Benched

To achieve an elite standard of personal performance usually requires a fair amount of natural ability, motivation and commitment. It does not follow that an elite martial artist also has the ability to pass those skills on to others at all levels. In fact, the opposite is usually true. To become an elite performer usually means that the student has natural ability and therefore learns skills quickly and easily. A great degree of self-motivation and commitment is also required and such performers generally find little difficulty in applying themselves to the rigors of training, grading and competition. Since very few students achieve such high levels of performance, too often a coach does not understand the needs of these "lesser mortals" who are in fact the majority. When one looks at specific groups such as junior, female, male, elderly, competitive, aggressive, shy, introverted, or combinations of these, many martial arts coaches in the past have been- to say the least- underprepared. Tony Gummerson, "Teaching Martial Arts"




Shoulder blade/neck/arm/head is worse this morning. The muscle under my right shoulder blade is doing that ticking-spasm thing. I hope that means the body in its infinite wisdom is trying to fix itself. Anyway, the headache is too bad to roll with (I know it'll get worse when I roll, and while I'm trying to concentrate on techniques being taught... and what if we're doing chokes again?), so I'm skipping competition class. Sad heavy sigh.

Decided to console myself by taking the brown gi out of the dye bucket. It is tye-dyed. That doesn't surprise me. That's what happened the last time I tried to dye something a dark color. The bucket is really not big enough for the entire gi, especially once it's soaked and swollen. I took out the jacket and hung it. Stirred the pants and left them in the bucket- still enough dye water in there to cover them. I'll have to get some more dye and try doing the jacket (at least) a second time, by itself in the bucket.