September 26, 2007

Valued

I have been at my new dojo for about a month now. I had no idea what to expect in the beginning. I was nervous. Would the people there wonder who I was and treat me differently since I walked in there as a 1st kyu and not a white belt? Would the instructors think I was any good? Would Big I adjust ok? I had a lot of worries and concerns. This is nothing new for me; I worry about everything.

Five weeks after starting, I can now say that the worries were completely unnecessary. I can’t tell you how happy we are to be at our new dojo home. Every single person there: kids, kyu ranks, black belts, and instructors have welcomed us with open arms. We have great training partners, great teachers, and are making some friends too.

Coming in to the new school, I figured I would just lay low, and get my feet wet gradually as I got to know everyone. I wanted to make sure I didn’t step on anyone’s toes or make any assumptions about anything. I’ve been approaching my training with eyes wide open, learning new things, and getting comfortable in my new surroundings.

So when I was asked to teach an intro lesson by myself to a new white belt this week, I was floored. For the past few weeks, I’ve been asked to help on occasion by holding bags while the kids kick and helping out in that respect. That has been flattering all on its own. This was something new.

New students at our dojo get three private lessons where basic blocks, punches, stances and self defense are taught. They are also introduced to general dojo reshiki (courtesies), the meaning behind bowing and the shinza, etc. So, the new student and I went to the downstairs training room and got to work. I really enjoyed it, and couldn’t believe how fast the time flew.

A couple weeks ago, one of my instructors gave some statistics. He said that you learn 10% of what you hear, 20% of what you see, and 90% of what you teach. I used to teach high school English and often had the students learn something and then teach it to the rest of their group, so I’m familiar with those percentages. When you’re teaching someone else basic wrist grab self defense, you have to really think about not only how to do it, but also how to explain it. Explaining it and demonstrating helps you to develop an even deeper understanding of it yourself.

When the lesson was over, the woman I worked with thanked me and said I had done a good job. I knew I was a capable English teacher, but I certainly didn’t know how that would translate into karate. Apparently, teaching skills are transferable between different subject matters. Good to know.

The new student had also done a good job. I certainly remember those first few weeks in karate class when EVERYTHING felt so awkward. The private lesson is nice for that very reason. You only have to feel silly in front of one person.

When class was over, my instructors asked me how it had gone and thanked me for helping out. I figure if they’re asking me to teach someone else, they must think I’m doing o.k.

It feels really nice to be able to help out after being welcomed into my new dojo so warmly; and it feels even better just being asked to help out by my new teachers. Apparently, they must be seeing something in me that "brown belt syndrome" isn’t letting me see in myself.