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Old 08-26-2009, 10:55 AM   #1
CarrieP
 
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Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

I saw something pretty neat in my aikido class last weekend, and was wondering if others have similar types of stories.

Our sensei was doing some focus on forward rolling techniques at the start of class, because we have a couple newbies in class, and some of us "former newbies" still have some very rough edges.

He was trying to teach us about being rounded, creating a space between the rolling arm and the body.

We train in a shared space, a big community room, and there happened to be some big party balloons, still inflated, lying around, from some shindig earlier in the week.

Sensei took the balloon, tucked it beween his arm and his torso, and did a roll. The balloon stayed right there, didn't pop, didn't even get squished. Then he had a few of us see if we could do the same thing.

It struck me as a really neat idea, to use a prop during teaching, spontaneously, and one that was seemingly perfect for the lesson. The balloon gave the sense of space without adding any weight or impeding the roll, and it gave direct feedback on technique--if it popped, you weren't keeping enough space there.

Just wondering if others would like to share any interesting teaching techniques they've used or observed.
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Old 08-26-2009, 11:54 AM   #2
dps
 
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Re: Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

Sensei Cycyk, in a demonstration of Ki extension, would stand in hanmi and hold a can of Coca-cola in his hand. He would have you hold his wrist with one or two hands then tell you not to let him drink the Coke. Without moving his feet he was always able to take a drink.
David

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Old 08-26-2009, 12:09 PM   #3
CarrieP
 
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Re: Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote: View Post
Sensei Cycyk, in a demonstration of Ki extension, would stand in hanmi and hold a can of Coca-cola in his hand. He would have you hold his wrist with one or two hands then tell you not to let him drink the Coke. Without moving his feet he was always able to take a drink.
David
Interesting...wonder if the demo would have worked with Pepsi...

So, I'm curious as to how this helped you learn, and what you learned from it. Did it help your technique? Did you learn something about Ki? Or was it primarily just a neat demo to show what could be, given enough practice?
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Old 08-26-2009, 01:17 PM   #4
Lan Powers
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Re: Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

If he approached the demo in the same manner as Riggs Sensei the drink would come (inevitably) and be followed by a explanation of the body-mechanics involved.
Very useful
Lan

Play nice, practice hard, but remember, this is a MARTIAL art!
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Old 08-26-2009, 02:00 PM   #5
Erick Mead
 
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Re: Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

Well lessee -- I have used, in no particular order:

- a rope
- a bedsheet
- two jo staves duct-taped together,
- a chain
- a large flower pot
- a towel
- a plastic jug of water

I will let the imagination run on what we used them for ...
If you are in on The Secret ™, you would already understand and if you don't you are obviously Not Ready ®.


Cordially,

Erick Mead
一隻狗可久里馬房但他也不是馬的.
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Old 08-26-2009, 04:03 PM   #6
ninjaqutie
 
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Re: Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

Sensei usually uses the bokken or the jo, but last weekend he tied a string to his uke's fingers (made them a pupet basically) and then held the other end in his hand. He then went to demonstrate a technique where he was doing shomenuchi (we were working on shomenuchi ikkyo). When he lifted his arm, uke's came up. He wanted to demonstrate that you lead with your fingers and that you begin to move in as nage begins to do shomenuchi

~Look into the eyes of your opponent & steal his spirit.
~To be a good martial artist is to be good thief; if you want my knowledge, you must take it from me.
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Old 08-26-2009, 04:18 PM   #7
dps
 
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Re: Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

Quote:
Lan Powers wrote: View Post
If he approached the demo in the same manner as Riggs Sensei the drink would come (inevitably) and be followed by a explanation of the body-mechanics involved.
Very useful
Lan
Yes eventually he would explain it but he kept us guessing for awhile.

David

Go ahead, tread on me.
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Old 08-27-2009, 09:31 AM   #8
Larry Feldman
Dojo: Atlanta School of Aikido
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Re: Neat teaching techniques: teachers and students

Our class is in a multi-purpose aerobics room that has a variey of equipment. I concur on towels, also would add dumbells, a raquetball, and the lagre execise balls to help with rolls, and tenkan turns (turn around the ball).
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