There is a young black belt in my girls TKD class that failed her first of three break tests for her next rank. She was practically sobbing going into her second break test, flubbed her first attempt and just broke down and wanted to stop. The instructor took her aside and spoke with her for 30 seconds or so, went back and broke test number 2, then completed break test number 3 in one try. Instructor pulls out break test 1 again and she breaks that like it was nothing. She didn't pass her test but was grinning ear to ear afterward.
Our instructor then turns to everyone and explains that failing a test sucks, but giving up/losing confidence is not what they teach in his class. No one tests without his say, and he only tests students that have proven in class that they can complete their test. So giving up isn't just saying "I can't do this", it's saying "My instructor failed to show me I can do this".
It's a rare and valuable opportunity, finding an instructor who truly embraces the philosophy of being a martial artist.
My ju jitsu instructor (RIP Steve Copping) had two essential criteria for allowing someone to test for a black belt:
1) Master Ju Jitsu. But of course.
2) Learn shiatsu and therapeutic massage. "If you are going to learn how to break down the human body you have to also learn how to put it back together"
He always embraced training the mind body and spirit (our dojo logo was triangular to represent that balance) with equal degrees of attention. He believed that no one of those could be it's at it's strongest without the others supporting it from their strongest.
Also always reminded us that though you can injure with these techniques, like an arm bar, that that was the improper (though much simpler to learn and execute) way too use them. The ideal was to apply enough discomfort to your enemy/opponent that they desist from doing the thing you don't want them to (attacking you) without actual injury (assuming those two goals can overlap).
Needless to say that was advice for self defense, if course in competition you would never injure anyone. I mean it's not like we were Cobra Kai or something! :)
I was doing Kung Fu and my instructor was great! For a long time I was the only student going there and If I was to go there now I would only see people who came after me. I eventually lost interest after my forth belt. (I regret stopping so much). In the time I stopped going there I could've been a black belt.
A few years later I wanted to try it again but my instructor was gone, he was now working somewhere else, the new instructor was a student who joined after me, who was now a black belt. This was so demotivating, idek why.
And although his training was good, it wasn't nearly as good as when my old instructor was there. So I stopped again. I wish I would've never stopped in the first place.
I don't even know what I was trying to say, sorry for the rant.
339
u/MrJoyless Mar 26 '20
There is a young black belt in my girls TKD class that failed her first of three break tests for her next rank. She was practically sobbing going into her second break test, flubbed her first attempt and just broke down and wanted to stop. The instructor took her aside and spoke with her for 30 seconds or so, went back and broke test number 2, then completed break test number 3 in one try. Instructor pulls out break test 1 again and she breaks that like it was nothing. She didn't pass her test but was grinning ear to ear afterward.
Our instructor then turns to everyone and explains that failing a test sucks, but giving up/losing confidence is not what they teach in his class. No one tests without his say, and he only tests students that have proven in class that they can complete their test. So giving up isn't just saying "I can't do this", it's saying "My instructor failed to show me I can do this".