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There are few subjects in American society that will raise eyebrows quite so quickly as a discussion of discipline in the classroom. Since the 1960s, there has been a distinct disagreement among Americans about what discipline is, what it should be or if it’s even important at all.
Since a growing portion of our industry is becoming known for having a highly disciplined environment in the classroom, let’s discuss it and determine, perhaps, if it’s important enough to pursue further for your school.
First, let’s identify terms. Discipline is not punishment—it is guidance, and a disciplinarian should be viewed as (and should act like) a mentor and not a tyrant. Make sure that the rules, etiquette and/or protocol in your school should have a reason for existence.
Let me give you some quick examples of seemingly unimportant items at our school which are designed for some higher purpose. In our school, we bow on and off of the training mat. We teach our students that we are clearing our mind of all the things we have been dealing with today outside of the training hall, so we can concentrate on our training. This is important not only for our training, but, even more importantly, for the safety of the other students. If today we are studying how to break a human arm or leg, I think you want your partner to have his or her mind on what they are doing.
When class is over and we bow off, we will responsibly be returning to the obligations, problems, and distractions of our daily life.
Have a lazy beginning attitude in your school and your students will start off class with an unfocused mind, and you hinder them from gaining everything from today’s class they were capable of receiving.
In our school, when we run forms or katas, we chamber our hand palm up in line with our solar plexus. Some schools chamber with the hand on the belt and some put it vertical on the side. I tell my students it doesn’t really matter where your fist chambers. What really matters is that there is a place where it must go every time, in the same way, so your mind is always aware of where your hand is at.
Mentored properly, this self-discipline starts to evolve into a mind/body connection for your students. The attention to details, and the discipline/mentor who’s requiring you to achieve them, should help create a connection between your mind and every part of your body at any time you require it. That makes it something of value.
Standards
Don’t forget that discipline/mentoring requires standards. Standard of conduct in and out of the school (example: controlling violent behavior). Standards of requirements for advancement (a black belt should look/feel/smell like a black belt and not like a glorified yellow belt). Standards of leadership and social relationships (how does the student act and interact with other students?).
Mentoring
Mentoring means you’re helping someone meet some pre-defined standard. Because some in our industry have required standards, and stuck to them, many black belts have risen to great heights in their chosen fields. If just teaching people to fight, or just making them “tough” were the reason for their rise to the top, then most motorcycle gang members would be CEOs.
We know that is not true. So what is the reason so many of our black belts excel in life? I submit to you that they were trained in a disciplined atmosphere and this translated (with guidance) into self-discipline in their lives.u
