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Old 03-12-2007, 09:20 AM   #2
Amir Krause
Dojo: Shirokan Dojo / Tel Aviv Israel
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 692
Israel
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Re: AikiWiki Article: Teachingsyllabus

Please take this as a constructive criticism:

Quote:
CLASS TOPICS, by WEEK

2/1 Introduction. Warm-ups. Etiquette.
2/3 Basic Principles. History of O Sensei.
2/8-2/10 Falling: back rolls
2/15-2/17 Falling: back rolls/forward rolls.
2/22-2/24 Falling: side falls/intro to high-falls
3/1-3/3 Attacks and Terminology
3/8-3/10 Entering and Turning
3/15-3/17 Balance and "center point"
3/22-3/24 SPRING BREAK; NO CLASS
3/29 Zanshin: Martial Awareness
3/31 CESAR CHAVEZ DAY: NO CLASS
4/5 Zanshin; Ma-ai
4/7 "Ma-ai," or distance
4/12-4/14 Ego. "Fighting mind" versus "accepting mind"
4/19-4/21 "Extension"
4/26-4/28 Breath, and Breath Technique (kokyo ho)
5/3-5/5 "Musubi," or "connectedness"
5/10 Knee-walking ("suwariwaza")
5/12 Pins and Immobilizations
5/17 Possible Guest Instructor
5/19 Final Evaluation
How long is each lesson?

From what I remember of my teacher giving a similar class at Tel Aviv University (that's where I started):
It was best to give as much theory as possible on the first week, most people lacked proper clothing.

Break falls back and then sideways are the easiest way to study Ukemi, Rolls are more difficult to perform tehcnicly thus should come later, same hold for front-wise break falls.
Tai-Sabaki (entering and turns) should also start early on, it will later assist giving an easy basis for developing the techniques.

One should teach some basic technique at the second lesson, otherwise the students normally get frustrated. We found Shiho Nage to be oe simple option, another is Kote Giri (hope we use the same terminology though I doubt it).

I do not see why advanced subjects such as mae, Breath and "extension" should be directly taught to the studnets in a short beginners course. It normally gets them to have a wrong understanding of things they never had the chance of learning to sufficient depth. I would suggest concentrating more on several simple techniques and situations and letting those explain the principles (you may have to verbatrose but do it in the contest of a simple technique and let them extrapolate).

Hope this helps, obviously it is difficult to guess actual content from headlines.
Amir