Offering productive advice

I bumped into an old friend the other day, so old in fact I didn't recognise him. Anyway he knew me from the old karate days and told me that for certain reasons irrelevant to this threat he had left the organization that he had been part of and now ran a small club himself. I asked when it was on and nearly didn't go as it conflicted with kettlebell sessions but since my back wasn't up to swinging that week I decided I go down and see what he had come up with since he left.

He had decided to make a plethora of changes to karate, borrowing from other styles, which I approve of whole heartedly. I turned up in my traditional old loose jeans t shirt and trainers and was slightly daunted by the sight of karate suits karate suits. I may well have worn one myself if my last one hadn't been given to someone or dropped to bits years ago. This being the case I opted for reality gear rather than sports wear.

We set too the lesson and, as normal, I begin to assess the class and suddenly had the great urge to give advice. I felt very self concious about this thinking it was cheeky, there was no one in the room lower than brown belt and I was standing there like a plonker in civies. I really didn't want to say anything but lo... I did.

Anyway no one minded my little observations and tips. I did a few things slightly different than they would normally do but I suck to the exercises I was given.

At one point I had to say to a lad, 'Its terrible when some bugger comes in his jeans and starts teaching,' he was fine about it and said that it was obvious that I was a high grade (shows what he knows lol) and inquired as to my training history.


Anyway I was wondering if anyone else had been in this position and what advice you have and such.

At the moment I'm trying to get a hold of the blokes email and suggest a few instructors who's courses he could go to. The club would flourish I believe then but I really didn't want to seem critical as at the end of the day he wasn't doing a bad job.

We have all been there Jagunco, you go to a club and see things which sometimes, to our minds at least and other times desperatley need addressed and want to help.

It is usually best not to do so as you are in someone elses club and they are in charge. Doing so at the time will make them feel undermined. There are exceptions of course i.e if you have something to offer an SDF club (or at least the NE SDF although I am sure the others are the same) your information will be treated as vaild and questioned, proved and then accepted or rejected without offence on any side. I will just point out that I took loads from the SDF but was never in a position to offer anything other than a willingness to uke during my time there!

It all depends on the instructor and how good they are and how confident they are in what they are doing how your offer to help will be taken. Keep in mind that he may be teaching what he has to teach as part of a system and anything else will not be accepted.

I don't think emailing anyone lists of instructor courses out of the blue, no matter how good those courses may be will be taken well mind.

I agree with what you say mate and in different circumstances I would of done exactly what you've said.

I was going to email him this time mostly because he is actively trying to change his style and looking for ways to improve it. Also I'm graded in same style of karate as him and share a common instructor and in fact we both hate the guys guts lol so we had plenty to talk about.

Ah, sorry Jagunco I hadn't realised that he was actively looking to change and improve which is a totally different scenario.

So are you two going to start your own club?

Jagunco wrote:
I may well have worn one myself if my last one hadn't been given to someone or dropped to bits years ago. This being the case I opted for reality gear rather than sports wear.

Or maybe they wear them as it saves on getting T shirts ripped to shreds every lesson, a harder wearing training uniform?

Jagunco wrote: Anyway no one minded my little observations and tips.

Just to clarify,are you 100% sure that this is the case?

Yeah I'm pretty sure.

Cool,just wanted to be sure

I hear ya Ade.