07/11/2006 In Polls by andy
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ok, so this poll ran for quite a while since i was on a hiatus of sorts. we had 31 respondants, and i have to admit that i am surprised by the results.
- only three people practice less than three hours each week.
- thirteen people practice between three and five hours.
- twelve people practice between five and ten hours.
- three hardcore taidoka practice over ten hours each week.
so the vast majority of those responding to this poll practice somewhere between three and ten hours every week - that’s fantastic. i had expected most folks for practice less than that. though i had assumed that the three to five hour group would be the largest (and this turned out to be the case), i was very surprised to see that so many students are practicing in excess of five hours a week.
ok, so this poll ran for quite a while since i was on a hiatus of sorts. we had 31 respondants, and i have to admit that i am surprised by the results.
- only three people practice less than three hours each week.
- thirteen people practice between three and five hours.
- twelve people practice between five and ten hours.
- three hardcore taidoka practice over ten hours each week.
so the vast majority of those responding to this poll practice somewhere between three and ten hours every week - that’s fantastic. i had expected most folks for practice less than that. though i had assumed that the three to five hour group would be the largest (and this turned out to be the case), i was very surprised to see that so many students are practicing in excess of five hours a week.
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08/11/2006 In Polls by andy
lately, i’ve been thinking a lot about what relative proportion of various training types and methods to use to create an optimal platform for skill development in the class at georgia tech. as usual, i have sixty-ish variables going around in my head about what to do when for what students. i’ve had the benefit of being exposed to a lot of different styles of practicing taido, and i’ve spent considerable time learning and developing a pretty large repertoire of training methods. sometimes, these things can be a great advantage to me as an instructor, but sometimes i feel as if i have too many options and not enough guides for choosing among them.
so, i thought i’d post a poll.
most martial arts train students using a variety of methods. in taido, the obvious two are hokei and jissen. i’m curious as to which kinds of practice people value the most in their own training.
lately, i’ve been thinking a lot about what relative proportion of various training types and methods to use to create an optimal platform for skill development in the class at georgia tech. as usual, i have sixty-ish variables going around in my head about what to do when for what students. i’ve had the benefit of being exposed to a lot of different styles of practicing taido, and i’ve spent considerable time learning and developing a pretty large repertoire of training methods. sometimes, these things can be a great advantage to me as an instructor, but sometimes i feel as if i have too many options and not enough guides for choosing among them.
so, i thought i’d post a poll.
most martial arts train students using a variety of methods. in taido, the obvious two are hokei and jissen. i’m curious as to which kinds of practice people value the most in their own training.
Continue Reading...
15/11/2006 In Miscellany by andy
With Thanksgiving next week, the winter holiday season is fast upon us. Every year around this time, I’m forced to wrestle with what I feel is a very stressful and difficult aspect of social membership in America - the giving of gifts.
I am terrible at gift-giving, and if I thought I could get away with it, I would boycott the holidays wholesale. The sad reality is that escaping the holidays is near-impossible; even in years when I’ve done my best to let friends and family know that I wasn’t planning to participate in the consumption frenzy, somebody always manages not to get the memo, and I’m stuck feeling guilty. The alternative, embracing the madness in the spirit of goodwill, just serves to remind me that I have absolutely no skill at choosing quality gifts for even my closest friends.
With Thanksgiving next week, the winter holiday season is fast upon us. Every year around this time, I’m forced to wrestle with what I feel is a very stressful and difficult aspect of social membership in America - the giving of gifts.
I am terrible at gift-giving, and if I thought I could get away with it, I would boycott the holidays wholesale. The sad reality is that escaping the holidays is near-impossible; even in years when I’ve done my best to let friends and family know that I wasn’t planning to participate in the consumption frenzy, somebody always manages not to get the memo, and I’m stuck feeling guilty. The alternative, embracing the madness in the spirit of goodwill, just serves to remind me that I have absolutely no skill at choosing quality gifts for even my closest friends.
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19/11/2006 In Event Log, Georgia Tech Taido by andy
Ten years isn’t an especially long time. It’s about long enough for a mere two billion tons of sediment to be eroded from the Grand Canyon - widening it just a few inches. Ten years ago, the internet was “new” (to most folks), mobile phones were exorbitant, and I knew everything there was worth knowing. At least some things never change.
Also ten years ago, Bryan finished high school and enrolled at Georgia Tech. As a result of my continuing need to be in charge of something, I conned him into helping me start a Taido class. Originally just an excuse to gratify my fragile ego, the class began to look more and more like a legitimate martial arts club when we came to notice certain students actually attempting to learn what Taido was all about. Some of those students are still with us.
Ten years isn’t an especially long time. It’s about long enough for a mere two billion tons of sediment to be eroded from the Grand Canyon - widening it just a few inches. Ten years ago, the internet was “new” (to most folks), mobile phones were exorbitant, and I knew everything there was worth knowing. At least some things never change.
Also ten years ago, Bryan finished high school and enrolled at Georgia Tech. As a result of my continuing need to be in charge of something, I conned him into helping me start a Taido class. Originally just an excuse to gratify my fragile ego, the class began to look more and more like a legitimate martial arts club when we came to notice certain students actually attempting to learn what Taido was all about. Some of those students are still with us.
Continue Reading...
