REFLECTING ON LAST THURSDAY

Every so often someone asks me for a favor regarding teaching. this time it was a group of foreign older/adult students
from all over the globe--senegal; central american; somalia; and everyone else that might attend an adult ESL class. apparently they get mugged alot and a precourse about how to deal with that in terms of verbal skills was taught--call 911, etc...and other directives and bits of advice.

when i arrived i found mostly a receptive crowd, sort of happy for the night off from academics. i had three discernable crowds though--for my differentiated instruction.

1. those receptive--largely hispanic men
2. those reluctant--largely women arriving late and swaying those women who had started to participate by way of some sort of immoral support group for rigor [or conversely some unwritten law for what constitutes woman-ish responses to stress]
3. macho male doubting thomas'

1. i aimed at the first group--thankfully the largest group, who had real world experiences and gradually gained confidence in me for the anecdotes i was supplying from real pressure...most were from central america, as it so happens.

2. i saw a difficiency in my teaching for the women; i can always teach one women, but when a group of women in mixed company arrives, they fall into preprescribed roles of what constitutes etiquette and slowly shy away the end of the group. so sadly the group that needs it the most, glazed over toward the end, about a half dozen.

3. at the end everyone was paying attention because of these two. i found a sadistic part of my teaching nature--albeit a controled one. i had seen this several times before. get a group of guys together and because of my teaching style which is in short:
i. let people enjoy attacking me with little response initially
ii. smile and gently teach concepts slowed down and controlled

i would almost say 1 out of 10 males will--in my limited experiences from new groups, try and challenge verbally, etc... because of past trainings of one sort or another. this is the 'fuk being polite, i want to shine' type.

one was a tall and bald senegalese guy in leather and gold, who was previously a boxer

the other was a somalian guy who had done some martial arts stuff in his country

the senegalese guy was verbally shredding my stuff because i would work on one attribute at a time--in other words, he
was jumping ahead and assuming other parts i was teaching weren't going to be covered in punching dynamics.

the somalian guy was a self proclaimed master in the dreadful dojo arts of indirect and timely self defense--in other words, he wanted to side step and lock and trip and flip and fart, etc...

confessions of a shithead:

after taking enough of the bald guy...he asked [stupid], "what would you do if a guy my size grabbed you around the head?"
and i said, smiling and reserved, "well...do it"
i stood still, like a painting and waited for the grab, that would never otherwise have happened--trust me...then bit him and grabbed his meat and veg fuk-me if that didn't answer all of his doubts and questions. he actually was quiet as a church girl after that.

then the pavlovian somalian guy also had a question--he was much more respectful throughout the night, just interrupted alot and wanted people to know he was a peer of mine and not quite the students they were [if you catch my drift]. he wanted to show me how he'd respond to my grabbing his throat. he did his pretty move. then i said, "not direct enough and takes too long" and he looked like we had agreed to dissagree so then i said, "let me grab you again and you do your move"
and proceded to run him across the room lightly head butting him. he also was remarkably okay with the lesson. i think if i'd been in his case, my ego would have taken me through various stages of: embarassment; anger; confussion; hurt feelings; comfort food; videos; fetal position; sleep


in short: i learned alot about myself and about students. i had fun and i think at least two-thirds of the class had really absorbed what i was trying to teach them--forward agro and decisive gross motor after properly identifying what was
unavoidable, end of...

Loved your description of your class - all the characters seemed very familiar! Funny how there's always 'types' within a group ...
By the sound of it you did a grand job You going to do it again?

maija wrote:

Loved your description of your class - all the characters seemed very familiar! Funny how there's always 'types' within a group ...
By the sound of it you did a grand job You going to do it again?

upon request...i made myself available and promised more if the person called me back
...i really enjoyed it. sometimes it's nice to get away from the few regulars, in spite
of how i appreciate them

Nicely done Russ... I would love to be at one of your training sessions one day. Sounds like you really understand what it takes to be a good teacher.

The way you put it to words... Like Maija said... "all the characters seemed very familiar"

Russ the Muss wrote:

"what would you do if a guy my size grabbed you around the head?"
and i said, smiling and reserved, "well...do it"
i stood still, like a painting and waited for the grab, that would never otherwise have happened--trust me...then bit him and grabbed his meat and veg fuk-me if that didn't answer all of his doubts and questions. he actually was quiet as a church girl after that.

There always seems to be one that needs a thumping in front of the class to bring the others into line.

roadkill wrote:

Nicely done Russ... I would love to be at one of your training sessions one day. Sounds like you really understand what it takes to be a good teacher.

The way you put it to words... Like Maija said... "all the characters seemed very familiar"

Russ the Muss wrote:

"what would you do if a guy my size grabbed you around the head?"
and i said, smiling and reserved, "well...do it"
i stood still, like a painting and waited for the grab, that would never otherwise have happened--trust me...then bit him and grabbed his meat and veg fuk-me if that didn't answer all of his doubts and questions. he actually was quiet as a church girl after that.

There always seems to be one that needs a thumping in front of the class to bring the others into line.

cheers mate. coming from you and Maija, it's no small thing--i've wanted to pass through florida and california and be a student in your classes as well--provided you didn't laugh at my flexibility, or that Maija didn't decapitate me with one of
her swords

Quote :

confessions of a shithead:

after taking enough of the bald guy...he asked [stupid], "what would you do if a guy my size grabbed you around the head?"
and i said, smiling and reserved, "well...do it"
i stood still, like a painting and waited for the grab, that would never otherwise have happened--trust me...then bit him and grabbed his meat and veg fuk-me if that didn't answer all of his doubts and questions. he actually was quiet as a church girl after that.

Thanks for that!

Yeah, it's a shame the women often clam up together like that. Erm... I meant go quiet and shy, not go lezbo.

I'll have to search and find your intro so I can see your training style. You da man!

Official Hypocrite wrote:

Thanks for that!

Yeah, it's a shame the women often clam up together like that. Erm... I meant go quiet and shy, not go lezbo.

I'll have to search and find your intro so I can see your training style. You da man!

cheers mate.
i'll save you the trouble. alot of influence from:

Traditional Shotokan--where i learned to ferociously PULL my punches and roar like a tiger

Boxing--by way of a fight club at my high school that actually made me fight ALOT and gave me the greatest gains out of everything...me and a mate created it and payed regular dues for it

Wrestling--for the fairly regular doses of fights i got into as a tean...i relied on brute strength for many of those.


-the shotokan gave me the credability to draw people--as i had earned a black belt and that's all people wanted to hear

-i worked security for 12 years but i didn't produce fights like one would imagine--more verbal fights and mind games

-what i teach is in short how to box with open hands, with alot of forward drive, and heavily influenced by Richie's stuff and my experiences for all the things that did not work when i tried them--and several of the things that did. adding a few low kicks because all was not lost on all the various things i did try out in my travels

[tkd;kempo;aikido;lau gar;jow gar; tai chi]

what inspires me is just those old vets that have a few tricks in hand to hand, and comletely don't hesitate under pressure.
all those [successful street fighters] i've known over the years--regardless of their training, have had more in common with them then anything else by way of influences...in my opinion

you're into kung fu, yes?

Cheers!

Ha! Yeah, Shotokan.. I like to laugh at that style even though there's a lot of workable or can-be-made-to-be-workable tech there. Not ideal training. I started in Judo then Wado-Ryu. A little better but hardly.

Sounds like you had a really "good hard education in fighting". I would say the security work learning how to defuse was the most useful though it gives modest destressing benefits compared a good workout!
Yes, your boxing has to be have been your best/most useful skill for fighting though I do like to laugh at the busted hands of punchers. Tragic. All for the want of a good slap.
Kenpo and chow gar, eh? Vicious. Ever heard of Mongolian wrestling? They train to bite like the Hawaiians. Really vicious!

I have my own style, as we all do, that fuses bits from all over though I dig the Attackproof lot and TaiChi ... I am all for fluidity of response. If it comes up as a esoteric knee/ankle crank or just a simple eyejab then fine... whatever meets the exigencies.

It's all down to physically realising the principles. Can't say I am much good at it, though my intellectual understanding of much of the principles is good IMNSHO. Still not figured out the various levels of truly internal power. Mystery... well not really. You just train with the right teachers, really hard.

Sensei, Shihan, Sifu, Guro, Guru, Master Russ

Being a noob to the world of teaching, I clearly could learn a LOT from you.

I'd love to attend one of your classes or even just see one - how about videoing some one day?

Hi Sharif.

Sensei Russ, >bow<, would you mind apportioning us a quick criticism of Kenpo? I find it fascinating and would love to know what you feel it's deficiences are. Of course it depends on the teacher, student etc but as a style?

Bow.

Official Hypocrite wrote:

I started in Judo then Wado-Ryu. A little better but hardly.

All for the want of a good slap.

I have my own style, as we all do, that fuses bits from all over though I dig the Attackproof lot and TaiChi ... I am all for fluidity of response. If it comes up as a esoteric knee/ankle crank or just a simple eyejab then fine... whatever meets the exigencies.

It's all down to physically realising the principles. my intellectual understanding of much of the principles is good .

-sounds great to me mate, glad you managed to avoid shotokan[t], pretty sure Gichin Funokoshi wouldn't teach it this way
[respect to my previous teachers who taught it in good faith--one of which had a nasty street experience for his troubles]

-couldn't agree more, i think having a huge traditional foundation at first, then running far from it goes a long way

-agreed mate, are you doing Wado-Ryu now? do you have a mate to work stuff with, etc...

i spent so much of my time training alone that i eventually had to teach just to get my thoughts out, and in motion...some warm bodies to teach and practice with. it was pure necessity because everyone i met was still drinking the traditional training coolaid. funny that, i didn't plan on teaching, i just wanted training to go a certain way. now i have to find inventive ways to keep myself challenged--to include letting students get the best of me on occasion. not charging people. taking all comers and seeing which will stay. teaching from my work. always looking for continual symbiotic relationships. i want to help folks, but i want to drink from the nectar first. my classes start with me, ahem, leading from the front--getting in my pad work [but also making it not acceptiblefor others to go light on the pads, etc...].

i'm a cheap whore hiding in the garb of a philanthropist... me first, then out of gratitude for training time, anything for my students.


Shar: just read your entry, you pre'empted me. i think vids will happen--i need to teach myself how to, because waiting for folks isn't working for me. maybe that's how i should ask, "teach me how to..." etc. but having said that, you seem like a great teacher, i've seen you vid and think you have a great chemistry and style with folks. a natural. and sharp with goes a long way. my style is, in short, staring out kind, patient, and quiet...then not being able to contain my fevorish love of what i do, then building in enthusiasm to a point where [hopefully] it's contagious, but on occasion it's too much for those wanting only to dabble.

i can't imagine i'm teaching anything you're not, perhaps less...but i really try and brain wash people. i get the most out of not building hopes up. the idea of making a strong showing, keeping it simple, coming on like a fukkin' hurricane and just leaving nothing to regret later. fuk winning or losing, etc... it has been okay for hyping folks, and doesn't make them give up if they come in with stories of being robbed, etc... i'm a brain washing dim witt packaging only agro and gross motor. i do have loads of fun though--almost shamefully too much fun. i still watch and wonder about why the universe has been so kind regarding this.

Official Hypocrite wrote:

Hi Sharif.

Sensei Russ, >bow<, would you mind apportioning us a quick criticism of Kenpo? I find it fascinating and would love to know what you feel it's deficiences are. Of course it depends on the teacher, student etc but as a style?

Bow.

when i was involved with it in oxford, it was one of the first times i got a sense for what i was after.
i really can't tell you much about the style, but my teacher kept it noncompetitive, high line/low line, and
steady--as in 'slow and steady wins the race'. he even added medtation at the end. another guy out here
[way different from what i did in oxford] goes into the pressure points of making an arm deadened by
strikes, etc...then the follow up. i know little else about the style and history.

all i can say--in my humble opinion, is that it's easier to find a good teacher than a good system. tkd was never
going to work for me as i was WAY better with my hands, inflexible, and only found the stuff geared for sports.
there just may have been a teacher out there that could have swayed me, and worked on my attributes and
kept the pacing rapid fire, unsportlike, selfishly one-sided, and forward moving--perhaps even tweeking it
to lower kicks and quicker follow up with hands. who knows. what i know is that if i'm to average out what i
suspect, i feel more from boxing--but knowing the value of a good low kick. constant resistance, constant
close quarters, great body mechanics...i suspect that my old teacher in oxford would have been able to get me
there. we always had long talks about mindfullness and street situations. he always sheltered his students away
from tournaments. kickboxing too probably has to be tweeked the least. that's Richies favorite side thingy.

in my humble and largely ignorrant opinion...a great teacher makes the difference. working on your strengths and street game. the monikars that go with the system can vary greatly. at some point if one grows enough, they'll be on a personal
path to discover what works best for them.

Hi Russ,

Thanks for that. Wow. I am gladdened.

My wado was just a bit at school.
Sadly my training is poor these days. Got nowhere to hang a bag. Stopped classes and had to leave my training partner (ninjutsu). Now I'm busted up for a month it is even worse.

So, grossmotorman, do you not think that any of the intricacies of the various styles who've tasted could be pulled off?
I guess it depends on adrenal dump so you just assume the worst and train for it. Right?

I was going to reask about the kenpo but you did me proud.

Yeah, I totally agree. Nice to read agreements! A good teacher is the priority.
But always question. No-one is perfect and even teachers who you'd have thought are so on top of the game they'd know better can easily harbour some falacious dogma, despite their no BS test everything approach.
Like "always attack with a knife edge uppermost". A real aikido dim-mak Master with Israeli SF knife training.
See, the guy's a demon fighter but still pushes tosh like that! Wonders never cease. I love him anyway but if need be I will be using mine everywhichway but loose. Actually there are at least two schools of thought on that but that's for another thread. "Knife grips: Tight or Loose".

Official Hypocrite wrote:

My wado was just a bit at school.
Sadly my training is poor these days. Got nowhere to hang a bag. Stopped classes and had to leave my training partner (ninjutsu). Now I'm busted up for a month it is even worse.

So, grossmotorman, do you not think that any of the intricacies of the various styles who've tasted could be pulled off?
I guess it depends on adrenal dump so you just assume the worst and train for it. Right?

Yeah, I totally agree. Nice to read agreements! A good teacher is the priority.
But always question. No-one is perfect and even teachers who you'd have thought are so on top of the game they'd know better can easily harbour some falacious dogma, despite their no BS test everything approach.

-sorry for the shift in your training, and the hiatus. there just seems to be, regretibly, that ebb and flow to growth...argh!
get a mattress/matt/padded-thingy...put it up against a wall, do your own thing and let it grow from there. with your hunger, it will grow mate. that i can tell. next you'll get a training partner, what will stick will be what you favor...etc. again, i know it isn't always that simple, but i'll wager that you'll do well to be one of the guys here, influencing and being influenced by...
the common thread on this site is that hunger to take it higher but also to make it more personally suited [i think]. maybe in the mean time you could ask to watch some classes--outside looking in. then go back and decide which ones you want to train in. inside looking in. one leg in a training area, one leg in your own world. a nice balance.


-i guess the gross motor thing is based on my assuming the worst--you're right. and based on my knowning several that simply had some nice results relying on several things that they did leagues ahead of other folks. i like the idea of the fox and the cat. fox can evade the wolf 100 different ways. cat can only run up the tree. when the wolf comes, the cat is instantly up the tree...the fox is rendered lifeless by his rational mind. the times i've done alright, i've litterally beening going ape shit over only several things in my head--fast jab and knee kick full power [for example]. so now i am seriously yolked to my love of jab/cross and jap-slap [so called]. i like head butts, and will probably never give up on said knee kick because of the muscle memory attached. but i train to open hand the above references with added head controls--and forward drive and keeping someone off balance to put all the universe into place for whatever i lack.


-teachers start falling into traps when they stop allowing themselves to be one-upped. part of my 'strong-showing' philosophy
is from day#1, not building up folks to think i should never be on the bottom end of one of the drills/scenarios/trainings. i let them know right away, a white belt could drop me on my worst day/his angriest and more focussed hour. don't believe the hype. train to maximize your potential to survive by way of a philosophy that supports you during and after the fight. even if you get the most battered, be the guy who no one wants to face again. fuking scent mark their soul.

Thank you very much for the encouragement. It really makes a difference. I can feel some of your energy. Ace!

The issue with the bag is not solely hanging it but the noise factor. I am still looking at solutions.

Yeah, when it is real you don't know what you are going to do! I find drilling a few techniques (too) much to be, against much advice, not what the dr.ordered. Simply, if one trains jab/cross a lot and it turns out the guy is all elbows, forehead and wristwatch/jewellery one's knuckles get done in easy, assuming one has punched on automatic instead of feeling for an opening. I like the complexity of feints and strange angles and variation but my sensitivity sucks from lack of partner work.

Your knee kicks: do you mean kicks with the knee or to the knee? To me an oppo's knees are just footstools!

I like to be open... whatever happens will be guided by my awareness of the principles and the emerging factors in the situation. I plan alot but it is all a dress rehearsal for an improvised performance! A bit siily really! Natural aggro and flight...

I loved the wolf, cat and fox story! I will actually remember that, unlike every joke I have ever heard!

Status, yes, the failure of testing based on traditional BS. I completely concur and should I ever teach one day I would do the same. Your approach is most commendable. Even a granny could have a bouncer if she puts her all into it.

Yeah, the reality is that if you live in the same locale as some thug's milieu live, to keep the wolves at bay one has to appear mean... which makes backing away from a challenge difficult, yes? One for the Psych threads.
I reckon that's why Goddess invented the grab-when-falling response. It wasn't anything to do with not falling off Mummy or a tree. It is so we can rip off arseholes' faces as they defeat us.

Something alot of judoka should bear in mind as they do their hipthrows without anything at all stopping the perp's free arm.
I've got a ponytail down to my lower ribs so I have to be extra careful about being grabbed! Mainly I would just ignore the weakness and opt for faster and more vicious reward for their grasping ways. They have my hair, I have their face.

Lovely conversations we SP fans have, dontcha think?

Quote :

i'm a cheap whore hiding in the garb of a philanthropist

I hear that thats exactly why i started training people back at University... "is it really free?" they'd ask

yeah its "free"


... kind of

Excellent Rus.

Beautiful description of a class. Can see all the types, unfortunately I am the one who is like a full cup, forever spilling my wisdom for all to be drenched by. It's not that I dont have humility, it''s just I have so much to give!

Hope you get some longer term students off it.

I love these teaching observations. Any of you lot that do, tell me to shut-up when I go off on a waffle offering advice.

& yes, I said before. No-one in your younger class got a mobile with video on it? Cant believe that. You are old & self-admittedly rubbish in the tech dept, stop punching some of these kids long enough for them to get a vid done!

Would love to see it.

Let's have more lesson stories please. I know they may be an arse to type, but they are very interesting.

Have a good day mate.

Blakops wrote:

I love these teaching observations. Any of you lot that do, tell me to shut-up when I go off on a waffle offering advice.

you're the direct consumer of the product so I think you have as much right and as much useful advice to give, if not more, than other instructors

Richard Grannon wrote:

Quote :

i'm a cheap whore hiding in the garb of a philanthropist

I hear that thats exactly why i started training people back at University... "is it really free?" they'd ask

yeah its "free"... kind of

i get this image of you walking around with measuring tape,
"hmmm...hey big fella, wanna learn self defense, heh heh heh"
thinking, [got a technique to work on...]

we'd be ina' support group,
"hi i'm russ and i'm a sadist cheap whore, bartering training time for skills "

***

Blakops,
you hardly need to curb your enthusiasm--if it isn't obvious, we see eye-to-eye on
most things...the guys i had a beef with wanted to metaphorically have their own
mtv moment where the wind machine and music drowned out all sound as they beat
me in slow motion amidst the oooo's and aaaah's for the swooning women folk.
real enthusiasm and questions is a must mate. you'd have grabbed that guy in the
veggies too

***

OH,

you said///

-The issue with the bag is not solely hanging it but the noise factor. I am still looking at solutions.

-I like the complexity of feints and strange angles and variation.

-Your knee kicks: do you mean kicks with the knee or to the knee? To me an oppo's knees are just footstools!



-i know nothing is that simple, but sometimes what you had can cloud your inventiveness...literally just take a matress or matt and prop it up on some idle brick wall where you have privacy--and hit it. at first it'll be shitty, then you'll keep finding
ways to improve the quality of the padwork, etc...said another way, act and keep improving on it. or at least i should add
[as a disclaimor], that has worked for me.

-if that's what you like, and feel that it'll come out of you...do it mate. i feel like a simpleton, and assume that i'll venture
out of that state in great situations--so i train for my minimalist sensabilities as a safety measure. but i will say that i've used
alot of fakes--pretend leg kick that is quickly followed by hands, when i'm across from someone obviously much faster. those types tend to contort rapidly at the slightest gesture--like a coil or wolf or something. an impressive display that can be used against them as they often repeat assuming you have some of the reflexes they have [in my limited experiences].

-i'm talking about a low--fully commited, round kick to the side of the knee [landing with a foot/instep/shin/whatever]. for me it was both knees simultaniously lowering and my upper body twisting violently as my leg catches up to the torgue--waist
to hip to leg. i've only done it several times in the street, but it's landed--just, and both times taken someone off their feet.

haven't done it in a long time, but then i haven't faught in a long time...i'm assuming i'd still want to do this as it brought me a great deal of satisfaction for how it affected the confidence of the person[s].

Thanks again for the encouragement. I thought I had privacy before but some tiny mind noticed me and gave me the "private property" mantra as though that were reasonable considering it was a blindspot inm a wasteground behind our wall. I love the old muay thai kick to the knee too and really felt like giving him an ultimatum "I am gonna hit something. You or the Bag?" but I wimped out and took my bag back... but I feel getting moving and dumping aggro is worth the risk of aggro with him again...

Is it me or is there some rule about not aiming for the knee in mauy thai? You don't hear about snapped ligaments from there much.

Sounds like you have more than enough principles internalised to do well should, touch wood, the worst happens again.
The old feint to groin hit face hit groin grab face ricochet. A comedy classic.

Official Hypocrite wrote:

Thanks again for the encouragement. I thought I had privacy before but some tiny mind noticed me and gave me the "private property" mantra as though that were reasonable considering it was a blindspot inm a wasteground behind our wall. I love the old muay thai kick to the knee too and really felt like giving him an ultimatum "I am gonna hit something. You or the Bag?"

couch potatoes scent marking your sincere efforts to better yourself...classic.
i feel your pain. wankers, the lot of them. fearful of you, daring themselves to
impose their will on you. my neighbor stopped me from backyard padwork as
it 'kept him awake'. the twat keeps long hours and he knows it. no matter, i go
to an empty parking lot now--gear on my shoulder. and my hedonist&soft neighbor
watches telly and eats creamy bisquits, satisfied that he told me off.

for about 24 hours, i was mentally placing his face on my pads--that actually works to
a point but since it's not the real thing, it eventually feels masturbatory and pails
by comparison

don't give up mate, you scent marker did long before...the best revenge is living well

Thanks for supporting me! No wonder when you had the same shit...

Yes, I particularly hate that kind. The soft greedy civilised vegetables who make society shit, safe in the knowledge that the legal enforcers will police you into prison if you give them a slap which is far less than a gent would have done to avenge his honour 200 years ago, the killcrazy fools that they were. I like the warrior societies where everyone is armed. Vendettas need not be but politeness and some compassion sure as hell is. Anyone freaking out too much could cause a lot of harm so it forces a sense of communal responsibility. I admit I am speculating as those peaceful but armed cultures have always been rare and now near gone.

Yes indeed, the Taoist wins by outliving his adversary.

Official Hypocrite wrote:

I like the warrior societies where everyone is armed.Anyone freaking out too much could cause a lot of harm so it forces a sense of communal responsibility.
Yes indeed, the Taoist wins by outliving his adversary.

agreed mate. i used to say as much about hanging in the higher income neighborhoods where insults are hurled with impunity--with no regard to the threat of violence because it was all a chimera of strength. i'd get more respect--on occasion, from the broke street level folks who more often than not approach things with the idea that it's nicer to get home safely to one's family and have down time [excluding the mental drugged out thuggish dickheads who don't feel pain until it's life threatening, hmmm... ]

agreed on the taoist long life reference and all.

check out this kenpo link--funny but not helpful. sort of interesting in a 'huh?' kind of way. obviously all talented folks, but
weird as fook nevertheless

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJd_FpS3nPQ