Episode 823 - Rapid Fire Q&A #24
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 #24 - Episode 823
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 some of the questions they tried to answer:
What class or topic should instructors look into that they probably aren’t?
What 3 words would you use to define yourself as a martial arts practitioner and why?
Listen to the episode for more questions!
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:
Welcome. This is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio. On today's episode, Andrew and I have Q&A #24. Andrew's got some questions that between himself and many of you, he will ask me and I will answer them, and everyone will rejoice.
Andrew Adams:
Yep.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's sort of a bad Monty Python joke, but we'll just run with it. If you're new to the show, go check out whistlekick.com for all the things that we do, cuz it's a lot more than this show. And if you like this show, go to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com for full show notes, including but not limited to transcripts, links, photos, videos, tags, guests, social media, websites, all kinds of great stuff. We do two a week. Because we love traditional martial arts, we are here to connect, educate, and entertain along the way to getting everyone in the world to train for six months. Cause we believe martial arts brings out the best of us. If you wanna support our mission, consider joining our Patreon patreon.com/whistlekick starts at two bucks a month. You can also buy something at the whistlekick store using the code podcast15, or maybe share an episode. There are lots of things you can do. Appreciate all of your help. Let's do it, Andrew.
Andrew Adams:
All right, so.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cue me.
Andrew Adams:
I've got four questions.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay?
Andrew Adams:
And the first question is from Chris Rickard.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Andrew Adams:
What class or topic should instructors look into that they probably aren't?
Jeremy Lesniak:
My first reaction is their own development. Their own development as martial artists, their own development as instructors. And I would say that their own development as instructors is a more common problem, which is why we started MATTaC, Martial Arts Teacher Training and Certification. So I wanna acknowledge that, but at the same time, there's a little bit of self-serving there. So I'm just gonna mention it and move on. Which one more thing? First industry standard. Martial arts teacher training and with level two in actual course that you gotta pass or you're not level two. So yeah. But there are lots of ways to become a better instructor and one of the things we're finding is that plenty of senior instructors have no problem sending their junior instructors, but we have all seen that everybody can get better. I don't care. Every single person who has come through this course has gotten dramatically better in eight hours it has happened. There are people who were, there's one person you know who it is Andrew, and some of the folks listening will know who it is, had decades in the public schools still became a better teacher through the program. Was there as much headway, as much room for improvement for them as some others? No, but it was still worthwhile. They're still better, and I think a lot of instructors by standing in the front of the room have an assumption. That they know what they're doing and they can improve more and more. Those folks are acknowledging that there's always room to improve their material, but what about room to improve, how they convey that material to their students? If your job is to teach and you do not wanna become the best possible teacher you can be. I question your reasons for teaching.
Andrew Adams:
I dig it. Yeah, that's really good. Yeah, I can't imagine anyone not getting anything outta that training and you know, to that end, just bettering themselves in general will make them a better person. And I think that that is probably one of the number one things that often instructors don't do, is they don't continue their own learning.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, if you don't want to come to the MATTaC courses. If you don't trust that, it's gonna be good. Fine. If you're willing to acknowledge. I could probably become a better teacher. Go to somebody else's martial arts school that you like and sit on the side and bring a notebook and a pen. And just sit and observe. Notice the things that they do. Guess what? You might see, some things you don't like. So make sure you're not doing them. It doesn't necessarily mean that the person you're observing is like the greatest teacher in the world. Just removing yourself from being part of the equation gives you the opportunity to observe in a way that you cannot observe. You cannot observe yourself.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. Yeah, it's a great point, great point. Notebooks reminds me of some of the stuff that we put together when we had our free training days. You know, you could purchase a notebook, you know, that would've been one to get which you could purchase through our website, but there's a lot of other stuff you could purchase on our website as well.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, man.
Andrew Adams:
I know a couple of new items that I think are gonna be coming out here.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Here, I'll…
Andrew Adams:
If they're already…
Jeremy Lesniak:
This one I know is gonna go live pretty much as is so I can show you. So we did a cool duffle bag a little over a year ago, and I was looking for a way to update it. And this is the new, it's short, it's smaller. Somebody in First Cup called in an overnight bag, and it's a simple small bag, right?
Andrew Adams:
Yep. And a half.
Jeremy Lesniak:
For, yeah. Yeah. And I've been surprised at how well the duffles have held up. This isn't gonna be carrying more weight, it's gonna be carrying less weight generally. And it's, you know, it's got pockets. Nope. I actually pressed the button. It's got a zip-in pocket. It's got carry handles, it's got a shoulder strap, it's got an outside pocket. Right. You know, we're constantly looking at adding things. We're, if you're not checking out whistlekick.com from time to time for the new products, you're missing out. So make sure that you're doing that and use the code Podcast15 to save 15%. By the time this episode comes out in the feed, that bag will be live. It's not currently live.
Andrew Adams:
Awesome. All right. Next question is from Matt and/or Jenny Nather. Cause I'm not sure which one sent it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Got it.
Andrew Adams:
What three…
Jeremy Lesniak:
I can tell you right from the question.
Andrew Adams:
Okay. Probably Jenny is my guess. So the question is what three words would you use to define yourself as a martial arts practitioner and why?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Questions about me. Open?
Andrew Adams:
I don't think you have to describe why on that one. I think that's pretty self-explanatory.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Curious because I see those as different. Right. Open is other people, you know, it's push versus pull, right? Curious is me asking you, open is you telling me?
Andrew Adams:
Yep. Yep.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Open curious. I'm trying to come up with an easy way to say it. Thankful. I'm appreciative of what I have and who I have and what I've learned from them. You know, martial arts is in some way every day of my life. It doesn't mean I'm always training, but the people that I hang out with, I know through martial arts the things that I do, I can do because of martial arts. I was thinking about something the other day, you know I've been invited to go play some pickup baseball and I was like, oh man, when was the last time I swung a bat? It's been a very long time and it reminded me that a few years ago, a company I was doing some consulting with brought everybody out and we went to a driving range. I'd never been to a driving range. I played mini golf. That was it. I did fine. The only person that was hitting the ball better than me was someone who has played a fair amount of golf. Because I understand my body, because of martial arts. I am not naturally athletically talented, but I know how to make my body work. And so after a couple swings with the club. I was like, okay, I understand how to do this. And I related it back to martial arts and I hit the ball more often than not, and it went straightish more often than not.
Andrew Adams:
Awesome.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So I'm thankful for how martial arts has threaded into absolutely every element of my life.
Andrew Adams:
Now, do you foresee swinging a golf club making its way into your next 30-day challenge sort of thing that you, we, that whistlekick's about sponsoring and running?
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, I'm still working on all those challenges.
Andrew Adams:
Talk about 'em a little bit. Like…
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Andrew Adams:
What have people been working on and what's coming up?
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, what was the most recent one was charge? We took the fuel program, which is an ongoing cardiovascular development program and I turn it into a 30-day email sequence cuz we've got a bunch of those. And we've done, I think six or seven of those this year. People have really enjoyed them and I don't know that that's necessarily the future and we're certainly not gonna make one every month for the rest of time. There's a point where it kind of tops out. But a lot of people can handle wrapping their head around something for a month, you know, and if you, if you gimme a month, like, you know, 10, 15 minutes a day, I can give you some real progress on something. And that's what these programs have been. The next one that I'm going to do, and I'll be honest, I don't know when this is gonna come out. The next one that I want to do is 31-day challenges. A variety of challenges. Like, I'm gonna challenge your balance, I'm gonna challenge your strength, I'm gonna challenge, your breathing. And it'll be different every day. And the hope is you'll find some that you're really good at. Keep doing what you're doing. You'll find some that you really aren't good at. There's a hole in your training.
Andrew Adams:
That's cool. That's a really great idea. I love it. And these 30-day challenges, they're like, you know, too, if you wanna sign up and do them, they cost like 500 bucks, right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. 5,000. No, they're, most of them are in the $30 range. Most of them are about a buck a day. And that's before you use your discount code.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. Very reasonable for sure.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
Awesome. Alright. Ready for and…
Jeremy Lesniak:
And just as one more thing to tack on, how do I know we've done a good job with them? Because most of the people who do one, do another. That's how I judge success.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
When people come back.
Andrew Adams:
Right. Ready for question number three.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Ready.
Andrew Adams:
This one is from a listener of the show. I had to go back. I had, was looking for questions and I realized that I had one in my email that had been sitting there for a long time, so,
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh no.
Andrew Adams:
I apologize if this listener, Michael Tucker has been waiting and waiting and waiting to hear this question get asked and answered, but so here it is. What is your advice on the best way to deal with the mental and physical stress in preparing for a black belt rank testing and promotion? Advice on the best way to deal with mental and physical stress.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Channel the mental stress into physical preparation.
Andrew Adams:
Okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That is the best thing that you can do. So if you're feeling stressed about the test, it's because you wanna do a good job and you are concerned that where you are is not where the standard should be, where you should be, right? You're shoulding yourself. So if you're stressed, go practice. Go run, go lift weights, go do your forms. Go shadow box. That's gonna do two things. It's gonna make you more prepared and it's going to help you feel better mentally cuz you're moving, moving around. You're making some progress. One of the programs on the list, you know, to kind of throwback to the last thing that we talked about, I wanna do a program. That people can kind of fill in where they're lacking and prepare for a rank test. But there's a lot of complexity in their ver, depending on how much time people have to prepare, right? Some people know a year in advance, some people know a month in advance. And so I haven't quite figured out how I wanna attack that problem yet. But if somebody came to me and they said, I've got X amount of time, what am I generally doing? What are the things that you need the most work on? Those should be your priorities. The things you need the least work on, or things you should spend the least time on. And put it in that kind of reverse order. Another thing you can do, and this is, I've seen this happen pretty much across the board with black belt tests. It's more about your spirit than any kind of objective standard. Some schools do have objective standards. You need to be able to run a mile in this time or do this other, you know, this many pushups. Well, make sure you can do that. But beyond those objective standards, it's about heart. How are you showing up for the test? And here's the thing that nobody is really gonna tell you. If you're prepared at level 10 or level 50, they're gonna want to see you at 11 or 51. They're going to wanna push you. So there is something to be said for making sure you have a good foundation of where you are, but pushing it and further, further, further at the sacrifice of the rest of your life for some incredibly long period of time and stressing out over it is probably not gonna serve you. You can over-prepare for a black belt test in many cases.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. Got it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Do you have anything you wanna add? You've been through it?
Andrew Adams:
No, I liked that the, I hadn't thought of the, just by continuing to train it gets your mind off of the other stuff. I get that and I'm also a fan of focus like sitting down and mentally focusing on yourself and for me, it's my breathing, right? When I just, if I'm getting really stressed, sometimes I can just sit and just focus on, close my eyes, and focus on nothing but my breathing and work towards not thinking of anything else. And if I'm starting to feel myself get ramped up, I can just use that to just, okay. Like, you know, that's, for me, that's what works. But I also like the concept of, you know, put that stress of the mental stuff into the physical.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cool.
Andrew Adams:
That's good. Before I ask question number four we talked a little bit earlier about, you know, Learning from, you know, notebooks and, you know, writing stuff down, stuff like that. You know, one of the ways that people can also get more out of that sort of stuff is being involved in a Mastermind. And being able to talk to other school owners about what they're doing and what you're doing and how they can and it really becomes kinda everybody helping everybody. And whistlekick has a school owner's mastermind that is open to individuals that support us through our Patreon.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, the upper tiers of the Patreon give people the option of joining a mastermind that is exclusively for school owners who contribute to the Patreon. So right there, you know that they own a school and that they love whistlekick. So between those two, you end up somewhat like-minded. And the more time I spend working with clients, whether these are martial arts schools or not, the realization that mutual support, recognizing that you are not alone is one of the most important things in running a business. For probably a third of the clients that I work with, my primary job is making them feel seen and heard because it can be very, very lonely doing that sort of work. I know what it's like. Dude, I know what's like to own a business. Most of the time it is not fun. Sometimes it is fun. Hopefully, it pays off, but it's not the easiest way to go through life. If you're really, really invested in teaching martial arts, you're probably gonna end up owning a school at some point. That's okay. That's great. I wanna support you in that, but I also wanna give you tools for mutual support, self-support, and the mastermind. You know, I see people I facilitate it, but most of the great information comes from the sharing across from the others. We do it on Zoom and people are jotting notes fast and furious for the whole hour.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, and you can get involved with Patreon for as little as $2 a month.
Jeremy Lesniak:
$2. You're not gonna get to the Mastermind at $2, but $2. You get to know who's coming up on the show and, and we make it easy. You can look at those tiers, patreon.com/whistlekick.
Andrew Adams:
Right, last question we're gonna wrap things up here pretty quick. This last question is from Chris Rickard. We started and end of the show with his question.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Mr. Bookend.
Andrew Adams:
This is kinda fun one.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Andrew Adams:
Are you familiar with the Highlander series of movies?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I am familiar. I can't tell you the last time I watched any of them.
Andrew Adams:
Okay, that's fine. If you were one of the Immortals in the Highlander universe, which style of sword would you favor and why?
Jeremy Lesniak:
The only, I assume the sword styles parallel what I might know of actual sword styles.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, they're actual swords.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay. My instinct is going to be for a shorter Japanese-style sword cause that's what I have the most time with. I found in working with swords that I don't like really long swords. That I find them difficult to swing and I don't like them in terms of in close work. You know, if somebody's six feet away from me, I'm not as threatened by them. And so I don't need a sword that is that long. I think there's if we're talking about that distance, I'd rather have a spear, but something like a, trying to think of how big the sword I have at home is probably a 28 to 32-inch blade, and that's kind of where I'm at. I think that's technically too short to be called a katana, but swords are not my area of expertise.
Andrew Adams:
But a little bit longer than a wakizashi.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I guess. I think so.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. Cool. Yeah. I would be right around the same, like I wouldn't wanna be any bigger than a Katana and I would choose that because that is what I have the most
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
Use with right now.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. So, yeah, go with what you know.
Andrew Adams:
All right. That brings us to the conclusion of our Rapid Fire Q&A #24.
Jeremy Lesniak:
24. Thanks for putting this together, Andrew, and thank you to all of you who submitted questions. Don't be afraid to submit more questions to Andrew. Most of you, many of you have access to him, direct access to him. But you can email him andrew@whistlekickmartialartsradio.com you can find him on social media. If you can't find those things, email me jeremy@whistlekick.com. Don't send me the question, just email me and I'll push you in touch with Andrew because I don't know these going into it, and that's kind of what makes it fun for me. If you wanna support us, Patreon, podcast15 in the store, tell people about the show, subscribe, notifications, all that good stuff. Thank you. I appreciate you. Appreciate all of you. Until next time, train hard, smile, and have a great day.