Welcome to Gaia! ::

So, I've recently started training the newer students at our school and while I have LOTS of material to start posting, unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of time to post it. I'm working on that, because I feel it's important to get this guild back up and running. It's been idle too long.

We, at the school, have started the task of laying out lesson plans for better unifying how the students are taught. Too often, when multiple teachers are involved, there is a gap in training from one group of new students to the next. Some have spent more time learning techniques without focusing on the basics, while other have spent all their time in a training horse stance, repeating the basic movements over and over again but are unable to put them into practical use.

So, here's my idea. I want to, once again, try and use this forum as a sounding board for what I, as a new instructor, am doing with my students. And, at the same time, I would like to also offer some of the ideas and concepts we, as advanced students, have been looking into once the beginning students have bowed out.

One of the things I admire most about our Head Instructor is that he's amazing at understanding the nuance behind Kenpo. We focus on things like Oscillation in movement and how to minimize it and use it more effectively, we break down individual techniques to understand the optimal angles of execution, manipulation points, timing of a strike, etc...

There is a TON of stuff to remember each night after class and then, there's the "making sense of it and laying it out so that it's easily explained in word" for you! Currently, Tuesday and Thrusday nights are classes that are structured in a way which everyone should be familliar with. Warm up, basics, break off for technique lines, forms, etc. Saturdays, and I admittedly haven't been able to make it into a Saturday class yet, are more geared towards lecturing on various ideas with less emphasis on running though the motions and more focus on breaking things down and slowly moving through it as we discuss what it is we are trying to achieve.

So, I've rambled on enough but, here is my hope: To, very soon, begin a thread for the sole focus of individual lessons and discussions on Kenpo. And, for those of you who are NOT students of Kenpo, I have a few ideas as to how I can bring you into the conversation. Perhaps, I can find good youtube videos of the techniques we are discussion as a way for you to understand what it is we're talking about. The hard part of that is finding GOOD youtube videos. Unfortunately, I've watched way too many high ranking black belts demonstrate techniques and have cringed at their lack of true technique. (Watch some of their stances sometimes. They are so focused on looking powerful and fast in their movements that they fail to ever move out of a neutral bow when they should, or their targeting is off, or their posture is horrible....)

But, that's the goal. And I'm hoping to get started on this VERY soon and I'm especially looking forward to hearing from all of you again!

~Desi

Me too! Maybe, what I need to do is tape record the classes and then hire someone to transcribe the lessons! LOL or, find a real time turner, like the one in the Harry Potter movies and start "expanding" my time smile