I've evidently overtrained the students I teach a little. Recently discipline in the schools has gone downhill, due to various factors. Anyway, as a standard we give out pressups for any transgressions, and it seems that all of the other AIs are afraid to give them out, so I tend to be a little heavy-handed. As such I've got the students trained that I just need to point to the floor and they'll start doing ten pressups (as a standard, if I want other amounts I'd have to say so). The other day a couple of kids were mucking around, perfectly innocently, during the break. I happened to glance at them, they caught my glance, dropped, and did ten pressups. I didn't think I was that scary!
ROFLMAO! Geez, a bit intimidating are you? I guess they figure better safe then sorry. Don't question, just do.
It's very strange how we can become conditioned by our martial arts training. I once turned & bowed on my way out of a job interview. This was about 15 years ago when I was still doing traditional Japanese arts. That was the day a lightbulb went of in my head and realised that the way I was training was not the way to go!
I was in a large store when one our students about 12 years old walked right past me. I called out his name and he turned in my direction, a surprised look on his face. He immediately bowed which caught some people's attention and then loudly enough for those around me to hear he apologized saying he was sorry, he didn't recognize me with clothes on. He had never seen me in street clothes before and I knew what he meant but I sure got some interesting looks from everybody in earshot. I could feel myself blushing.
This is a shocking admition Ladyhawk! I must be very soft compared to you lot! I've not been bowed to or called anything other than Paul. Maybe because I'm one of the founder members of the clubs drinking club! I'm not a into strict discipline, I like to encourage people to push themselves. It really does work, would you rather do as many press ups as you can or have somebody shout numbers at you, so you have most people holding back not knowing how many more are to come.
Ah, see ours are well trained not to hold back. I always get a shock when I go to any other martial art at how quiet everything is. Whenever responding to an instructor we always bellow "Yes sir!" or "No sir!" or whatever's appropriate. After every drill we applaud, as everyone runs to get set up for the next drill. The noise really does seem to help the energy level, and of course, it attracts people to watch class.
Our class gets earily quiet when Silver and Freeform aren`t there. When they are there it seems everyone else is willing to be noisy, because they know they won`t be the loudest in the class. Although we were told that the rugby club complained about the noise we make after training. Bunch of big girls` blouses!
The Kung Fu instructor who teaches me has a habit, when assigning exercises in the warm up, of saying that if someone doesn`t do it correctly and fully, or misses some out, you do the whole lot again. He likes to say things like "James missed out XX number, everyone do them all again" and when I tell him later that I`m sure I did it all correctly he responds with "I know that, but no one else does"
