DOSSIERS TECHNIQUES
Dossiers   8
The Professor... "teacher" or "champion"?

Position and status

The trainer, or more specifically the Karate teacher, has a privileged role and position above all "de jure", i.e. he or she possesses a status from the outset - that of teacher - conferring the right to direct, judge (for good or ill), demonstrate, etc. Although the mere fact that a student freely enters a tatami should in principle be implicit acceptance of his or her own role, there is often no "de facto" recognition on the part of some of the teacher's actual abilities. Indeed, depending on the "level" of each student, his or her view of the quality and credibility of the teaching, and unless dealing with an Expert of great renown (and even then!), he or she sometimes can't help having a critical, even negative outlook, and, instead of adopting a learning-oriented attitude, more or less consciously maintains, out of simple vanity, a refusal to receive.

In this state of mind, it is clear that it will be difficult for the student to accept a remonstrance, a criticism, or even a simple piece of advice, and that, not only will he disregard it, but he will regard this as an aggression, which he will seek to discuss, object to, etc., and on which he will always fixate, as unacceptable and unjustified.

Où is this the true criterion of quality?

It would be extremely adventurous to attempt to draw up a list of value criteria for judging the quality of teaching, and hence of a teacher. Clearly, the more technically proficient a teacher is, the greater the impact of the "demonstrative" aspect, since proof by example always speaks volumes. However, it's not enough to "do" and "show" to guarantee that the know-how is passed on correctly and that the pupil understands it correctly. As my own Seniors often say, "I can show you, but I can't do it for you", which should also be understood as: "until you find the right feeling yourself, you won't know how to do it properly". And for that, it's at least as important, if not more so, to know how to lead the student to the right sensations, so that the right understanding comes "from within", not by simple mimicry and endless repetition of a gesture to be reproduced.

Learning is nothing without mental progress

This is precisely where we come to a crossroads. If we start from the premise that the quality of teaching is reflected in the speed and solidity of the progress made by its practitioners, we will judge the teacher much more subtly on his ability to make people understand how to do things, and not just on his mastery in showing them. As Master Tsutomu OHSHIMA said: "Do you think I'd be practising Karate if it was just about kicking and punching?

Knowing teaching "how to do": much better than knowing "how to do"…

Some teachers maintain a kind of mystery around their practice, unfortunately with the sole aim, conscious or otherwise, of reassuring themselves and preserving their ascendancy over their students, fearing at any moment to lose their credibility and be overtaken by them. And yet, there is no greater satisfaction in teaching than enabling your pupils to become the best they can be, without even imagining making any comparison whatsoever, and on any level whatsoever, with the teacher. Those who seek to dazzle and impose only reveal their weaknesses and uncertainties, and lose sight of the essential.

In many sports, coaches are not themselves athletes who have necessarily evolved at the highest level, but they are people who, through their own understanding and vision of their discipline, are in a position to turn their pupil into a champion, by knowing how to make the most of his or her specific qualities.

True recognition, in every sense of the word, is more likely to come, and will be more sincere, if it is based on the pupil's own assessment of the extent and speed of his progress, rather than on a false admiration of the talents displayed by a teacher who is above all interested in appearances.

Designed and implemented for GENEVE SHOTOKAN KARATE • Powered by Andre Reidel • All rights reserved • 2021