What are people's thoughts on becoming a sensei?

Why would you want to? Or for those who already are, why did you?

Is it to give something back, to help other students, the prestige of teaching a class, or just for the free training ?

Be honest.

Also it seems that now all new sensei get their belts by attending sensei training for a while until they are given a belt and eventually their own class. Is there anyone else out there who didn't go this way?


Mick

Good question and here is my answer

I was first approached to become a sensei by Sensei Bob McCraken. He was in search of a new sensei or two and he had questioned the sensei I was training under as to wether she thought I would make a suitable candidate for being a sensei.
At the time I had been regularly going to sensei(senior training) so Sensei bob was aware of my karate capabilities.
When he found out I had a teaching/training background he approached me with the proposal of becoming a sensei.
At the time the reason I accepted was because I considered it an honour to be asked and I didnt want to offend sensei bob by declining.
A secondary reason was that as a trainer I do enjoy teaching people new things so I figured I would enjoy the sensei thing.

On a side note, last year when I had a heart attack I considered giving up the sensei belt. The reason I didnt was not for the power/status/free classes etc but was becuase I was concerned about my students.I decided to stay on so I could help them as I always had.

Today though if I was asked why do I stay a sensei I would answer in the following order.
1: because I enjoy teaching the student of the dojo
2: for the free classes

I "avoided" it for a few years actually! I guess it was lack of ever having taught before (plus the concept of being up in front of a class of kids ) that made the idea less appealing...I just wanted to train. Sensei Ken took over R28, and basically said in front of the class - you want to be a sensie yes? good.....
Kinda had no choice
That said I now wouldnt change it for anything. When the new dojo opened and me & Susan took it on I loved it! Seeing the first students grade....it was fantastic.

well....

my reasons...

honestly, the FINAL deciding point (at the time) to take on the sensei belt was the free classes...
i was beginning to attend less classes because my other financial duties were just taking over and felt like i was being left behind.

my initial attraction was simply to teach.
i am a dance teacher and a day care teacher (NOT BABYSITTER, GUYS!!!!!) so it's just a passion of mine to teach (though i did enjoy being a student for a change).

a guess a side view for me to be sensei was also to be able to train at senior training.
i was learning the katas quite quickly and was very thirsty for more and more knowledge...

i had a taste of senior training (twice atually) when Sensei Ken allowed me to finish a couple of my gradings in senior class... (coloured belts were only invited to senior training before advanced gradings and to enter the sensei training program, so this was the only way to get there at that time).
i just wanted to get back in there and train with them all again.
the standard was amazing compared to what i was used to and found it made me push myself harder.

the point...
...i wouldnt give it up for anything


i agree with matt, watching our first students grade was amazing. im sure we were more nervous than they were.

It can make you a little nervous watching your students grade. Especially when you see them muck up something they can normally do ok.


Mick

Hi,
Becomming a sensei is a goal of mine. I am a trainer, professionally and have always had the drive to share knowledge and watch people grow as they fo through the learning process. I have been attending senior training as often as I can. I am in region 9 in Adelaide SA. I have been told that a new "Sensei Trainee" program is about to be launched in my region. The program is 15 weeks long and is undertaken on recommendations of dojo senseis and then interviews are conducted by the RM to test suitability. This sounds like it will be a great program to hook up with :thumbwink: if it is to roll out to all regions????
I am looking forward to the possibility of working through to sempai and sensei......my 6 year old daughter (orange belt) thinks that she would like to be a sensei soon too.

Michael

It seems there is a new "Sensei Training Program" being instigated all round!
In R28 we've just been informed of a similar program.
I for one think this can only benefit the club. Instructors should be trained adequately and not just in karate.

A positive step!

It seems this is a national or global initiative. Instead of potential senseis being invited to regular sensei training for a while then getting a belt, they are going to run "courses".

Over 12-16 weeks, getting the potential new senseis to take part of the class, going through format, how to fill out the class sheet (don't laugh - there are some who have been teaching for a while and still can't do it) and a few other things.

At the end of the course they will do the GKR instructor accreditation thingy. Those who pass, that is. Though there is no reason to think that there will be any more screening of potential senseis in terms of knowledge, grade or ability than there has been in the past.
- That wasn't meant to sound negative. Well maybe it was, cos it's one of the gripes I have with the system. Those who would like to teach should be doing it for the students, not for the belt they get.


Mick

Resurrecting OOOOOLLLLLDDDDD thread

Who still feels the same now?


Mick

Good idea, mick.

Considering some people would have stopped teaching by now, it will be interesting to see some responses....

AARGH!!
not fair resurrecting old threads!

Unfortunately I cant see any difference, other than there is now a plethora of new black and whites, and we did about 8 weeks of kancho classes (4, 6, 10 hardnfast, combo, kata etc). At least they were taught what to do in certain situations.....however it all made it extremely clear that gkr is to become the main priority of your life, even to the point of saying in the event of a car accident you should secure your vehicle and find an alternate way to the dojo. They didnt say what you should do if your passengers are bleeding to death, but I assume its their problem.

Okay...that was a bit harsh, but it definately seemed to me that the intention was everything else is secondary.

However, to answer the question yeah, I have changed my mind. I did pop in to a class and briefly helped out last week, but the buzz wasnt there, replaced instead by a lack of belief in what I was teaching and my knowledge of karate being insufficient to warrant me teaching it.

At least they were taught what to do in certain situations.....however it all made it extremely clear that gkr is to become the main priority of your life, even to the point of saying in the event of a car accident you should secure your vehicle and find an alternate way to the dojo. They didnt say what you should do if your passengers are bleeding to death, but I assume its their problem.

LOL, that sounds about right.

Well, unless they bleed on your gi.. then you'd be in trouble for turning up messy, right ?

Sorry if I sounded a bit bitter.
It struck me as wrong that when I resigned I had to find and organise my own replacement till the year end. Okay to be fair RM was in fact organising his wedding for that week ( Hi there ), and gods know how much fun that can be, but what of the assistant RM's? I did agree to do it, but surely this is important enough to warrant the attention of a 2IC
Also to be fair again, only a small portion of our STP people actually were awarded their belts, and from what I hear no grades below 4th kyu.

In the UK if you can breath, talk and make it on time to the first class at 18:00 you will get a B&W.

I was helping out a friend of mine when I was a 7th Kyu, to Sempai for him. I got a call before I was due at the class to see the RM, where he GAVE me a B&W, no discussion, no interview, no STP program. 3 weeks later I took over the class!!!

Since then I have trained a lot and worked hard to ensure my students get the best training I can give them, but, I wasn't even asked, it was assumed I would take over.

Since then I have caused a few problems - I am not backwards in coming forward if you know what I mean, and because of my job often have to have someone covering or starting classes at my Dojo. Karate is important - but it doesn't pay the bills, or keep my family together, therefore in life's priorities it comes lower down the list.

I do have a loyalty to my students, but as far as I am concerned GKR make enough money out of the club every year to be able to cover classes, or cope when I am not around.

By the way we had our last grading of the year yesterday, 14:00 start. Our RM showed up at 14:40 and DID NOT APOLOGISE TO ANYBODY. (To be fair he arrived 10 minutes earlier than the last grading!!) Is this the proffesionalism GKR purport to providing?

Sorry - ranting again, the lack of proffesionalism in the UK really does my head in!!

I feel for you guys.
I miss GKR. Ive met some great people and some I know will be lifelong friends. I still intend to go to some classes and just enjoy myself for a change....There is a great family atmosphere at times and thats one of the hilights. Do you even get that?
It cant just be a few people thinking this.... it seems comments like this are popping up everywhere. Surely the situation in the UK must either go for slow sustainable growth or else collapse in on itself in a heap. Thats basic business sense. The novelty is over, Martial arts are now becoming highly professional endevours and the public becoming better educated. This system cant stand up for ever.

Despite all the complaints there are a few really good Dojo's where the family atmosphere comes first - We all do enjoy our Karate and try and teach it to the best of our ability.

Most of my issues with GKR are how its run above me, the students are not aware of most of the problems (unless they read here).

IMO, I think you should go have another word with Shihan or someone higher up. 40 minutes late to a grading is not on. If he's got the responsibilty of taking the gradings, he should at least get there at least 30 minutes before a grading starts to sig everyone in. Maybe you could go really crazy and just organize a lynch mob.

What would have happened if you were 40 minutes late to class?

Me personally? Nothing, really. I'm only a karateka, so I'd just miss half the class. But if a sensei turned up 40 minutes late for a class, I'd expect them to be sacked, unless it was a once off and they had an extremely good reason for it.

Or perhaps you tell them you're only paying for the % of time they were actually there


Mick

I'd do that.

When I originally posted in this thread I was still with GKR. A few months later I left...

Why? Sometime in 2002 I came to the realisation that there were a lot of things that GKR didn't teach which I wanted to learn. Early in 2003 I joined a jujutsu club, seeking knowledge of things like throws, restraints and escapes which I had come to believe were contained in kata. What I found was so much more than that. Among it was basic footwork to evade and gain a better position (which I struggled mightily to come to grips with for a long time) instead of moving in a straight line and bashing aside an attack so that a counter could be initiated. I also started training with different karate groups, trying them out to see if I could find one to suit my new goals. (All of this was apparently a no-no ) In the end I became "selfish", wanting to advance my own training, and ended up leaving.

<snip long story>

About 12 months later it was suggested I might be better served finding a location and starting my own club so that I might train the way I wanted to. A few more months went by while I 'got around to it' and then I almost bailed on the idea after reading some articles in a karate journal which made me feel hopelessly ill-equipped to be thinking of teaching. But then talking with different people made me realise how much I had learnt instead of focussing on how much I don't know.

Even the incomprehension of many people did not dissuade me after that (apparently the kata I use are only basic kata and I don't have enough kata to keep people interested ) so I took the plunge and resumed teaching. But now on my own (with the support of some very good and knowledgeable people) and the only things really required of me are to deliver quality instruction to those who train with me and pay for the dojo hire. (In that order of priority too.)

It has come to seem though that much of what I do or the way I do things and how such a system can possibly work is not generally understood by people without experience outside of GKR.

But I'm having great time


Mick

to answer your question, i became a sensai because i saw a misleading vacancy in the job center, then i became an self defence consultant where i would learn excellent methods and soon mastered the ability to brainwash people at there own doorsteps into joining a club which they thought was legit, oblivious that they were being trained by people with less experience than them, thats right! when i started teaching (2 weeks after i joined the club) i had no martial arts experience at all but what did that matter to the big cheeses of gkr? absolutley nothing as long as the money that they tricked out of people flowed into there pockets, they were happy.

Why did they chuck you out the club?

Or were you just a bit crap?

I don't really like GKR, but your wasting your breath.

do i sound like somone whos been chucked out of a club?! actually i realised the -------- that it talks and the manipulation of people that it uses to earn the "yankee dollar" your a brainwashee refuse it all u like

Oh well, my apologies, I got it wrong.

As ive said in other posts i aint brain washed. If their that bad then why are you here? Its not like you spent alot of time with the club.

Ppl ask me why i still lurk around after having left GKR. I got alot of friends still in GKR, and I spent 6yrs with the club. Vested interest.

You don't...so why bother?

He's been doing it for months around the different fora. Must be still looking for a dark smelly bridge to hide under where goats can't see him. [/gratuitous Discworld reference]


Mick

I have the same feelings as Rancer does. I'm still a member of GKR because of the many many friends I've made in the last 4 years that I've trained in it. And, well, there are teachers out there that actually can teach a great GKR class. Even if in the dark recesses of GKR there are evil, gold counting goblins...

thats the spirit brodius. I am however not talking about your end of the world my reserch tells me that gkr actually means good karate and worth-while lessons where you are from, my crosshairs are fixed on england, for it is a minimum comitment high profit schemes. sionnagh, i have sense to hide under a "big smelly bridge" to avoid the ever watchfull eye of the dark lord, attracting his gaze can result in many brainwasing methods to turn you into a minion. (i know i have been one, oh and by the way who said i was not with this club for long? you not me.You ask me why i hang around,surely one who has spent a little time with this club wouldnt feel to have such an urgent message.)

Ok then, how long were you with the club? You dont give the impression of having spent alot of time.

Mick, if hes doing it everywhere...is there a big red ip ban button somewhere that can be pressed?

I dunno... It's always kinda funny when it's assumed that everyone here (or on other boards) is with GKR though.

What was the topic again?


Mick

>> Becoming a Sensei, from what I can see.