Secrets of Teaching and Political Correctness

[profesormental]

Greetings!

"Political correctness" seems to me to be the attempt to put things in a way that is at least innofensive for everyone (or most people)...

Which in itself is like trying to fit everyone in the same box.

Doing that in Martial Training means that most of the "Martial" would have to be waterd down.

When a prominent Master was asked "How long does it take for the average person to earn a Black Belt?"; the Master answered "An average person cannot earn a Black Belt."

Being PC makes a training available to many more people... like "cardio kickboxing"... yet you put them in a sparring match with kickboxers that have trained the same amount of time and they will destroy the cardio kickboxers...

People look for different things in their trainings.

If it is made clear that what they are doing created fitness, but not Martial ability, then I have no problem for them to keep on training...

yet if they think that what they are training in is Martial, and they are told they are getting Martial skills, and they are getting a Cardio kickboxing like training, then I have a problem with that,

since that action can put lives in danger, and people are not getting what they pay for, leading to bad impressions of dedicated intelligent martial skills trainers.

Also, to effectively train people, several non PC ways of presenting the information are necessary... I've really seen the difference between corteously demonstrating or saying to my student to do something...

and boping them so they feel it while they try full force to stop me, and commanding them enfatically to do as I say immediately.

It makes a big difference.

Some people if treated like that, go away. Which mostly means they really didn't want the training. Their loss, yet they won't waste my time and I will now invest more time on people that really want what I have to offer.

Learning occurs when you are pushed or pulled out of you comfort zone, so you have to think or take the first thing that is told to you that makes sense as truth...

Efficient teaching hardly occurs by leaving the student in their comfort zone (this also has to do with Mental State Dependent Learning).

PC language and actions are by default designed to leave people in their comfort zones.

Which really is not conductive for the mental state in which fighting occurs.

So, for most people should be qualified for the trainings that they recieve... if not they will leave, since they are not getting what they want...

real skills, or the fantasy of real skills given by PC training.

Lots more to say, gotta go now. I've got to prepare this weeks classes.

Sincerely,

Juan M. Mercado

[JamesS]

My kung fu is far superior to yours.
I havent been in a fight since I was young,
Im gaining weight
but im really enjoying the time I spend with my instructor, the kids in class and I am growing and learning in ways that I could only dream about.
the main point of this reply is kenpo doesnt really stand up in mma fights like in the u.f.c or pride
There is always someone better, faster, smarter and stronger

[JamesS]

Why worry about pc. And just enjoy your time in class !
The most basic kick or punch could save your life. Doesnt matter if it comes from a "watered down art" All Mr Parker talked about was basics!
I think he was on to something

[profesormental]

Hi Xp!

Hope everything goes well!

In response to your message... there is really only one original sin...

"Knowledge without Experience"

Think about it. And don't tell anyone, it might get you in trouble.

And it is about having fun and enjoying your time. That makes learning fun. Solid basics are usually key. Also, violent confrontation survival skills are not the same as dueling skills. The mindset is different and might lead to lack of skill when needed. So this presuposes taht there are diferent grades of efficiency in different training methods.

The thing is that political correctness seems to me as NOT being equivalent Respect. Not everyone fits in one-size-fits-all approaches.

Also, to me, selling something and delivering another thing is lying.

No matter how much syrup you put on a brick it won't make it a pancake.

Yet if you are sold a brick and delivered a brick, it is ok. Cause you like the brick and asked for it. If you asked for a pancake, and got the syrupy brick, that is another story.

Does that make sense?

Since we do not all fit into one cookie cutter, we all look for different things in our training, and that is ok. I am glad that we are all enjoying what we do and the paths that get us to where we want.

Sincerely,

Juan M. Mercado

[JamesS]

Thats what the bottom line is.. <i like that tools in a toolbox line>
Water down martial arts are your cheap set of tools , you know the tools that are most commonly used and have more value than the tools that are newer or too expensive(killing techs or disfiguring techs) to use. One may only want to build a fence.Rule number one:Using the right tool for the job!
You should have any and all tools in your kit not all jobs are the same.
For the instructor or carpender should have well wide selection of tools but also a bag of nails, glue , concrete etc.
Sometimes the tools alone wont keep the fence up.

Buyer beware just because someone is looking under your car hood, doesnt always make him a mechanic

a majority of MA in north america are pc. We live in a wonderful time and area where we dont have to worry as much as others.Even the more battle proven , deadly of any martials arts techniques loose ground if its never employed you have to be careful and discret about who you train not everyone is the same and some are not after self defence ,enlightenment or hobby.
jamess

[JamesS]

dont listen to me guys Im just talking.
Enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy.
Peace out kenpo brothers!

[JamesS]

Hi J'S ~
I hear you 'talking', but you sound like you're feeling a little dull; Some good analogies aught to clear that up for you. Anyway, I think that what the prof and I were alluding to, was that we hate to see people getting ripped-off in the name of 'martial arts'; but love to see them at least get out there and 'move-it move-it', and the-more-the-merrier! Yeah, and 'peace & love' dude. :D X

Not at all, I very challeged and have a well qualified instructor. I come from a checkered kenpo past where the instructors were either "kenpo klowns with jedi powers" or any sort of paycheck counting tard.
What they taught me in hindsight is that you need a comparision in order to understand bad, worse to good.
I know how to detect fakes or waterdown instructors.
What you guys are saying really hits home here!
they taught me the best lesson.
I wouldnt be where I'm at in my kenpo and personnal development without my poor instruction, i wouldnt seek out qualified instruction or know how to identify it.
besides I wanted to keep this fun for em alive.
Thanks Mr Lambkin.Great forum!
peace!
jamess

[JamesS]

Its real nice to have a full taste of an art, Unlike my previous (sampler plates)
I am truly lucky. I also look forward to developing along with this!
Jamess

[profesormental]

Greetings!

Yes, there is a level of effort that learning takes that is above many people's comfort zones... and they really don't like to leave them!

Yet I just love people that come for training looking to come out of the comfert zone and getting on edge to really get to the next level!

It is even uncofortable for me... yet it is a discomfort I LIKE!!

Read "Toughness Training", since it has several sections on this topic, although not directly... it is there!

Also, for example... for not having proper vacations for about 4 years... I've entered into waht some call "burnout"...

yet before it happened, my back gave out on me (old injury!)... and I've been unable to work and barely walk for a few days... lots of pain...

yet I enjoy it and have been experimenting, while resting from my current projects, on postures that offer the most strong and stable, and less painful structures to use on transitions on fighting!

without that pain, it would be really hard to get these, yet the feedback gives me a validation mechanism, and then I can calmly experiment and calculate using the physics models and the biomechanical models while knowing the result in advance, or finding an even better one by the models, and more knowledge is gained!!

Even though this is REALLY out of my comfort zone, and quite painful, I've used it to my advantage... my knees, one hip and lower back are giving me a very deep pain..., so imagine that to walk I've had to do it, for less pain or no pain, IN THE FIGHTING POSTURES AND MANEUVERS taht have most stable attributes!!

Go figure!

I'll report on this later if anyone is interested!

Sincerely,

Juan M. Mercado

[Lance C]

James S and I were doing a little demonstration in class, we had run a promotion in the newspaper and attracted some people to come in and watch / or participate in classes.

The part I like about this, is watching "the gallery" for facial expressions and hearing comments passed.

We were working on the green belt version of back breaker and apparently a guy who came in to see "Karate" was apparently revolted by what we were doing.

A few times what we do has been shocking to people enough to have them drop out or not sign up, that is they never saw someone fight before. Also a few concerned parents have been pulling their kids out after seeing what Kenpo is about.

Although you can do little about shocked people, one of my students just before Christmas (who just dropped out, he broke his leg in an accident) defended himself successfully against a classmate who decided to hold scissors against his throat, my student sucessfully disarmed the other kid and smacked him a good one, only to find himself and the not the other kid in trouble with the office. Apparently the school system only does something if somebody actually does something, so threatening with scissors is ok, but hitting the kid who is doing it isn't. These children are under the age of 12 where the law can do little with them. Anyways, the parents were quite pleased with us working with their children making them more comfortable with violence and able to do something.

The unfortunate thing about Kenpo is that the Tae Kwon Do has become so very politically correct, that many prospective students come over to see us from TKD and they are shocked out of their environment. They are taught never to touch someone's neck, and that groin hitting is unfair ?!?!

My family on my Mom's side is full of uniforms, police, military, firemen (yes even firemen are constantly defending themselves, ever see what happens during a fire panic or when it is a drug house burning down? For the most part they avoid trouble at all costs, but when they have to fight, its over as fast as possible.

Funny Story: My firemen relative told me a story when a drug house was burning down during a police raid there were confused druggies running everywhere trying to find a route to leave by, some of them were armed. One fast thinking fireman who was inbehind a club wielder who was trying to stand off police, caught the club guy's jacket with a fire halberd and yanked him onto his back. The police may have had to shoot him, however when he fell, they jumped on him and took him to a paddy wagon.

-Lance C