A Great Principle for Getting Your Martial Arts Students To Learn Faster

A Note From Rick Kirkham:

Ladies and Gentlemen I have a special treat for you.
Professional author and martial arts master Keith
Pascal has volunteered to be a guest ezine master
today. So check out his format of the ezine and let
both Mr. Pascal and me know how you like it compared

to the format you usually get:

If you are getting this off the internet you may get your email copy of this martial arts article by clicking on the subscribe section of the menu and you will receive your copy autmatically. I have a gift and a special offer for those who take time to give their opinions.

mailto:ezine_suggestion@sendfree.com subject=New Format

mailto:pascal@kerwinbenson.com

Master Pascal will be mailing the ezine to me via
zipped file and I will send out the ezine. Even a good
friend such as Master Pascal will not have access to

your email addresses. Your addresses are private.

If anyone else would like a crack at being ezine
master, we can certainly discuss it.

Enjoy ...

Contents:

1. From The Guest Editor -- Keith Pascal

2. A Great Principle for Getting Your Students

   To Learn Faster

3. A Holistic Exercise For the Whole Class

4. A Conversation with Rick Kirkham and Keith Pascal

5. The Links From This Issue

6. Housekeeping: Subscribe, unsubscribe, contact us, etc.

1.

From The Guest Editor...

I just wanted to thank Master Kirkham for this

opportunity to edit his e-zine. He has some valuable

information to offer....

Would you like to learn how combine two exercises, to

improve your students' kicks by as much as 35% -- in one

hour? You get that very exercise in this issue of

           "The Martial Arts E-zine."

What's more, you get the principle behind the technique.

Once you discover Kirkham's Combination, you (and your

students) will see faster results.

This method seems deceptively simple. Don't discount

it. It's an important aspect of the way you should

present material.

After you read this e-zine, start thinking of all

the ways you can combine two or more exercises, in

order to achieve this synergistic effect -- where 1 + 1 = 6

This issue is devoted to helping your students learn faster.

Without further ado, here are two articles by Rick

Kirkham, edited by yours truly.

And you also get a rare interview/conversation between

Rick and me.

Enjoy this issue, everyone!

                It has been a pleasure,

                Keith Pascal

                author, and editor of 'Martial Arts Mastery'

PS Be sure to let Rick, or me, know

your opinion of this special issue, in its special format.

    ezine_suggestion@sendfree.com

    mailto:pascal@kerwinbenson.com

2.

A Great Principle for Getting Your Martial Arts Students To Learn Faster

by Rick Kirkham

Today I want to cover one of my favorite teaching

methods. It's based on Whole Learning or the Gestalt

Method of teaching.

My variation combines two elements to speed your students'

learning. You could call it Kirkham's Combinations.

Incorporating this concept, like Whole Learning, could

increase your martial arts students' learning speed

by as much as 35%.

How Will a Whole-Learning Based Exercise Help My Students?

The Gestalt or Whole Method of teaching is a

holistic method of teaching physical activities. It

involves taking what your martial arts students already

do, and refining it into the technique you want your martial

arts students to learn.

Because the martial arts students are not learning

something brand new, they are building on learning that

has already occurred. The martial arts instructor is simply

taking something the martial arts students already do,

and changing that movement.

The martial arts students' mental abilities to comprehend

a change in what the martial arts students already can

do as opposed to starting from scratch and learning a brand

new way to strike (for example) is also enhanced.

Self-confidence of just making a change to the way the

martial arts students already punch or kick as opposed

to learning something brand new is also increased.

What are Kirkham's Combinations?

These combinations differ from Whole Learning in

that you first isolate one technique that could use

improvement. Then you combine two exercises -- you

almost trick your body into learning more efficiently.

In the article 'A Holistic Exercise For the Whole Class,'

Section #3 of this issue, you learn one aspect of a great

kick, with the first exercise.

Then the students perform a realistic exercise for their

kicks, the whole time benefiting from the precision that

they just finished practicing.

The second exercise builds on the first.

I am sure some of your class exercises already

employ this principle. Here, you are consciously using

it to speed the rate that your students learn.

   Note: Be sure to occasionally try these techniques

         on yourself. You need to benefit from your

         own enhanced teaching methods too.

To incorporate this principle, just grab a student.

Find one technique that could really use improvement.

Now, break that movement down into two aspects that

could use improving -- precision and power -- speed

and timing -- precision and timing -- proper execution

of technique and power. You get the idea.

Create two exercises for your student. The first

exercise develops one aspect of the technique. When they

start performing that technique almost automatically,

with the proper emphasis on precision, power, or whatever

you happen to be practicing, then it's time to move

to the second exercise.

Typically, the second exercise, while working the

second half of the equation, should have a little

more realism involved. This exercise should also require

your student to perform the whole technique, if possible.

By combining the mini-goals, breaking the technique

down, and then practicing it as a whole after an

improvement has been made, you are moving toward Whole

Learning. Try this more holistic approach.

Some of the drills covered in my book

Bringing The Martial Artist Out from Within, incorporate

this principle. And all of the exercises in the book will

definitely  Enhance Your Own Biological Self-Defense Abilities.

Also, if you want to read an article of mine that

mentions Whole Teaching, check out another of my martial

arts ezine articles, Modern Methods of Teaching an Ancient Art

3.

A Holistic Exercise For the Whole Class

by Rick Kirkham

Yes, you can effectively teach to a large martial

arts class using Kirkham's Combinations. Try the exercise

found in this article. It works.

Without having used this method in large groups previously,

I would have thought that Whole Learning was more appropriate

for individual learning. As you see from the following

exercise, large groups can learn holistically.

Let's teach the front kick.

For this exercise, you need an even number of students.

We'll assume we have enough air shields and half staffs

for the exercise.

   Note: With a little creativity you can deal with

         whatever equipment and numbers of self-defense

         students you have. Divide the students into

         two groups, and have half work with one type of

         equipment while the other half works with

         another type. then have the groups switch at

         an appropriate time.

Class Exercise:

1. Students pair off.  Students line up next to their

   partners.

2.The partners have their half staffs or broom handles

  and through demonstration and verbal instruction are

  instructed to drop to one knee and hold the half staff

  below the partner's knee, about one inch away.

3. Students are told to keep their knees slightly bent

   at the end of the kick for safety reasons.

4.Self-defense students are told to place their right

  legs back.

5. Students are told to kick over the stick with their

   rear legs.

6. Drill continues until the set number of repetitions

   are achieved

7. Partners now switch roles

8.Repeat steps two through six

9.Self-defense students now switch roles with partners

  and switch legs.

10.Repeat steps five and six.

[At this point, you have held a pole out in front of

your partner, while your partner kicks over the pole.

Your partner has done the same for you. You both have

practiced kicking with both right and left legs.]

11.Partner's are instructed in the safe use of the air

   shield and warned to focus their attention at the

   self-defense student throwing a kick towards them.

12.Self-defense students are instructed to kick the

   air shield at medium speed, using the flat part of

   the foot or the heel.

13.Self-defense students kick the air shield using

   the same motion they learned kicking over the stick.

14. Self-defense students are instructed to attempt

    to 'push' through the air shield with their kick

    in order to learn power and stability. Balance

    having previously been learned kicking over the

    half staff.

15. Drill continues until the set number of

    repetitions are achieved

16.Partners now switch roles with self-defense students

17.Repeat steps 12 through 14

18.Self-defense students now switch roles with partners

   and switch legs.

19.Repeat steps 13 through 15.

20.Repeat steps 13 through 19 at full speed full power.

Tips For This Exercise:

*If at any point during this drill, the self-defense

 student is not raising his or her knee properly when

 striking the air shield, a third partner may be required

 to hold the half staff in step two while the self-defense

 student kicks the air shield.

* I found it best to allow my self-defense students

  immediate feedback.

* The martial arts instructor can make individual or

  group corrections during this process in order to

  refine his martial arts students movements even more

  (see my article onpositive reinforcement).

* As I mentioned in my printable ebook on

Internal Energy Strikes, I find round heavy bags

  very forgiving of improper striking techniques. Since

  heavy bags are round, you can pretty well hit them solid

  at any odd angle you like whether you are using proper

  body mechanics or not.

  Flat air shields on the other hand, will often cause

  the self-defense student's hand or foot to slide off

  or the self-defense student's partner will turn at an

  odd angle when the self-defense student strikes the air

  shield incorrectly. This partner reaction is part of

  the feedback I utilize with the whole method of teaching.

* The self-defense student will notice this difference

  when he or she strikes the air shield in the middle

  with a follow through. The partner will turn one way

  or the other if the air shield is struck incorrectly

  by the self-defense student.

* Having someone of equal or greater weight holding the

  shield will help maintain stability.

4.

A Conversation with Rick Kirkham and Keith Pascal

Pascal: It seems 'natural' to combine those two exercises.

        Good job. I hope your readers see the value of the

        Kirkham Combination.

Kirkham: If they give it a try, they will. That's the

         Gestalt part of the equation. They see immediate

         improvement. The first exercise will get them

         lifting the leg with proper form, and then they

         immediately get to make use of that form in the

         second exercise.

Pascal: You like the idea of constant corrections and

        constant feedback. Does your book

        Bringing The Martial Artist Out from Within cover

        individual learning?

Kirkham: Yes it does. Students get feedback all the time.

         Let's take someone who has worked a heavy bag for

         three months and someone who has worked on proper

         technique for three months primarily by punching

         and kicking the air in front of a mirror. Who will

         hit harder?

         The person hitting the bag, of course. The bag hitter,

         even hitting a round bag, makes some corrections and

         discoveries on his or her own through the use of

         immediate feedback.

Pascal: Now, I know that you don't favor complete lack of

        technique. Doesn't the technician have any benefit

        over the bag hitter?

Kirkham: Once the technician begins hitting a bag he or she

         will probably pick it up a lot faster than the guy

         who had no training whatsoever. Why not give the

         technician the immediate, realistic feedback, as well?

         Let the self-defense student discover some of his or

         her own mistakes by actually punching kicking and

         blocking things without a great deal of structure.

Pascal: This brings us back to your exercise from the above

        article. That exercise combines technique with power

        too. Very effective.

Kirkham: Thanks, but you're no teaching slouch yourself. In

         fact, you wrote "The Book" on teaching martial arts

         more effectively. Your book is destined to become a

         classic. Right now, it's the only book of its depth

         that really will help a teacher's students improve.

Pascal: Thanks. I really am proud of "Secrets of Teaching

        Martial Arts More Effectively." More people know about

        my Wrist Locks book, but that's because "Secrets of

        Teaching ..." is still new. But you also have a book

        or two that would help the martial artist to improve.

Kirkham: They should buy all of our books. Your book on Wrist

         Locks, my book on Internal Energy Strikes, your book

         on "Secrets of Teaching Martial Arts More Effectively,"

         and my book on "Bringing the Martial Artist Out

         from Within."

Pascal: Enough of this 'mutual admiration society.' Could we

        end this article by saying that if your readers want

        to learn to hit better, they should read your book on

        Internal Energy Strikes, and if they want to learn to

        control the attacker, they should read "Wrist Locks:

        From Protecting Yourself to Becoming an Expert." Does

        that about cover it?

Kirkham: And if they want a variety of drills for teaching

         they should get my book "Bringing the Martial Artist

         Out from Within." And if they want to learn the

         principles and techniques for more effective teaching,

         they should check out your book "Secrets of teaching

         Martial Arts More Effectively."

         Now, that about covers it.

5.

Here are all of the important links that were covered

in this issue. If we can be of further assistance, just

let us know:

Modern Teaching Methods of an Ancient Art, A Humble Courtesy to All Martial Arts Instructors Your Martial Arts Ezine Issue 21

http://tutor.hypermart.net/martialarts_ezine6199.htm

Martial Arts Ezine Issue 52 Teaching Techniques for Teaching Children Martial Arts

http://www.martialartists.f2s.com/martialarts_ezine9101.htm

Master Pascal's Ebooks on Wrist Locks and Teaching Martial Arts

Master Kirkham's Step by Step Learn Internal Energy Strikes with the bonus section Taking Strikes and Coming Back for More

Master Kirkham's Drill and Self-learn Ebook Bringing The Martial Artist Out From Within

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