questioning martial arts in redondo beach
During a group lesson, I often say, “This is your class: Do you have any questions?” My lesson plan reads, “In this lesson, the students will learn A, B and C!” One major element of a very cool lesson for jiu-jitsu from Brazil is when students ask questions about the techniques and strategies. I like to think when students begin to ask a lot of questions in context they are beginning to think like a Martial Artist! Therefore, the Jiu-Jitsu instructor loves questions they reflect where the student is in his or her overall development. Students that are white belts ask these types of questions, blue belts ask these types of questions and black belts ask these types of questions. There is no end to questions in Jiu-Jitsu and there is no end toward mastery.
As a student, there must be an understanding of “Trust Tomorrow!” Sometimes a student of jiu-jitsu will ask what if questions that our outside of the lesson or he/she is asking too many what if questions. Think right now of the skill in learning how to type on a keyboard. The teacher instructs on where to place your fingers on the keyboard. “Please learn the home row,” you hear the teacher say. The process starts out slow with repetition and patterns of letters into words. Once in a while, a student will says, “Can’t I just look at the keys and push each letter with my two point fingers?” “It is faster when I use me two fingers?” The teacher goes on to tell the student to trust tomorrow and stick to the home row. By tomorrow you will be looking at the screen and your fingers will find the right keys at the right time! By the end of the week, you will pick up the speed if that is what you desire.
Further, once in awhile, the typing teacher will get so many questions from a student about all the buttons on the keyboard. The student says, “What about this key and that key up there?” The teacher will say, “But we are working on the home row today. Let’s work of this concept today!”
Your teachers enjoys your questions. Regardless of the answers, please begin to trust tomorrow!
My best,
Prof. Tony Pacenski
2nd Degree Black Belt
BJJ Revolution Team
