extra attention from coaches

[Sunwater]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Well, i mostly train with the other newbs so the level of skill around is quite equal to my own (without trying to sound ****y, im quite confident im better than 90 percent of them).
My main problem is when i see others making far more fundamental mistakes which he ignores and decides to dwell on the minor ones of mine. At that time i try to learn and adapt with his coaching, but when i get back home or look back on it, kinda leaves me with a question mark in my mind. I really do hope this is a sign that he sees potential in me and that i can see some form of recognition soon. I'm not a sensitive kinda guy, but constant barking does lower my morale.

[Ramsey Dewey]

The first martial arts class I ever took was taekwondo from this Korean guy with a steely cold stare and what seemed like a zillion stripes on his black belt. It felt like he was picking on me all the time. I didn't understand it because I thought I was one of the better students in the class.

I had no idea why my teacher seemed to care so much that my kicks were perfect when he didn't seem to care at all about the guys who could barely balance on one leg.

A year later, I ran into his secretary, and she recognized me by name and said that the teacher always spoke very highly of me outside of class and said I was one of his best new students. At the time, that blew my mind and made me feel awesome.

Later I had a different TKD teacher who basically told me I was a worthless piece of crap who would never amount to anything unless I changed my attitude and started training more seriously because I was not God's gift to martial arts.

At first I assumed it was that tough love thing again, but looking back, he was just being completely honest with me. I didn't realize how much my attitude and technique needed an adjustment until I got in over my head with a more experienced opponent and got badly beaten.

One of my favorite grappling coaches and training partners had a very diplomatic way of correcting bad technique. Instead of saying it was wrong, he'd say something like "That leg lock is about 85% right. Let me show you the other 15%."

The same guy taught me that small adjustments of an inch or less can make the difference between a technique that works and one that doesn't. That's the difference between winning and losing. Because 85% right is still wrong at the end of the day. When you've been on the wrong side of a beating one too many times, you realize that sacrificing an over-inflated ego is a small price to pay for success.

As a coach, I try to pay attention to everyone, but when I've got 30 students in one room and only one hour to go around, I've got to spend that time carefully. I'd rather spend 5 minutes with a student who can understand a concept in 5 minutes and then help the others understand by example, then spend the whole hour with the kid who won't get it for the next six months while everyone else is completely baffled.

I don't spend that 5 extra minutes with those "model students" because I think they're more special, worthy, or prodigious than anyone else. (in fact, some of the "non-model" students would eat them alive in a fight) They're usually just the ones with a faster kinesthetic memory, and a longer term commitment to training- the ones who can easily remember and show the techniques to their training partners, and the ones who will be coming back on a regular basis. I do it because it's a more efficient use of class time and a better investment of time in the long run so that the rest of the students will have better training partners.

So my advice to you is this: Relax. Don't over analyze it. Don't beat yourself up about it. Your coach is just trying help.

When your teacher takes the time to correct your technique, say "thank you". Regardless of whether he thinks you're a prodigy or the worst student in the world, he's doing you a favor.

[TriangleMan]

be thankful, my old gym never gave much personalized attention

[BLIND]

even if u dont like it, it's something that can help you. even if the coaches intentions arent the best, fuck him, he's giving u more opportunity to learn. this isnt a sport for egos. take advantage. experienced and very serious fighters could kill to have extra attention which should equate to you seeing your holes and mistakes more easily.

Relish it dude. Accept it (bc u really have no choice if ur gonna train there). take advantage of what you consider an uncomfortable situation.

[HIMBOB]

Unless the dude is creepy, that is awesome.


I used to have a trainer that shared my very unusual first name, It was great.

Him picking on you for doing something incorrectly helps you vastly more than him picking on someone else for what they are doing wrong.

[MayhemMonkey919]

Originally Posted by Malik111

hm.. thats a tricky situation. Something similar happened to me a few years ago, it was for about 4 weeks, till I got soo angry that I beat up the trainer and then his 2 co trainers also ( they are all black belts in several Marial arts ) Then suddenly the students tried to get involved so I beat them up too, in the end there were like 20 guys laying on the floor ALL Ko'ed I just took my stuff and went to the shower. when I came out they were all still not awake ( I am a really hard hitter, hands and kicks )

So I just want to leave but suddenly the whole Police force of my city was waiting outside ( one of the students was hiding from me and while I was taking a shower he called the police saying here is someone who is killing several people ( It might looked like I was about to kill them, lot of blood and screaming... ) But yeah, isnt that too much, why did he have to call the police and say something like THIS !?

So I am on my way out trying to explain to the cops what was really going on ( the trainier treating me wrong, disrespecting me for several weeks... ) then I just hear a loud BANG and I felt something on my right arm, it felt like I got hit by a car only on my arm and it was numb, then blood and I realised they try to shoot me, so I run back into the gym and pulled the training ring to the door ( must have been the adrenalin ) I pulled it by myself, very heavy like 3000 pounds or more.. So there I was in a gym full with MMA fighters I just knocked out one by one and surrounded by the Police force who tries to KILL me. Bad situation I thought I am gonna die.

What the police didnt know there was a secret basement which led to the neighbor house, so I left the gym that way, it took them 1 hour to find out how I got away.

but forget what happened to me, if I were in your shoes I would look for another gym, otherwise you might end up in a similar situation like me !!! And I am sure you dont want that to happen...

I call shenanigans