Put a group of black belts together and then tell them to work on whatever they want to work on. 9 times out of 10, something like the following ensues:
Black Belt 1: So, what do you guys want to work on?
Black Belt 2: I don't know. What do you want to work on?
Black Belt 3: It really doesn't matter to me.
Black Belt 4: I'm up for anything.
Black Belt 1: So, what do you guys want to work on?
Me: Let's spar. (just kidding...sort of.)
The point is, I don't care what we work on either, but come on, let's do SOMETHING. If you can't come up with something to share, feel free to get out of the way and let someone else teach, but please don't WASTE MY TIME talking about what we're NOT going to do. That's not to say that talking is a waste of time. Want to share something you do in your class? Great. Want to discuss teaching methodologies? How to handle "problem" students? I'm down with that, too. But let's not all stand around staring at each other, each one waiting for the other to step up.
Okay, let me be fair for a minute. This whole situation usually happens for one of three reasons:
1. Junior rank is waiting for senior rank to take charge.
Okay, this is appropriate: to a degree. It shows the correct respect to the senior instructor, but at some point, even this can be taken too far. If the senior instructor is the one asking what you want to work on, you better be prepared to give an answer. Not having an answer to the question can be just as disrespectful as assuming that you have the right to speak up first. You might even be being tested.
2. The black belts in question really don't have any idea what they want to work on, or what to offer the group.
There's really no excuse for this one. As I said before...step aside. There's really nothing else to say about this.
3. The black belts in question feel that they don't have have anything to offer, or that what they do have to offer is somehow insignificant or inferior.
I find that this attitude is far too prevalent. If you are a black belt, and particularly if you are an instructor, and this is your attitude, change it now. Good instructors are always looking for new ways to approach things, and new lessons to teach. They're also looking for opportunities to share with others, and see what kind of reactions and feedback they get to their lessons.
If you've achieved this rank, you should be able to come up with something. Quite frankly, you should be able to either make something up on the spot, or at least draw on your past experiences as a student and as an instructor in order to put something out there for the rest of the group. Nothing you share is insignificant. Even if all you do is provide me with several great examples of exactly what you should never do when teaching, you've provided me with something valuable, and I'll respect you for having tried. Usually, this isn't going to happen, though. Most of the time, you will come up with something that gets people to think in a new way. Why? Because no two people will ever think the same way, no matter how much alike they may seem. Therefore, no two people will present the same material in exactly the same way.
If you are teaching me, I'm trying to analyze everything I can about the lesson. Am I getting a physical challenge? A mental challenge? What kind of vocal and physical cues are you using that I may be able to incorporate into my own teaching? What is the overall driving principle behind the lesson? I could go on, but you probably get the idea. I'm just as excited when a junior ranking instructor steps in front of the group to teach as I am when a senior instructor does so. Sometimes the junior instructor brings a new or fresh perspective to things. At the very least, I can get a peek into someone's thought processes and see where they are in their personal training, and then can make some comparisons to see if my own students are moving in the right direction as instructors.
In the end, one or more of your seniors may disagree with your conclusions, or even your premise. That doesn't mean you should give up. It means you should step up even more. Defend your premise and your conclusions if you can, or admit that you might need to go back and research things some more if you can't. Either way, we all will have learned something, and no one is standing around wasting time.
So, the next time you are in this situation, speak up. Share a lesson, a drill, or even just a point of view. Or you can wait for me to speak up. I'm always more than happy to spar with indecisive people.
Kick. Punch. Easy Stuff.
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