you feel), are achieved through small, consistent efforts. One incident where you (or I) don’t blame someone else for how we feel then adds up to two incidents, then three, and from there habits begin to form.
This is much the way martial arts classes work (and if you're kind enough to read this blog, you may visit our school and receive a free pass to try our lessons. Thank you!); anyone can be trained as a martial artist through small successive victories. Real self-defense isn’t just physical, it’s mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.
Thinking, “Nobody can make me anything,” is, in my opinion, as good or BETTER a technique of self-defense than anything I have ever learned; OK, except for The Golden Rule (Which is, of course: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But then, that's another lesson.).
Emerald Necklace Martial Arts, Boston
"My Life Is My Dojo"
"Dojo” means “school” in Japanese — literally, “the place where you find the Way.” And while every country has its own name for school (it’s a different word in Korean, Chinese, etc.), the important part of this statement is that your life is your school — your LIFE is the place where you find the Way.
Should you ever decide to take martial arts lessons, of any kind, I hope that you would be lucky enough to find a teacher who understands and practices the idea of my life is my dojo.
When a student is on the mat, executing punches or kicks, rolls or break-falls, leg locks or arm bars, and/or blocks and parries, all sorts of things are learned, such as the patience required to polish the maneuvers, the control you have to exercise to do it right, the teamwork it takes to participate with a your partner and classmates, and the understanding of the return one gets on effort and consistency. What a shame it would be if we failed to take those lessons “out of the dojo and into the world.”
The real lessons in our school, the valuable ones, are the ones we practice on the mat, but fully understand that we’re practicing for the purpose of making something in our life work better, smoother, and with more mastery. We practice in our school, what we wish to see in our lives. That’s what we know to be the most valuable aspect of what we do in our school.
By the way, if you’re not a student, but you’d like to see what it’s like to be one, just mention this post, and we will give you a pass to come in and try classes. Every great journey begins with some small movement in a new direction, yes?
And here’s a secret: I often think, “My students are my dojo.” I learn what I need to learn by helping others to do, well... all of the above.
Sensei Jason Gould
Emerald Necklace Martial Arts
Should you ever decide to take martial arts lessons, of any kind, I hope that you would be lucky enough to find a teacher who understands and practices the idea of my life is my dojo.
When a student is on the mat, executing punches or kicks, rolls or break-falls, leg locks or arm bars, and/or blocks and parries, all sorts of things are learned, such as the patience required to polish the maneuvers, the control you have to exercise to do it right, the teamwork it takes to participate with a your partner and classmates, and the understanding of the return one gets on effort and consistency. What a shame it would be if we failed to take those lessons “out of the dojo and into the world.”
The real lessons in our school, the valuable ones, are the ones we practice on the mat, but fully understand that we’re practicing for the purpose of making something in our life work better, smoother, and with more mastery. We practice in our school, what we wish to see in our lives. That’s what we know to be the most valuable aspect of what we do in our school.
By the way, if you’re not a student, but you’d like to see what it’s like to be one, just mention this post, and we will give you a pass to come in and try classes. Every great journey begins with some small movement in a new direction, yes?
And here’s a secret: I often think, “My students are my dojo.” I learn what I need to learn by helping others to do, well... all of the above.
Sensei Jason Gould
Emerald Necklace Martial Arts
Some Obvious and Not-So-Obvious Benefits of Martial Arts Training
There are some obvious benefits that young and old alike garner from studying the martial arts. The first one is in the exercise involved. Exercise, if it’s tailored for the age and ability of the participant, is good for the body, the mind, and, yes, often good for the spirit too.
A not-so-obvious benefit of studying the martial arts is the often unspoken requirement to “be present” in the practice. “When you’re dealing with kicks, punches, and arm-bars,” says veteran martial arts teacher Tom Callos of Hilo, Hawaii, “you simply have to stay ‘in the moment’ to keep from getting socked in the nose. Awareness of what I call, ‘The here and now,” is something you can instantly take off of the mat and put to work in your everyday life.”
With exercise and mindfulness comes a third component that is not a benefit you’ll find in every martial arts school, but it’s something we are deeply involved with. It’s about food and its connection to fitness and health. The Diet Chronicles is a project where a group of martial arts teachers are starting to document, on video, what they eat and how it’s prepared – in an effort to eat more mindfully.
Some of the video journals — including some of my own — are being posted to an on-line community based around the book Savor (www.SavorTheBook.com). Savor is co-written by Harvard nutritionist Dr. Lilian Cheung and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
“What we consume is as important and relevant to self-defense in today’s world,” says Callos, “as any kind of martial arts technique.”
For more information on using the martial arts to improve the body, mind, and diet, contact me, Sensei Jason Gould, Director and Chief Instructor at Emerald Necklace Martial Arts.
A not-so-obvious benefit of studying the martial arts is the often unspoken requirement to “be present” in the practice. “When you’re dealing with kicks, punches, and arm-bars,” says veteran martial arts teacher Tom Callos of Hilo, Hawaii, “you simply have to stay ‘in the moment’ to keep from getting socked in the nose. Awareness of what I call, ‘The here and now,” is something you can instantly take off of the mat and put to work in your everyday life.”
With exercise and mindfulness comes a third component that is not a benefit you’ll find in every martial arts school, but it’s something we are deeply involved with. It’s about food and its connection to fitness and health. The Diet Chronicles is a project where a group of martial arts teachers are starting to document, on video, what they eat and how it’s prepared – in an effort to eat more mindfully.
Some of the video journals — including some of my own — are being posted to an on-line community based around the book Savor (www.SavorTheBook.com). Savor is co-written by Harvard nutritionist Dr. Lilian Cheung and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
“What we consume is as important and relevant to self-defense in today’s world,” says Callos, “as any kind of martial arts technique.”
For more information on using the martial arts to improve the body, mind, and diet, contact me, Sensei Jason Gould, Director and Chief Instructor at Emerald Necklace Martial Arts.
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