Tag: Coaching

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Tai Chi Teachers

Steve Rowe

When someone spends ages telling us what taiji/qi/neigong/qigong isn’t, I’m waiting for them to tell me what it is. When they’re telling us that we’re all ignorant and don’t understand and only they do, my spidey senses are alerted. When we’re told that you have to spend years to understand and train it I can definitely smell snake oil. Whatever art or system you train in after your first session you’ll be better than you were before it. Then you build your skills as the days, weeks, months and years go by, exactly the same as if you were learning … Continue reading Tai Chi Teachers

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Respect Is A 2 Way Street

Steve Rowe

Many martial artists learning capacity has an expiry date. They get what they want or need from a teacher or system and some stop progressing at that point or move on to someone or something else. It’s a hard pill for some teachers to swallow as they feel discarded and that the work they put into that person was wasted but that’s not true. If the student stops learning at that point they’ve reached capacity, but the teacher’s contribution still have added value to their life. Others have got what they wanted or needed from one teacher and now need … Continue reading Respect Is A 2 Way Street

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The Art Of ‘Preframing’

Steve Rowe

Running a successful martial arts club. It’s important to understand the art of ‘preframing’ on all is levels. Recruiting lots of people with inaccurate adverts ‘because they work’ will give you high recruitment but also high attrition levels, by explaining exactly what you teach and what the outcomes are is important to filter your potential students and so you don’t have to waste both your time and theirs. More importantly it will reach the potential students you want who might be put off by your ‘catch all’ advertising. It seems that most club owners haven’t thought out exactly who and … Continue reading The Art Of ‘Preframing’

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A Good Teacher

Steve Rowe

Find a good teacher that has the knowledge you need.Then yield to that teacher so there are no barriers.Don’t challenge the teachings until you understand them properly.That understanding needs to be internalised with sufficient practice .Then challenge everything in a polite, intelligent way until it’s proven.Keep challenging it as there will undoubtably be hidden depths each time you return to it.Ask questions as a good teacher will be happy that you’re interested.Questions help a teacher to improve the way they teach.Challenge, question, but don’t argue as that will immediately break the teacher/student connection.If you feel the need to argue with … Continue reading A Good Teacher

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Keys To Success

Steve Rowe

Keys to success in training: Work out what you genuinely want to achieve from your study and periodically review it.Don’t take on aims and objectives that others give you.Plan your training schedule for the optimum way to achieve those aims.Don’t waste time training in anything that doesn’t take you in the right direction.Never over or under train.Train every day. Sounds easy but you will inevitably have to fight against pressure from others who want you to do what they want, both at home and in the Dojo. You will also have to deal with your enemies of laziness, distraction and … Continue reading Keys To Success

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Use Your Calendar

Steve Rowe

In my 50 years of training I always put the years training and seminar dates in my calendar first and then worked everything else around them where possible. Every year in June I do my following year’s calendar and give the dates out to all my students well in advance so they can do the same. Anyone that trains with me knows that every seminar will contain a lot of information that will never be given again. I view my calendar a month in advance, then each week and each day to remind me of what I’m doing and teaching. … Continue reading Use Your Calendar

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The Key To Success

Steve Rowe

Society trains you to fail. That’s how the rich get get richer and the poor get poorer. If you don’t train your mind, body and emotions together, you will fail. If you don’t understand that permanent change takes resolve, effort and time, you will fail. Every day my FB feed is full of 7 day wonders and people thinking that all the ‘miracle’ training methods, diets, and buzz word systems will change their life with a miracle in a short period of time and then they can go back to their shit lifestyle and all will be good. The ‘miracle’ … Continue reading The Key To Success

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Instructor’s Eye

Steve Rowe

You think your instructors can’t see behind your BS, your excuses, your mask… but the truth is they can see right into your soul. It’s just polite for the instructor to not reveal what they see, so they smile patiently as they listen to the excuses, the distractions and only help or reveal what they see when appropriate. It’s up to the student to tread the path, to put in the time and effort, to sort out their life and emotions, an instructor has to wait until the time is right to put in their bit. But don’t think for … Continue reading Instructor’s Eye