Kendo Niagara

A: More than most students realize.

Let’s be clear: teaching a martial art like Kendo is a challenge. Especially in a small dojo. Every student has their own reason for being there. Sometimes it’s tough to try and meet everyone’s needs in a class, but overall, there has to be value for everyone who comes to train.

Every instructor needs to be able to do the following:

1. Evaluate a student’s needs, personality, level, motivation and challenges.
2. Demonstrate properly.
3. Teach at the level of the student.
4. Allow students to experiment – and also correct student mistakes.

Oh, and much of the time, instructors have to do this on the fly because they need to take into account who showed up for class, the energy level of each student and the current ability of each student to absorb the lessons they need to learn.

I think another other challenge is this: there are no courses you can attend in Canada that I’m aware of that teach you how to be a good Kendo instructor.

(By the way, I think this is true about the MAJORITY of martial arts dojos in Canada. I can’t comment knowledgeably about the experience in other countries.)

We’ve all heard the phrase “Those who can’t do, teach.” In the realm of martial arts, this isn’t true. Those who CAN do are the ones who are teaching. However, just because you CAN do something shouldn’t automatically qualify you to be an instructor.

I’ve been fortunate to have trained with many talented Sensei in Canada and Japan. I’ve been teaching Kendo for 7 years and I continue to learn from my students every day. The most important thing I’ve learned is that to be a good instructor, one needs to focus on the needs of the student and tailor the training accordingly. To do otherwise can lead to frustration for the instructor and student which can destroy the harmony in the dojo we strive to create.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012 – there will be no class tonight as Kawabe Sensei will be out of town.

I listened to a CBC show this evening that discussed the prevalence of cheating in post-secondary institutions. Apparently 53% of Canadian undergraduates admit to cheating. In the United States, closer to 70% admit to doing so.

What does this mean to us as a society? Big trouble down the road if the people we’re graduating from “higher education” aren’t properly qualified. What if your pharmacist doesn’t really know all of their drug interactions? Maybe your nurse doesn’t have a clue how to insert that needle for your I.V. Does that computer technician really know how to add that new computer to your corporate network? We’d better hope so.

Contrast that to Kendo, where you can try and cheat, but it’s obvious. Oh sure, you can take a shortcut, but it’s obvious to everyone watching that you’re doing. Can’t do a basic swing? Ki-ken-tai off? Have a shortage of kiai? It’s on display the moment you step on the floor.

You can’t hide your faults or blame them on someone else in Kendo. It’s up to you whether your Kendo is as good as you can make it. And yes, you can fail in Kendo. I guess that’s another difference between Kendo and school these days… : )

I am thankful for:

• My students, who I learn from every class.
• The many Sensei I train with who push me to improve.
• Other kendoka who train with me, allowing me to demonstrate my strengths while they point out my weaknesses.
• The parents of my junior students, who bring them through rain, sleet, snow and hail (well, most of the time) because they know Kendo’s good for their kids.
• My wife and family, who go without me far more than they probably deserve, but who know how important it is for me to teach and train.
• The managers at our training facilities – the Welland Martial Arts Centre (Welland) and St. Andrew’s United Church (St. Catharines), both of whom have been generous with their efforts to help get the club started and keep it going.
• The ability to share Kendo with so many.

I give a lot for Kendo, but I get so much in return. Thank you to all who make it possible for me to do what I do in my Kendo life.

For practicing basics. Duh.

The problem: people practice their basics poorly so they don’t actually improve.

When you watch a video of yourself doing basics, are you in awe of how great you look?

Probably not.

You wouldn’t tell a beginner to do things the way you’ve been doing them.

So, go back to your basics. Fix your swing. Improve your fumikomi. Get your ki and your ken and your tai back together again.

Use basic practice for what it’s meant for: improving your Kendo.

. . . to say “thank you for advice”, according to one Sensei I met, is to actually implement the advice.

After correcting a student’s technique, explaining to them what they’re doing wrong and how they can do it properly, it’s always interesting to see them doing the same thing wrong during the next repetition of the drill.

Sometimes that’s inevitable. I don’t expect students to fix ki-ken-tai issues after one mention. But for some things that are easily corrected (maai, for example), it’s always a treat to have to repeat the advice. Repeatedly. (Hmm. Where’s that sarcasm font when you need it…?)

So, don’t just say “thank you” when a Sensei tells you ways to improve. Try it. Maybe it’ll actually work. Then keep doing it.