Okay.
As most of you know, I'm now teaching JKDC. Been doing well, and have been gaining moderate success slowly but surely.
I have this friend who is going to take lessons as well...
(I've mentioned him once before)
This friend is the kind of person who is very..."fantasy" prone.
He was grossly overweight (obese) as a teenager, and very anti-social. In his 20's now, he has since lost LOTS of weight (close to 170 pounds!) and is slowly getting up his confidence too. Which is good.
He's worked out with me before, but never in a real serious manner. (I would occasionally give him pointers on how to punch, grapple, etc.)
He also takes lessons at a state college which does kung fu ( I don't know which style) and Japanese jiu-jitsu.
Now...
My friend, like I said is "fantasy" prone. He lives in this world of comics, "Batman" stories, and the like....
in fact, I think he sometimes "sees" himself as these types of superhero personas....
The only thing is.....
He's not half as good or knowledable or tough as he'd like to believe.
I'd like to bring him down to earth a little bit. I thought that some real lessons of boxing, grappling, and athletic training would do him some good.
And when we actually do train, he's since realized that more than half the stuff he "trained" in the past doesn't work....
But regardless.....he CONSTANTLY talks as if he is immensely knowledgable in MA....
and he's not. Not even a little bit.
Just tonight we were talking on the phone, and he wanted me to "review" his stuff from the other class so he could test there. I told him
"Well, I can look at it, but your teacher and I are teaching two different types of things."
He said, "Well I found out what style we do. We do "Gong fu" (with that accent) and "jiu-jitsu." (the stuff he showed to me was classical JJJ)
then he said "I think you guys are doing the same thing."
(I've told him countless times I teach Jeet Kune Do Concepts, and what that entails.)
I said, "Well I don't think so. What style of kung fu does he teach?"
My friend said "Huh?"
Then my friend said "But we did jiu-jitsu together!"
I said "That was Brazilian jiu-jitsu, not Japanese jiu-jitsu"
He said" Oh what? How many kinds of jiu-jitsu are there??"
(He has NO real knowledge of the MA world...at all.)
I said later "You know we should get together and just have a discussion about martial art. Just so you can get familiar with what it really is, how many styles and systems there are...you know, just to get some good knowledge...."
His answer. "Yeah. Well....I already have a LOT of knowledge. I've been studying about it for years."
(No he hasn't...he reads magazines, and watches Highlander...)
I said "Well let's talk anyway. "
It's not that he's arrogant or anything.....he just....
thinks he knows more than he actually does.
What's the best way to teach someone like this? Any opinions?
What would you do in my place?
Just wanted to get other ideas. Since I know him personally, it makes it easier for me....but that "fantasy" he lives in is going to come crashing down around him one day....
And I think he honestly knows that......but doesn't want to admit it.
He also makes sweeping overexaggerations.
(i.e. "Well I used to train greco roman wrestling and amateur wrestling for a long time...."
Me: "Where did you study Greco/Roman at?"
Him: "What?"
Me: "Who taught you Greco/Roman?"
Him: "Well...I..... my friend showed me a few moves..."
Opinions, please.
Thanks
Ryu