Episode 739 - Rapid Fire Q&A #18
In this episode, Jeremy and co-host Andrew Adams take on a special edition of the Rapid Fire Question and Answers.
Rapid Fire Q&A #18 - Episode 739
Jeremy and co-host Andrew Adams tackle a series of questions, comments, and reviews from you, the listeners, and some guests in the form of a Rapid Fire Q&A. Here are the questions they tried to answer:
If you could design a modern uniform as a replacement for the traditional one, what would it look like?
What if you get rid of the certificate of participation and replace it with a certificate of experience?
Listen to the episode for more!
After listening to the questions and answers, it would be exciting for us to know your thoughts about it. Don’t forget to drop them in the comment section below!
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hi, everybody, welcome to whatever episode number this is for another live q&a. We've done these for a year and a half. Wow. Yeah, that's true. That's kind of crazy. Crazy tech. We have fun doing these episodes, they are driven by a very simple concept. You give questions cues to Andrew, but not the A and q&a little it could be, you'd have to be the cue though.
I'm really afraid where that's about to go. So let's not go down that path. And then I have five minutes to answer them to the best of my ability. And I enjoy the challenge. And people seem to enjoy the format.
So we do them and we do them live and we put them out. We even have some people watching live right now. And hopefully starting next month, we're going to be a little bit more structured as to when we do this. And let you know ahead of time for those of you who would like to join. If you are listening, you could watch if you're watching, you can listen later, of course. And yeah, so I turn it over to you.
Adam Andrews:
Man, I gotta be in charge of him.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You're always in charge of these.
Adam Andrews:
I know. I'm just kidding. I'm just hanging out. That's why we only hire you for your good looks. right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I cut my hair this morning.
Adam Andrews:
Okay, so we've got a handful of questions to ask, we do have a live gift coming up in just a little bit. But the first question that we're going to ask you, you're gonna have five minutes to discuss. And just a reminder, if you are here watching live, we do have six people watching right now. It's kind of cool.
If you have a question you want to ask, you can just type it in the chat. And I'll see it because I have an ongoing right here. I'm not watching. And I can ask it or if you'd like to come on live and actually come on video and ask your question live, you can do that. Just shoot me a message and let me know you have the technology. That's right. All right. So this first question comes in from Chris Rickard. Hi, Chris record. His question is an interesting one. If you could design a uniform for training martial arts in a modern world as a replacement for traditional uniform, what would it look like?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm thinking of features like the place that I'm starting are things that would be helpful for a martial arts uniform that do not exist now. There are pockets that do not look like they have pockets, not cargo pants, pockets to begin with most uniforms, I've got a couple that do but they're very shallow. They're very shallow pockets, I would also put a pocket on the inside of the top, it would probably be a wraparound top.
Because I think that that is easiest to accommodate for different body styles. I feel like the pullover doesn't work quite as well, for either very big or very small people just doesn't hang right. And I feel like you can get closer to something that fits well, with the wraparound style. I think having if not additional, if not Velcro, maybe some additional options on the thighs. I think there's a way that maybe the first one goes around and ties conventionally. But the second one is it comes around could be more like a belt where it kind of loops through and ties around. So you could have better more adjustable spots.
I think material wise, and we tried this, we did this and we did it successfully, but people didn't seem excited about it like I was when we released our second version of our taekwondo uniform. There was a four way stretch in the gusset in the crotch of the pants, and it kept them from binding up and they worked amazingly.
I still have a couple for myself. I love those pants. And they're very lightweight. So at the points of stress, which would be armpits gusset, I would put in a more stretchy material and it's funny I've had this idea in the back of my head and I don't think that we're ever going to do it so I don't mind talking about it. But it came up in conversation in that class. In the back of my head I have named the suspenders, some kind of integrated thing that uses the fact that your shoulders exist and hold the top up to help hold the pants off. because it's really difficult to have a set of pants that are loose enough to be comfortable, but not fall down.
And that's probably the best way to do it is to have some kind of hanging mechanism through that. But how do you do that? I don't know. But those are the things that I think about when it comes to uniforms. If you want the closest thing to actual clothing that I might suggest, it's a tracksuit. Interesting, it's a light polyester tracksuit. You know, it's lightweight, it moves, it breathes, cuffed at the end quite often, to keep things in place. So you can know, so your longer sleeve doesn't come down over your fingertips. And so you're not stepping on your pants, you know, things like that.
Adam Andrews:
Oh, okay. I like it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Anything you would add or do differently?
Adam Andrews:
No, I mean, I think a stretchable gusset, I think is important. So that you have the ability to be a little more flexible. The thing was, you know, training with everyday modern. That's what would be useful for sure. You know, a lot of the fabrics that were originally used, just didn't have that stretch. So make sense of it.
You mentioned the taekwondo uniform that you can meet with stressful stuff. You are constantly coming up with new stuff. It's all right all the time. And one of the cool things about being in the Patreon is we kind of sometimes get a back room look at like, behind the scenes, some of the stuff you're working on, I think is one of the cool perks of being in Patreon. As you can kind of peek behind the curtains.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I try to let people in the Patreon know what's going on behind the scenes, because I figure, if you're in that group, you have by definition shelled out at least a couple bucks a month. Because yeah, it starts at $2. And I'm talking to our biggest supporters. And as our biggest supporters, it means that I'm going to get probably the best feedback. Hey, I'm thinking about trying this. What if we did this? What did you all think of this? Everybody come to this? And that way, I know that I'm gonna get some feedback.
It also means that when I'm excited about something, I can share it with people. We're going to be most receptive to that excitement, without having to ruin the surprise to the general public. Yeah, because there are times that we do things that kind of need to hit with a splash, like when we did the award stuff. That was something that couldn't be just disclosed to everyone. And, frankly, most of the people involved in that project. are part of the Horsemen and part of the Patreon.
Adam Andrews:
Yep. And I am, I feel pretty confident. And I've talked about it on the show before that. I am the co host of the show, because of Patreon. Not that I paid for the spot. But I found out about it, because you emailed the Patreon subscribers and said, hey, I'm kind of thinking about this. What do you guys think? And I got that email and said, I would be interested.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And my logic there was, who better to talk to first than the people who love what we do enough to share money. Yeah, that sounds
Adam Andrews:
Absolutely. So all right, let's move on to the next question. So welcome to the show. Dan.
Jeremy Lesniak:
How's it going?
Dan:
Yeah, first off, thank you guys, for everything you guys do. I'm Dan. So I've been a loyal listener for about two years now. So my question comes from the fact that recently, I started from episode one, I'm just working my way through so I don't miss any of the episodes. I'm right around episode 200.
Jeremy Lesniak:
When did you start doing it?
Dan:
Ah, four months ago, but I had a month where I didn't listen because I had a baby.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I listened to 200 episodes in three months.
Dan:
I drive 45 minutes every day for work. Wow. And then I also drive between restaurants. So I end up spending probably three hours a day, four hours a day, and…
Jeremy Lesniak:
I am both honored and concerned. So much time with my voice. I don't know how to feel. Thank you. Now, they get better, so much better.
Dan:
Well, it's actually I was gonna say you should go through and listen to like one every like in order like just a random one every 50 and just see how drastically changes. Episode 189. You've talked about participation trophies.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I still hate those.
Dan:
So, I'm bored with you, but I triggered a thought in my head. And I want to know what your thoughts are on this. What if you got rid of the certificate of participation? And it became a certificate of experience? Kinda like a resume?
Adam Andrews:
Oh, great question.
Jeremy Lesniak:
A different word for certificate of attendance. Chronicle that you did this work. But yeah, that's how well you did the work.
Dan:
Yeah, you go to a school, you get a degree. This is a certificate of experience, you know, you get, you know, different certificates for work. And it also could teach young martial artists real life applications, like a resume. Like, this is how you build, you know, your knowledge base. And that's the reward. Not Not that you just showed up, but that you actually gained something out of it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Are we timing this? Got it?
Adam Andrews:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All right. I'm ready. Or, Dan, is that all? You know, we're laying out for me to respond to?
Dan:
Yep.
Adam Andrews:
Okay. Go.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All right. So I love the general premise. And I think that it is very much in line with my thoughts on the subject. I think that you said it was 189. I think back on that episode I talked about having, if you want to give away something, especially in a tournament for people attending, call it what it is, it is an attendance gift, it is an attendance trophy. But instead of a trophy, making it something that is like in this case of certificate, something that doesn't carry the perceived weight of accomplishment, that it's about you came and you did this thing. When I think about your example of college, when I think about college, there's the diploma, whether I had a 4.0 or 2.3, for whatever GPA, we get the same diploma, because theoretically, we have passed the same competency.
You can make a corollary there to martial arts, you know, if I've got a blue belt and you've got a blue belt, doesn't mean we know the same stuff. Exactly. It doesn't mean we're as good as you, but it means we both cross a certain threshold, theoretically, of knowledge. But there are also ways where you can parallel that, that I think become relevant, or kind of walk alongside honor societies. Most colleges have those, you know, you graduate commodity summacum laude, magnacum laude, you're part of the whatever school honor society.
And I think that can be a way of doing both. So if we're, if we're thinking about martial arts, in a professional sense, like with a resume with a CV, would probably be a better relatable item there. Absolutely. I attended this seminar. I trained with this person, there are a lot of people out there who will claim you know, I've trained with this person. And the way they explain, it implies that they've been to their school, and they've earned rank. And really, they've been to a few, maybe even just one seminar. And that doesn't work. Well, it doesn't. It feels dishonest when you hear it. And you think that they're saying, I've trained with this person at their school and earned rank. And then you hear they've been to a couple seminars, it feels dishonest. But if there was a way and I don't know, off the top, my head, what language we might use. But if there was a way to say, “Okay, I am this rank”. But here is my experience beyond simply rank, because rank is reducing everything to one thing, which you get people in there who say I have this rank and this and this rank, and this and this rank, and this they're trying.
I can come across as arrogant, but I think at the heart of it, they're trying to do what you're suggesting, which is to provide some context for the breadth of their experience, one minute left. And to be able to share that in such a way, I think makes a lot of sense. I would never recommend that we actually implement it this way. But I think the notion of merit badges is actually pretty close to what I would love to see. Because you can be really good at one certain thing, but not very good at another thing, and the more that we can differentiate between quality of skill within certain things, the more encouragement there is for people to better the things that they're not so good at.
Dan:
All right, awesome. So I took away from this that the whistlekick tracks who is going to have merit badges?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Ah, yeah, love it. Yes.
Adam Andrews:
Or at least a room to put patches.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Now we're going to silkscreen on. Like four star general equivalencies of metal, just be an all over printed item, because it's going to have to wrap around to the back, back that's going to be covered with metals, too. And we'll have a belt that you can see the ads come down the legs, and they will just be, you know, stripes.
Dan:
Well, if you guys get on to it, and I will hop back into listening, but thanks again, for both you guys and everything. You guys go. Alright.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I love when we can have people come on, you can ask live. I think that's a lot of fun. And shout out to Dan for being willing to come on camera because not everybody is willing to do that. No, it takes some. Do we have emails coming online that we don't? We can research ways. Not that I don't like sitting this close to you. But it just fills the frame better we have? What's the next review? I wish you all left more reviews, reviews make me happy. Why did they give me reviews to make a difference? That's why they make me happy. Yeah, because it's not just an ego feeding thing.
We have found that leaving a review or a rating is like the number one thing people can do that takes minimal time, like it's the best value of what you can do that helps the show. So just a reminder, Facebook, whistlekick Martial Arts page, you're not going to find a specific page for the show. That was okay martial arts, if you can leave a review there. If you Google whistlekick, you'll see you can leave a review on Apple podcasts. That's where we have the most reviews, most of those are older, if we can get some more, you know, because let's face it, it doesn't happen constantly.
But when people are looking for new shows to listen to these reviews are our views. Like they become part of these algorithms. And then the place that we've done the best and I want to shout out. I can't name you because it's just ratings, but Spotify, because you're doing really, really well rating us on Spotify. And if you don't listen to us on Spotify, you just need to listen to like 30 seconds of one episode. And then you can leave a rating. But we do have a review today. And I'm going to read a little bit of it. And if this person I forgot their name. Sean, Michael, if Sean Michael writes to us, I will send you a code for a district ticket. Like not like $25 off this not like just $25 off.
So if you leave a review, leave a review. And we read your review. You get money. sort of quick money. You get free stuff. So Sean's good to go. And listen to podcasts at least twice a week. Andrew has truly found his calling. Because I know how to pick the right people to interview. Side note. I've had the pleasure of speaking with Andrew on a zoom call. Yep, nothing but respect for whistlekick. Thank you, Sean. And yeah, just email me Jeremy@whistlekick.com. And I'll get your code. Alright, to everyone who's left reviews in the past. Thank you. Please review again.
Adam Andrews:
But if you left a review six years ago, you couldn't leave another review. I mean, the product show has yet you can show that actually changed in six years. There may be new things you want to you know,
Jeremy Lesniak:
There you go. I don't think everybody knew me because I didn't know you could leave another room. I'm pretty sure you can. If you can't just make sure you've done all the spots. And if you've done all the spots, they tell you what, if you've got reviews on all three spots, let's say for if you have reviews on Apple podcasts, Google, Facebook, and you left a radio Spotify, send me a screenshot of all four. I will make it worth your while.
Adam Andrews:
Okay, there you go. All right. Are you ready for the next question? This question is actually from me. That's right, me.
Adam Andrews:
I emailed myself a question.
Jeremy Lesniak:
From a different account?
Adam Andrews:
Sure. We have talked about testing and you know, things like that in the past. And we've talked about how you know you have instructors often will put you up to to create or to test when they know you're ready for it anyway. What would it take for you to actually fail a student on a test?
Jeremy Lesniak:
So I've always said that, in my mind, a student is given the opportunity to test when the instructor believes they are ready, that they are ready for their next rank that the student passes when they perform with the recognition that they were ready. The question is about what I would do not what everyone should do, this is absolute.
There are schools out there that test on a certain cycle. And failing those tests is a normal part of life, which I actually kind of like an element of that. But that's not how I was brought up. That's not how I've run my school in the past, when and if I have a school in the future is not how I run my school. It's not disparagement, it's just the way I see it. In order to fail a student, I would have to see, one of two things would have to happen, they would have to quit, they would have to say I'm not doing this, whether verbally or physically, or I guess those would be two possibilities. too, they would have to be disrespectful during the test. Like they get mad at their trading partner and punch him in the face. Or three, likely something changed for them. In between when I said your testing and the test, they stopped training. They obviously did not practice, they didn't take it seriously in their preparation time.
And looking at it saying, you know, they were ready. And they've actually regressed. They've regressed in some way. Could be technical. Could be an attitude. And then I think the further and further the rank progresses, the more important that gap between your testing and your test becomes. I don't know anybody who hears your testing, and they don't say oh, I've got to put some time in. I want to be ready. I want to be the best version of myself I can for that moment. In a way that is obviously unsustainable.
When I tested for my second degree in taekwondo, I think it was like six or eight weeks before I was practicing with others. It was a big test. We were getting together to do forums every weekend. I'm not going to spend every weekend of my life getting together with people to do it, I'm just not going to do it. But in that case, I did. Because I wanted to be able to put my best foot forward to honor my instructor and respect myself to say yes, I do deserve this.
Adam Andrews:
Cool.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Are you satisfied with that?
Adam Andrews:
Yeah, that's a legit answer.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Do you have a different approach?
Adam Andrews:
No, no, I agree. I think quitting on yourself is an important one for me. And when you hit the two things that I would have, which was quitting and being disrespectful, and the disrespect could be made, it could be just not having control.
Like, I mean, that's the other thing. That wouldn't necessarily be disrespectful. But if you are sparring, and you go so far to have no control, and you physically hurt someone, when I know you have the ability to not do that. I guess that would be disrespectful. I guess.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm thinking more of, you know, like somebody mouthing off in a test. Yeah, that's just their mate. Maybe they take a shot and they're hurt. And their reaction to being hurt. That's something that as you get higher in rank, I'm going to become less tolerant. Yep, that makes sense.
Adam Andrews:
That makes sense. One of the things we talked about earlier in the Patreon is constantly coming up with new products. What's going on? What any products coming up that people can keep an eye out for
Jeremy Lesniak:
There's a constant development cycle of things. And I've got some time carved out in a few weeks to put together what is essentially going to be the fall in the winter apparel collections. Because I like doing that work when I can focus on it. And so I'm actually going to go away for a couple of days and walk around other stores and steal their ideas because you are walking into our timber floor. We don't have whistlekick flannels, though I would really love to. If one of our apparel came like the companies that we partner with allowed us to very easily put a whistlekick logo embroidered on a flannel shirt, I would absolutely love that.
That would probably be half my wardrobe. But I think one of the things you're referencing, and we got to kind of play with it earlier, made a puzzle out of the whistle kick logo. There it is. Because it's a lot of different shades of orange. And it was like, Hey, I've been carrying this thing around. I've had it for a few weeks. And we recorded an episode that will come out soon that next week after this after this sort of is officially released yet. So those of you watching live not next week.
But we had a conversation and did an episode while we worked on this puzzle. And I'm if you are a competitive puzzle person, you want Andrew and not myself. seven eighths 1415 So much more of that puzzle going the other way. I loved it. I can tell. I was like, oh, I got these two pieces, you've done three sides. Oops, I kind of rallied at the end, I got a few of you. So this puzzle. And everything else that we sell. There's always new products. There's always new stuff coming and we don't always talk about it. Because sometimes we'll have like six things drop at the same time because the timing doesn't always work out. And I'll mention everything in the newsletter. If you haven't signed up for the newsletter, whistlekick.com or whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. I will often show things on the first cup, which is live at 6:30am. US Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, Monday through Friday.
Adam Andrews:
And you know, with all of the new stuff coming out on whistlekick.com you can always use the code PODCAST15 to save yourself a little bit of money.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All right. Ready for your next question.
Adam Andrews:
I am always ready for this. First off, Mark Warner is in the chat. And the next question is from Mark Warner.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Did he ask it just now or is that what he asked this morning?
Adam Andrews:
He said some good times. He mentioned that Mark often listens to you on the first cup. And this morning, you mentioned that you had gone to taekwondo class. Last night.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I did.
Adam Andrews:
He suddenly said listen to Jeremy this morning. He seemed very energetic for class last night. Any advice to instructors on how to make classes as exciting as that one seemed to be? How can instructors make classes? As exciting as last night was. Great question, Mark. Thank you.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It is a good question. The number one thing is the most difficult thing. And that is a willingness to throw out your plan based on who is there. So in the example of last night, what made it a lot of fun was the instructor said, oh, you know, it's too bad. It's not Wednesday, this group of you that aren't normally here or here we could spar.
They said, well, sir, that's your rule, you can change it. And he kind of went, right. So he's far. Now we could have had just as much fun doing certain other things. But I think it was his recognition that this was a good group. For whatever reasons he determined, because he knows us to say if we did this thing, this would work out really well. And then what does that require that requires him knowing us? What we're good at and what we enjoy doing? What's the intersection of that with? You know, everybody? It's a crazy Venn diagram. Where's that intersection?
And it doesn't mean you can always do that. In this case, it was kind of special in that we had somebody visiting who hadn't been to class in six months and they've moved away and they still come up to visit him off but so he was willing to make that exception. What I think about the classes that I've had over the years that are the most fun, they are the ones that allow the most freedom from making it what you need it to be or want it to be free for movement, sparring, self defense, you know, kind of Randori matwork sort of stuff. but done in a way where everyone can feel safe and like they're, they're getting better. You know, the type of sparring we were doing last night. He didn't even have to tell us to adjust based on your partner.
You know, I was sparring my instructor with smothering black belts, we were going harder and faster. I took a couple shots and I spared some kids, I did not punch them in the head, in the same way that I would have punched, you know, people have been training longer than I have. And I know I like to get punched in the head, because they're weird. This is something that comes up when I teach my seminars is the route, I think, to the best learning is feeling safe. And so we had that ability to do that.
Now, there could have been other ways that he could have said, you know, I know this person likes to go a little bit too hard. Let me make sure they only go to certain people, or maybe I put a modifier on the drills or whatever it is. But I think if we're going to reduce it down to one thing and make it the simplest concept possible, it was fun. He looked for what is the thing or things because we did other things that are going to be the most fun. And we didn't wait till the end of class to have fun. We had fun towards the beginning. And throughout, but it wasn't all equally fun. Let's start off with this thing that is really fun.
And let's have a good attitude and let everybody feel good about things. And then what just quickly hits all workplaces and even remarked to me at one point, I looked at the clock, we still had almost 30 minutes to go, I would have swore we'd been training for two hours. In a good way. It was like yeah, we're having a blast. And there's still timeout. That's great. Because everybody was having fun. Everybody was working on it.
Adam Andrews:
Excellent. Mark responded and said that was great advice.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Thanks.
Adam Andrews:
So, excellent. Good job. We, you know, we talked about some products at whistlekick, so we also have some programs and I have a martial art test coming up in January. And I know that it's likely going to be one of the biggest cardio tests. I've gone through multiple Black Belt tests, different schools, and they all are, you know, difficult for their own things. But I know that this test in January is going to be cardiovascular literally, there's a lot of endurance going on in this test. And so I'm really thankful for the cardio program.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What do we want as we launched it as fight conditioning? I hate names. Some of the names that I give to things like it's like, why do you hate that name? You named it like, well, you know, it was the best I could come up with. And then we rebranded and they all have four letter F names. None of them is that word, weirdos.
But the fuel program is rooted in my observations, that in any combat sport, people do not go hard for more than 20 seconds at a time. It doesn't happen. Show me any fight. The most you get is 20 seconds. And that's because the way the body works, most people can't go more than 10 seconds at full intensity. You look at Sprint times in running. And that's where most of the research has been done on developing cardiovascular like really developing cardiovascular fitness. It's in that context, because it's a single modality.
And took that as well as things that I know from coaching and training and teaching and made a program and we had someone and I think we put this testimonial on the website. Somebody wrote in and she said, You know, I picked this program to prepare for a test. She said she said I had steamed in and I had used leftovers. And it works. Because the principles by which you get fitter are pretty. They're simple. It's not easy to do this work, but it is simple. And here's the best example. How many of you out there have done running for your test?
You know, you run your jogging, you're doing 5-10 miles a day. And you get into the sparring portion of your testing and you're gassed early 180 seconds in and you're like, why am I so tired? Because it's a different energy system. The way the body processes energy at moderate intensity is not the same as it does at light intensity, or high intensity.
And there are at least three, some say for some suggests there are far more than and we haven't discovered them all yet, energy systems. And the fuel program is rooted in the one that is most applicable, which is very high intensity for very short duration, followed by sustained rest.
Adam Andrews:
If this sounds like something that you as a listener or watcher would benefit from, you can get it you can purchase this whole program was locate.com.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And while it is not written for schools, if you are someone who is in charge of running classes, and you're looking for additional ideas, you are welcome to buy the program, learn from the program, take the ideas of the program, and then implement them. Yeah, there's a guide that goes with it that explains how I got to all these decisions. You'll learn a lot and it's far away, we should probably raise the prices.
I know I've said this, and I will keep saying this, but we should probably raise the programs because compared to anything else out there, there is nothing like this out there. But if we look at like the strength and conditioning program, it's like a third of the price of what anything comparable is probably under pricing.
And people probably think they suck. But they don't work. I'll give you your money back and you go through and you don't get the results you want. You just got to prove to me you did the work. You did the work. I'll give you your money back.
Adam Andrews:
I'll let you all know in January how it went? That's right. All right, ready for your last and final question?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm ready.
Adam Andrews:
Okay. Last question comes from Stephen Watson, a very thoughtful person on the show. When a student brings a concern they have to your attention, one sincerely held by them, but you don't consider it a concern or issue. How would you address their concern? As an example, they're afraid to be hurt sparring, but you sparred for decades and have safety protocols in place?
Jeremy Lesniak:
One of my fundamental principles just as a human being is the recognition that my way is not the only way or necessarily the best way. And that my experience is not everyone's experience. We live in a very interesting time where it's become quite easy to dismiss people for having different beliefs. And I find that to be really unfortunate. There are people out there who if they fear this concern, well, I'm afraid to start, don't be afraid you'll be fine. Okay, and maybe that's true.
But I really hear the person. And this is where as just another person, you have to truly listen to not only what they say, but what do they mean? What if that person has some trouble? What if that person attended classes at another school, and they had a very different attitude towards sparring, and they got the tar beat out of them on day two? Trying to find out what's prompting the question, I think is the most important part. And that's where if it's a question like this, or frankly, most questions that would probably fit in this category, I would say, let's talk privately. Can you stay after class? If you can't stay after class? Can we chat on the phone? Can we grab a cup of coffee?
I want to hear you but recognize that they may not be willing to tell you that they had you know that they were assaulted in front of everyone. The fact that they're bringing it to you shows a tremendous amount of trust and you want to honor that. So you've got to dig, you've got to ask some really good questions. Now if you want to know how to ask really good questions. You listen to the Monday episodes of martial arts videos, the best advice I have, because I've learned how to ask good questions by asking questions and kind of reviewing. Did I get the answers that I wanted? You're asking open ended questions.
Thanks for bringing the concern to me. I can see how you might be concerned. This is all new to you. You don't have decades of experience knowing that the risk of you getting hurt is pretty low and if you do get hurt, you're probably going to be a bruise or what I mean I've got…Can you see it? You know there's a good one coming in like with someone and pretty much took the muscle from the bone and then put it back and I'm not going to call that hurt. It's painful, but I'm not injured.
There's only so far you're going to be able to go using words but really what's that person asking for when they ask you that question or really any question that's rooted in concern, they're looking to trust you and feel safe. We said it earlier in this episode. In order for another one, you've got to feel safe in order to truly learn. And this person is telling you, I'm concerned, I will not learn because I will not feel safe. How do you solve that problem? Depends on what the problem is. Maybe it's you know what, I get that there are a few people here that I am less concerned with you sparring? Why don't you watch them in the next class and see how much control they have.
You can sit out the next foreign class and evaluate for yourself. And if you don't feel comfortable at that point, let's talk further. The only wrong answer is to dismiss the person. If you make any effort for that person to feel heard and understood, you're probably going to be fine. If you dismiss them, they're going to quit. Don't dismiss what other people say, it is an arrogant position in and out of the martial arts, your experience in the world is unique, as is everyone else's. And we would be in a far better place.
If we weren't dismissing everyone and saying your way is wrong, and you're stupid by extension. And my way is right. And I can't believe you can come to that conclusion. You know what I say? When I don't understand somebody's perspective helped me to understand I helped me to understand how did you get there? We had more or less the same inputs, it'd be a little bit different, but you got somewhere completely different. I want to know, because guess what, that's how I learned.
Adam Andrews:
Yeah, that was good. I would say talking privately is great. And I think getting to the root of why they feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I have found it's because it's just something new and they're uncomfortable and they don't know. And that's okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
New things can be scary. Absolutely. And maybe they're looking for you to say it's okay to suck at this.
Adam Andrews:
Or it's okay to do something slower. Right, let's do this in a way that you will feel comfortable and gradually build your comfort level into whatever the thing is that you don't feel comfortable doing. So I like that. Awesome. Cool. I'll take us to the yeah, that takes us right to the end.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All right. Remember, if you have a question, you want to contribute to next month's Q&A, you can email Andrew, Andrew@whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. If you forget his email address, or you want to email me for something other than those questions, because they're all surprised, I don't want to know ahead of time, Jeremy@whistlekick.com Our social media is @whistlekick everywhere you could think of our primary website whistlekick.com, where you can buy stuff and links to all the other things that we've got going on our Patreon, patreon.com/whistlekick. I think we even have like a link from whistlekick.com
Just go to whistlekick.com and you'll find everything you want there, sign up for the newsletter, stay up on what we're doing a program, invite me into teacher seminar suggested guest for the show or a topic you know, all of these are great things, the more you're willing to contribute to what we do in terms of time, energy, and or money. The further we can take this stuff and if you're watching you probably find this stuff worthwhile.
So you're you're part of the support structure and leave a review, you might get free to leave a review at this point. If you leave a review, I would almost guarantee that you would get free stuff, because we haven't had a whole lot. Thanks, everybody. Appreciate you being here. Until next time, train hard, smile. Have a great day.