| Friend,
So what does it look like to run a dojo and classroom environment in which we've implemented everything we have learned about our brain chemicals, and how those chemicals impact our interpretation of our experiences?
Instead of giving you scenarios, I'm going to give you a list of things to implement that will help you provide students with positive experiences in your dojo. This in turn will help you keep those students coming to class.
CLASSROOM - Classes start and end on time (people like predictability and consistency)
- Every student is greeted and addressed by first name (people like hearing their name)
- Negative reinforcement is kept to a minimum in class (this mainly applies to kids' classes, but be mindful of how you treat your adults and teens as well)
- Instructors spend face time with each student, every single class
- Each student gets 8-15 seconds of coaching from an instructor as the instructor walks the lines or walks the classroom
- Instructors find specific things students are doing RIGHT and compliment students on those things during face time
- If a student's technique requires correction, the instructor points out something the student is doing right, compliments them, then corrects, then compliments again
- Praise is always legitimate, sincere, and based on actual student performance - if you can't find something nice to say to every student, you are in the wrong career field
- Class always ends on a high note - always. For kids, this means ending with a fun drill after mat chat time.
- For adults, this means ending with a training drill and complimenting performance during the drill.
- And, remember that adults like to play "games" too - find training drills that have an element of play, and use those in your teen and adult classes.
DISCIPLINE - Remember that limitations on behavior and clear boundaries make kids feel safe.
- So, have clear expectations for behavior in kid's classes, and enforce your rules for behavior consistently and WITH A SMILE. If kids know what's expected, and they know you enforce the rules fairly and consistently, and if discipline is given in love and not in anger, they will accept it gladly.
- On the rare occasion when you have a child who will not behave, give them three chances to behave. Then, make them sit out of any games or drills you do at the end of class. Make sure this is a rule that is clear to everyone, and that you enforce it equally with everyone. This is using the stick and the carrot at the same time, and it tends to be very effective.
- FOCUS ON POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT and kids will improve their behavior in order to receive your praise.
- When you catch a "problem child" doing something right (listening attentively, sitting up straight, standing still at attention, etc.) praise them profusely in front of the class. Often, these kids don't receive this sort of praise ever, because adults see them as problem kids and only focus on what they do wrong. You WILL notice their behavior improving, the more you catch them doing things right and praise them for it in front of others.
CURRICULUM - Every student should have a clear path to advancement, and clear goals and standards for getting there.
- This means having an organized curriculum and putting the requirements for progression in every student's hands. Whether they are required to know certain techniques, train for a certain amount of time, participate in a certain number of competitions, test for a certain number of stripes, be able to spar for a certain number of rounds, be able to "hang" with or "beat" students of a certain rank, or a combination of similar standards - make sure EVERY student knows what they have to do to achieve the next rank or goal.
- ORGANIZE YOUR CURRICULUM. Implement a rotating curriculum if necessary, but organize your curriculum and make it easy for students to see their path to the next rank/belt/level/class.
- DO NOT CHEAPEN RANK by handing it out like candy. Students want to earn what they get; so let them do exactly that.
- DO NOT AWARD RANK ARBITRARILY. A great example of this is awarding rank randomly at the end of class. Students should know when they are being evaluated, and they should know when they are going to receive a new rank. Remember, it's a lot more important to them than it is to you, and they might want to let their family and friends know so they can share in the experience.
- Rank evaluations should be separate from promotions. The reason for this is because every evaluation should come with the possibility of failure. So, you don't want a student to fail, and then have to stand there wallowing in their emotions while everyone else gets their rank. That's just cruel; don't do it. Evaluate, then let students know privately if they passed or failed, counsel them on how to improve, and hold belt promotions at a special, designated time separate from rank evaluations.
ATMOSPHERE AND CULTURE - Create a culture of "positivity" in your dojo. It starts with you.
- Encourage higher ranking and more advanced students to help newer students.
- Give your sharks a place where they can swim that is separate from your newbies. Sharks are going to be sharks, and that's okay; let them be sharks around other sharks. This can be a competition class, or simply a separate class just for higher ranks. Make it clear that when they train with your lower ranks, their job is to coach and mentor those students.
- Make people feel welcomed, and make them feel like they are a part of the family or team. Everyone should be made to feel that way, regardless of their aptitude or skill level. Again, this starts with you.
STRESS - There is a time and place for tougher training. Don't do it in every class. Tough workouts are fine, but putting students under stress for the sake of training them for self-defense or competition should only be done every third or fourth class.
- Also, if you do stress training, let students know what you're doing and why before you do it. Otherwise, they might think you're a schizo. Remember pack dynamics; the pack won't follow an unstable leader. Make sure there's a clear rhyme and reason for everything you do, and that your students understand those reasons.
- Save the toughest training for people who opt-in for that training. Don't expect brand new students or beginners to want to be a part of tougher training. It usually takes several months or even years for a student to adopt the culture and believe they are capable of participating in that sort of training. Give students time to get to that point.
REMEMBER THIS...
Your goal is to trigger a dopamine response with praise, an endorphin release with hard workouts, a serotonin response with personal achievement, and increased oxytocin levels with a sense of belonging to the group.
Dopamine, the brain's reward chemical, can be triggered in every class. Praise and fun trigger dopamine, and that makes students want to keep coming back to class. Dopamine is your friend!
People like that endorphin high. The thing is, you can't necessarily induce it when you're trying to teach technique, because exhaustion and technical training don't mix. Save it for roughly every third class, or end of class training.
Serotonin is released when people experience social dominance. This doesn't just happen with rank advancement; when higher ranking students are placed in positions of responsibility (getting to help others), they will often get that same feeling. Use this to your advantage in retaining those longstanding students.
Oxytocin is released when people trust others. It's that feeling you get when you know other people have your back. Have your students backs, and make sure they have each other covered, too. This starts with you.
---
I hope this info helps you keep more students in your school, longer. I'll be back tomorrow with some final reflections on what we've discussed today.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
Quick-start Guide to My Books and Resources: - Looking for a list of books and resources I've written? Click here! - Looking for one-on-one coaching to grow your dojo? Click here...
P.S. - "Sharks are going to be sharks, and that's okay..." Admit it, you let out a sigh of relief when I said that. Well, the truth is, a caged lion is never going to become king of the jungle. Just make sure your lion cubs don't eat all the lambs, because lambs pay your bills... and they often become lions, if given the opportunity to mature.
|
