Gotta get better!!

[selphie]

I was hopin that one of you people had some good advice - the problem is that I am very interested in kung fu, but I can't help but think that I am not goin to get good in the class that I am in.
The teacher does not seem very interested anymore & it seems like none of us stand a chance of gettin good in the club that we are in.
Do any of you have any advice on how to train outside the class to help me learn more and improve?!
Thanks (hopefully)!!

[HuangKaiVun]

Different teacher, different school.

Though one can learn a great deal from even the most recalcitrant teacher (such is the magic of kung fu), it's more efficient to spend one's energy working with those that are eager to help you.

Spar against all sorts of practitioners and styles - and make your style work for you.

[Scott]

If you have to learn on your own, it is quite possible. As long as you have access to the sets, you can tear them down to learn every different move and application. All of this can be done alone (except for the learning part) a teacher simply speeds it up. The gap you cannot fill alone, however, is sparring/distancing/timing.

-Scott

"You have to consider the possibility that god does not like you; he never wanted you. In all probability, he hates you. It is not until we have lost everything that we can do anything."

[Goktimus Prime]

If you're not learning anything from your current teacher, try telling him/her that and see if s/he does anything to improve your learning. People learn at different speeds, and perhaps you learn a lot faster than s/he thinks you can (which actually is not a great compliment to the teacher, because a good teacher ought to be able to keep track of their student's learning and adjust their teaching to cope). If you see no improvements in yourself, then by all means, seek a new teacher.

Because when a student is not learning something, either the student is being a complete slack off, which I doubt that you are, because usually when people don't want to sincerely learn martial arts, they just stop attending classes. More likely, the teacher is incompetent.

Therefore, seek a new teacher. But self training is useful in maintaining what you already know. It's just that progressing from there is usually exceedingly slow on your own.

"Wit is educated insolence." - Aristotle (284-322 BC)

[joedoe]

Goktimus:

You seem to be pretty ready to call teachers incompetent. Maybe he has lost his inspiration or something. Doesn't mean he is incompetent.

But I do agree on one point - if you don't feel you are learning anything consider finding a new teacher. If you feel you like the style you are doing then find a teacher from the same style.

[dunbarj01]

Hi Selphie,

I think you should give your teacher the benefit of the doubt. It's not uncommon for people to lose their drive every now and then. If the relationship between yourself and your teacher is good or you like the style, it shouldn't stop you from training enthusiastically. All areas of my technique need work but concentrating on 2-3 exercises yields results for me. I ask my teacher for advice (which takes about 2 mins) then just keep practising. He points me in the right direction but I have to do the work. Good luck.