Do It Again: When Teaching Methods Collide

On Tuesday Hess sensei teaches classes. He’s intelligent, thoughtful, collected, and methodical. He contrasts very nicely with Maxson sensei on Thursday nights.

Right now the entire international Aikido some long name in Japanese [Federation?] is meeting in Japan. Almost the entire upper echelon of the Oregon Ki Society is away. So there were two students on Tuesday. It was so much fun!

Normally sensei brings a student up to the front and demonstrates the technique. Then he breaks it down into it’s pieces. Then he has us practice it.

We bow to him and select partners by bowing to them. (it’s very polite) So all of my practicing was done with a higher ranked blue belt.

There are certain etiquette and formalized rituals on how everyone does their thing. (I didn’t know this until later)

• the higher ranked student performs the technique on the lower ranked student first
• or the higher ranked student performs the technique
• the lower ranked student tests the performing student
• First, the technique is preformed with fighting mind–and usually fails.
• Second, the technique is performed with dead relaxed mind–and fails in an entirely different manner.
• Third, the technique is performed while coordinating mind and body–and usually takes a few attempts before the student gets it right.

The technique we were performing is called Unliftable Body.

1. The blue belt did the technique with fighting mind: result, I lifted him up.
2. The blue belt performed the technique dead relaxed: result, I still lifted him up, but it was harder.
3. The blue belt performed the technique while trying to coordinate mind and body: result, he failed, I lifted him up.
4. He tried it a few more times and finally got it right. I couldn’t lift him–and I was really trying to.
5. I told him to do it again.

WHOOPS!

As soon as I said it, Hess sensei asked me “are you not convinced he did the technique right?”

“No, I’m convinced he did it right. It’s for that very reason I’m telling him to do it again. It’s not for my benefit, it’s for his. In fact, I’m not interested in performing these techniques the wrong ways. I’m not here to train and learn these techniques wrong. I’m here to learn them the right way.”

He’s done the technique at least seven times the wrong way. He gets it right once and we move on. I wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to do it right again while he was still flush with success.

Sensei laughed for a moment. Then acknowledged that the teaching methods don’t line up with positive reinforcement. I wanted to tell him that bankers don’t work with forgeries, they work with nothing but the real thing. Why bother with the various copies when you can teach people all about the real thing. He did tell me that if I ever went to the big dojo in Tigard to make sure I practiced the way the instructors expected me to.

He didn’t give me time to be exasperated or annoyed, we moved on.

I’m bemused by this turn of events. Koeichi Tohei left the dojo his master O sensei founded after O sensei died and started a new school because the dojo wouldn’t change their teaching methods. How entertaining that the methods Tohei sensei founded are now a tradition that might be unchangeable.

However, before I go too far with this idea.  I do ascribe to the belief that a novice should try the master’s methods first and prove that they know those methods.  Then offer improvements and suggestions.  This shows respect for previous experience.  Certain methods might’ve been tried in the past.  The way it’s done now might actually be the best way to teach this particular set of knowledge and skills–and it might not.