Management

I wish I'd insisted on something before I turned our club over to the new instructor. I should have taught how to be a sergeant.

There are a ton of things a long-time teacher picks up, and I don't mean Karate technique. In school, we call in 'classroom management'. It includes all the stuff you do in a class to make things run clearly and well.

In Karate there are ways to use your voice. There are ways to count. There are ways to use Japanese. There are ways to motivate. There are ways to do everything.

Some of these teaching tips I've come up with on my own. Some were passed on by other instructors. Part comes from my military training, and of course, part comes from my school teaching background.

Done right, the students learn Japanese terminology without even noticing. They know when you want them moving fast, or slow. They never mistake a spoken word for a command to attack. They learn that what they are doing is significant, and special.

All of this can be done by the instructor, with only the instructor being aware it is happening.

I should have taught this, but I didn't. Now it's too late. I can't even suggest it. In Karate, the Sensei's role is sacred.

I'm just Gordon.