Before I talk about students, lets talk about size, strength, age and Talent.
When we think of martial arts, particularly those in Asia or Asian influenced, we think of a little old man with a bent back, a line full of students throwing punches and kicks. When he squares off with one of his students, the expectations are that he beats the crap out of them.
This is largely from movies, but it manifests as a belief in peoples attitudes, particularly young strong men won’t learn from martial arts teachers they can beat up, especially if the teacher is a humble man that is willing to throw down with anyone without putting on airs. Sometimes a 260 pound jacked 25 year old smashes the 60 year old skinny martial arts coach. And because young men often lack wisdom, don’t pause to learn from them.
This is even a problem with BJJ, there is an expectation that a BJJ black belt can beat anyone no matter the age or size. BJJ itself spread this myth with Helio and Royce Gracie, saying size and strength doesn’t matter in BJJ. Rener and Reron still spread that myth. And yes old small BJJ guys can overcome bigger stronger people often enough. But what they don’t say is that the same happens in boxing, wrestling, and any style with dynamic training.
But eventually, if someone big and athletic is equally skilled or has just enough knowledge in a skillset, they can negate your art and capitalize on their attributes. It happens in BJJ too, plenty of times no matter how much BJJ purists say it won’t.
Boxing culture isn’t like this, no one expects the coaches to beat up the fighters unless the fighters are just starting out. Even the Rocky movies in fiction acknowledge this, with Micky being this old scrawny cranky guy that tells Rocky what to do. Wrestling is like this as well, the late Billy Robinson walked around with two canes as an old man, but no one doubted he knew catch wrestling better than anyone else.
Young men or strong mobile men with self awareness often can recognize skill in someone even if they can beat them, and if they are very aware, can tell where they used attributes to win and where they used technique.
Students beating you.
Your student can be older, or they can be younger, either way they have to start challenging you or even getting the better of you. The only reason this doesn’t happen is because teachers don’t train in a manner that is dynamic in class, so they are never put in the position to be uncomfortable. Or they do drills and sparring with a student, but every time the student starts to counter them or get the better of them, they get competitive and shut the student down through aggression or even pure technique. But even using pure skill to shut a student down can make them shy to experiment or try things to overcome you as the coach/sensei/sifu. It builds an aura of majesty toward you that shouldn’t exist. Frankly you should use just enough force and even just enough skill that the student can comprehend and experiment more and more. Then you up your skill as they progress. At some point you shouldn’t be able to just shut them down when training something, even at full speed and strength.
And that is okay. You did your job.
It does not mean they don’t have more to learn from you, it doesn’t mean you can’t make them improve, and it doesn’t mean you suck. It means you taught them something, and it’s no longer easy, maybe their even better at it than you are because of attributes, youth, fitness and genetics.
If your student is wise, they will understand this reality, and they will keep training with you. If they leave because they can out drill or even out spar/roll with you, likely they don’t realize how fighting works. They could go somewhere else where the teacher is younger or more fit, maybe they will even learn something new. But if it’s the same style or skillset, they probably won’t learn anything new, just have different bodies to work with.
(I’m not talking about cross training or training at different gyms for different partners, that’s always good. I mean straight up leaving and replacing)
I have a friend who is a wood worker and almost went professional playing Rugby. Within one year of training I often lose or can’t keep up with him in stand up, clinch, ground. Partially because he learns very quick with a 260 pound body that moves like someone who is much lighter. On top of that he picks things up quicker.
But he still is willing to listen to me for training advice, and our Coach Calen who is old and small. He can smash Calen, but he recognizes Calen has much more wisdom as an MMA coach.
I was that student that could beat up my teacher. My Taiji teacher first impressed me because of his detail, and when I first trained with him, it was hard to parry or stop his strikes, hard to trap him when grabbing him despite him being old.
But then he had open heart surgery and liver surgery. Before even then I was closing the gap in being able to deal with him, because I’m much younger and training more.
Yet despite all that, he has a careful eye and an outlook at looking at movement I don’t have. He notices things no one else does, things professional fighters don’t talk about or notice. And so I will always listen to him and learn from him when I can.
Your teachers are human.
What's the deal with Adeel? 