To the casual observer, our students always appear to be having a lot of fun.  And thank goodness for that; we absolutely want them to.  The best way to get someone to try something out of their comfort zone, such as a martial art, is to make it highly attractive.  We have built our classes so they feel like they are back-to-back entertainment.  On top of that, we are always looking to see how each student is doing so that their experience always remains blissfully positive.

The end result is a young person who looks forward to every class, and one who is becoming extremely competent at their martial art along the way.

For an instructor, it means that teaching always feels fresh, our aim being to have as much fun as the students.

Grading

Assessing students for their progress has been happening over the final few weeks of term and we are really pleased with the results.

The difference between students at the start of the year and now as we are finishing up for the year is just huge!  And even now, as weary as they are getting at this time of year, the boys seem to be delighted to be there every week.

The advanced students are now seeing very clearly what they can actually achieve with what they’ve been learning, in addition to the personal development that goes along with it.  The newer students have wonderful exemplars, giving them something to aim for.

I have been explaining to the senior boys that it’s possible they can have their Black Belt by Y11 with continuous training.  Their reactions are interesting; it definitely changes their view on their training so they actually start to own it themselves, as opposed to being enrolled in an activity by Mum or Dad.

Leader Program

A total of five boys participated in our Leader Program this year.  Remarkably, three boys, Marcus C, Jaiden S and Dylan H continued from 2017, and have completed or are in the process of completing L3.  This level of achievement actually has the boys teaching simple techniques under supervision.  To remind you, this is 40 hours of volunteering, with Marcus C and Jaiden S exceeding even that extraordinary effort.

The two new starters this year, Oliver F and Lorcan B, have already started working on L2, preparing to learn how to manage simple activities from set-up to finish.

With the continuing growth in our student numbers, there will be more new starters in the Program in 2019.  It is also worth noting that our Leader & Instructor courses count toward Duke of Edinburgh certification.  

As always, it has been my honour and my pleasure to teach your beautiful boys this year, and I am very excited to be returning in 2019.

All the best for a safe and happy holiday break.

Sensei Marice