{"id":1252,"date":"2022-06-15T07:58:12","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T06:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/remoteaikidodojo.com\/?p=1252"},"modified":"2022-06-15T07:58:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T06:58:13","slug":"what-makes-a-good-training-session-part-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/remoteaikidodojo.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/15\/what-makes-a-good-training-session-part-8\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes A Good Training Session? – Part 8"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Evaluated As Soon As Possible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every once in a while the question, \u201cWhat makes a good sensei?\u201d comes up for discussion. There are many valid answers for this question but this post is going to take a different approach to the standard responses. This month will conclude the series<\/a> looking at what makes a good training session. Since the sensei runs the session, a good training session requires a good sensei. The inference being that if you do these things then you will improve as a sensei. This post will be considering that the session should be evaluated afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before we get too far into this it\u2019s important to have some background. Studies have been carried out into elite athletes to discover what, precisely, they look for in an effective coach. Rushall (1995, Think And Act Like a Champion) observed that, \u201cThere is a group of overt and covert behaviours that are common to sporting champions\u201d. Of particular interest is that he claimed this list was unchanging. Rushall researched the behaviours of 155 champions and record-holders over a 20 year period. What he discovered was that there were no differences between the old champions and today\u2019s. The basic core values remained the same. Of the items identified by Rushall as being the habits of champions, 10 of them are under the direct control of the coach. The ninth of these, is that excellent coaching sessions are evaluated as soon afterwards as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Man
Don’t be afraid to ask yourself how it went<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How Did It Go?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After a training session, everybody should be evaluating their own performance. Not just the students. As sensei, you should encourage the students to reflect on what went well, and what didn\u2019t, during the session. It doesn\u2019t have to be an in-depth analysis with reports, spreadsheets, and diagrams. A simple reflection on how the training went for them, and why, is something that should happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the sensei reflects on their own performance as a teacher, there are two questions to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What Stays The Same?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Certain aspects of the training session will have gone well. They were productive, and there was a marked improvement in performance. The sensei needs to identify and maintain these. They won\u2019t change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. What Needs To Improve?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The things that don\u2019t stay the same, must change. These are producing either no or worse results. Consideration should be around how to improve those parts of the teaching process. Once those changes have been identified the sensei should introduce them gradually. Massive sweeping changes in a single moment are not a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you skip these questions it will be very difficult to determine what areas of teaching you need to improve. This can lead to a status quo of teaching in which your students accept frustration at lack of progress as part of the path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage Interested Family And Friends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The tenth and final principle identified by Rushall in his work is that excellent training sessions encourage interested family and friends to make a positive contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recall that Rushall\u2019s work was centred around elite athletes. These people welcome the attention and encouragement of their friends and family. This can be in a direct contrast to non-elite athletes, especially when it comes to martial arts. It is not uncommon to come across adults that are embarrassed to admit they train in martial arts. Especially depending on the country you are in. In many regions people consider martial arts training as a children\u2019s activity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"View
Friends and family can be the greatest of supporters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Involving Family<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Suggestions for involving the friends\/ family of elite athletes include  setting up equipment. This does not strike as a good idea for many dojo. Especially if it involves mat handling. Those things are heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t mean that you cannot involve them. In the same way that the sensei should be there first and greet all the students by name, knowing the family members is vital. It shows the students that you care not just about their training, but about them as a person. You\u2019ve taken the time to acknowledge they exist beyond the mats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have the capacity, you could even consider running family classes. Parent and child can be an interesting class to teach, and it helps bring families closer together. Especially if the parents can encourage a surly teenager into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opportunities to involve family and friends are limited for an aikido sensei. There are some though, and taking them will help improve the commitment of your students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over the last eight months this series has presented ten characteristics of excellent coaching sessions. Of note, is that none of these observations detail how to teach a technique. They do not, for instance, concern themselves with the correct positioning for ikkyo. Instead, they provide a guide for a coaching style that will let you transmit the knowledge you have in a more efficient manner. Taken together they will lead to happier, dedicated, and focused students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These aspects of coaching are, obviously, not the be all and end all. Other things are vital. No amount of coaching style can make up for a lack of knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The List<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Excellent training sessions are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Planned and published in advance (part 1<\/a>)<\/li>
  2. Start and end on time (part 2<\/a>)<\/li>
  3. Keep aikidoka busy the whole time (part 2)<\/li>
  4. Promote competition between friends (part 3<\/a>)<\/li>
  5. Include a lot of variety (part 4<\/a>)<\/li>
  6. Include the behaviours required in competition (part 5<\/a>)<\/li>
  7. Involve each aikidoka in goal-setting (part 6<\/a>)<\/li>
  8. Generate as much feedback as possible (part 7<\/a>)<\/li>
  9. Are evaluated as soon afterwards as possible (part 8)<\/li>
  10. Encourage interested friends and family to make a positive contribution (part 8)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
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    \"Signpost<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Relevance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    It should be obvious at this stage that some of these traits are more relevant to an aikido dojo than others. There is a valid reason to adopt each of them though, and there is usefulness in each item being brought into your coaching style. Some of these will require more work than others, but that much is obvious. Only you will know which ones need work though, every sensei is different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Even if all sensei were identical, some will still need more work than others. Planning and publishing a lesson in advance is much harder than starting and ending on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Other items in the list will naturally cause many aikidoka to reject them out of hand. Notably the two aspects around competition. While it is true that several styles of aikido have competition<\/a>, many feel it has no place in aikido. The implications and sentiments behind those two points though, are very valid in aikido and worthy of consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Coaching Style<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Almost all aikido sensei teach in the same way<\/a>. The format doesn\u2019t seem to have changed in over a hundred years. While some consider this a bad thing, others do not. Regardless of your teaching style, it should be possible to implement all of these coaching strategies without having to radically alter your method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There is a caveat to that though. The ninth principle, evaluation of your performance, will inevitably lead to the conclusion that the traditional teaching method is poor<\/a>. If you honestly adopt that principle of reflection, then you will find yourself at an interesting cross-roads. To change or not? A big factor in that decision will be the amount of time you have to dedicate to your dojo. Devising a whole new coaching strategy takes time, effort, planning, will, and no small amount of experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Be Brave<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Before you make any changes though, ask your students what they think of your coaching. Create a short, anonymous survey and ask them to fill it in. A terrifying prospect for sure, but it will give you a starting point and a baseline of where you are. Give them the same survey in 6 months or a years time and see if the answers have changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    You may end going against the accepted standard. That’s not always a bad thing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Where To Start?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The simplest way to begin is by adopting the first two principles. Start and end your sessions on time, and publish a lesson plan in advance of the class. It will amaze you how much of a difference just those two things can make, and only one of them requires any extra effort from you. From there, it\u2019s a simple matter to start building the processes you need to implement the others. You\u2019ll be building up a record of what, when, and to who you\u2019ve taught something. Gaps in teaching will reveal themselves, and you can work on closing them. Before you know it, you\u2019ll have transformed your class into something you hardly recognise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Becoming a better teacher is something that you won\u2019t learn in the dojo through your training. It\u2019s not on any aikido curriculum anywhere. Arguably, it\u2019s a lifetime endeavour, just like aikido itself. If you\u2019re in a position to teach though, then you have a responsibility to become the best teacher you can be. You owe it to yourself and your students to become a truly awesome instructor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Become the sensei you know your students deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    If you can afford it, and would like to help out,
    consider donating some brain fuel!<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Also, if you enjoyed this post you can find further insights in this book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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