Motivation

As I pondered teaching the kids last weekend, it got me to thinking.  The only way to keep the kids coming back is to make it fun, which is especially true for the younger ones.  We are very sensitive to issues like short attention span, which means you have to move things along quickly and keep switching activities or they'll get bored.  We are also very sensitive to physical limitations, realizing that a 4-year-old is going to have some balance problems and maybe can't turn that well, and will have trouble hitting the kiba-dachi (horse rider's) stance -- you can't pick on them too hard or they'll get frustrated and discouraged, you have to know when to back off and let it be "good enough".

We push the adults a lot harder, which is fair because most adults are stronger, have better balance, and a much longer attention span.  It's not universal though.  Plenty of adults are in bad physical condition, overweight or out of shape or with injuries that limit their movements.  Many have hearing or eyesight problems.  Most come into our mid-week classes after putting in a full day's work, so they're tired already.

But they still need to get enjoyment from karate, or they won't stick with it.  Naturally, there are those times when it's a struggle, but if it's all struggle and no reward, then there's no motivation to keep going. 

With kids, it is the instructor's job to make class "fun", and to know when to back off.  With adults, the instructor also needs to know when to back off, and that can be a delicate matter.  A sensitive instructor can usually pick up on frustration, but the next step is not clear-cut.  Sometimes, that student just needs some coaxing and encouragement, a little push, and they will make it past that frustration.  Other times, the student is done, and pushing will only make it worse; the best thing the instructor can do is say, "don't worry, it's a tough move but we'll keep working on it and you'll pick up soon," then walk away.

And what about fun?  Well, "fun" is not the element that is stressed in the martial arts for adults, that's for sure.  But it's just as essential to adults as it is to kids, even if "fun" takes different forms when you get older.  Martial arts is hard work.  You WILL get tired, you WILL get sore, you WILL get frustrated, and from time to time, you WILL get hurt.  That's the reality.  If that's the case, then you need some serious motivation to keep going back to the dojo, day after day, night after night.  And for most people, that means you need to enjoy your training, at least the majority of the time.

What motivates an adult?  Speaking only for myself, I have to say that my motivation changes all the time.  Some nights I am in the mood for a really great workout, I just want to go and push myself hard and really feel it.  Some nights I'm tired and frustrated from a bad day at work, and I want to lose myself in karate.  Sometimes I want to impress, like when there is a tournament or test coming up, so I train hard to make my stances as good as they can be, my timing and rhythm, my balance, my focus, as good as I can make them.  Sometimes, I move on to a more metaphysical approach, and revel in the feeling of being involved in something that has such a history, that I share with so many people all over the world, and realize that my dedication to the art is making me a better person on many levels.

So my enjoyment depends in part on what I'm looking for from my training that night.  If I want a good workout, then I'll leave happy if I'm exhausted and sweating.  If I want escape, then I'll leave happy if I managed to forget about the bad workday for an hour or two.  If I'm looking to impress, then I leave happy if I feel like I trained well, and particularly if sensei gives me some positive feedback.  If I'm in the metaphysical realm, then simple participation is its own reward.

And some days, I'll find myself laughing, truly having "fun", whether it's something funny the kids do (like the little girl last Saturday who decided halfway through class to start chirping like a bird instead of ki-ai-ing), or just a jovial mood in the dojo that day.  Those days, nothing about karate feels hard, even if I wake up the next morning stiff and sore and bruised. 

And I think those occasional silly days are as essential to serious training as anything else.

Comments

[Derek]

I'm not sure why some adults treat "fun" as if it's a dirty word. I'm taking karate to get into shape and because I think it's good for me on many levels, but I wouldn't keep training if I didn't enjoy it!

I'm not one of those lucky people who particularly enjoys their job, so I depend on my after-work activities for personal satisfaction. The satisfaction I can get out of a good sparring session or a well-done kata is valuable to me, and it's definitely fun. I don't think there's anything wrong with that or that I'm being untrue to the spirit of martial arts.

On the subject of enjoyment, our dojo recently suffered smoke and water damage from a fire in the store next door to us. There have been many setbacks in the dojo as a result; broken furnaces, leaking roofs, damaged carpets, and bad smells. It was a struggle for the senseis to limit our closure to only a week, and that was with many of the students coming out to help clean up.

Weirdly, the energy of all of the classes seems to be depressed as well as the building's structure. Dodging around scaffolding and shivering during warmup isn't really that big a deal -- it shouldn't be affecting class as much as it is. But for some reason many of us seem to be lacking focus in our classes, and there aren't nearly as many smiles going around either. If I was a mystic, I would say that our chi had been badly disrupted. I hope things improve and the fun comes back again soon!