Be safe and keep your eyes open...
The value of private lessons…
I started training Kenpo in 1986 while in high school. Like everyone, I attended standard classes with other students. I started at the back like all white belts and worked my way up the front of the class as I attained the various ranks and trained consistently in class. It wasn’t until after college and moving away that in 1994 I met an instructor who showed me the value of private lessons.
At that time I started training with James Smith in Houston and attended one or two group training sessions during the week and had a weekly private session on the weekends. It was a great experience for me. This scenario lasted for 5 years. Most of the time we’d spar, discuss sparring theory, look at various training methods outside the realm of what at the time I would have defined as standard Kenpo training. We were student and instructor and through that training experience my understanding of martial arts in general grew. The one on one interaction allowed my to ask questions, address issues in my execution and see how I learn information best.
Later as I began to expand my horizons under different instructors I found all of my sessions to be private lessons. Not because I required that my lessons be private, but because I was a square peg that didn’t fit in a round hole. I approached them to learn, but I wasn’t one of their standard students with no experience so they took me on as a private student. Whenever certain instructors would come to Texas I would make a special point to go to their seminars and during the down time I would pay for a private lesson. If I brought instructors in for seminars the goal was to get a private lesson in their area of expertise and to have the seminar pay for the bulk of the expense. My standard sessions with Mr. Duffy by virtue of the distance traveled and scheduling dictated that I would train privately on the weekends with him. My training with Mr. Braughton was completely private training with he and his wife (a dangerous lady in her own right), unless he asked that I attend a session with the group. Before going to my next private lesson, I practiced what I had learned prior and I went into those sessions prepared with questions from the previous session. I came into every session with an open mind and spirit of receiving. Throughout the years of training, private lessons and consistent self-regimented practice sessions (even as little as 20-30 mins twice a week) have helped me get closer my personal goals in training.
To this day I still get several private training sessions in a month, am willing to travel to touch hands with instructors and peers, and understand the value of being a life long student.
When you hear of people speak of their time with Mr. Parker the sessions that are spoken of in the highest regard are those that involved private training…
At that time I started training with James Smith in Houston and attended one or two group training sessions during the week and had a weekly private session on the weekends. It was a great experience for me. This scenario lasted for 5 years. Most of the time we’d spar, discuss sparring theory, look at various training methods outside the realm of what at the time I would have defined as standard Kenpo training. We were student and instructor and through that training experience my understanding of martial arts in general grew. The one on one interaction allowed my to ask questions, address issues in my execution and see how I learn information best.
Later as I began to expand my horizons under different instructors I found all of my sessions to be private lessons. Not because I required that my lessons be private, but because I was a square peg that didn’t fit in a round hole. I approached them to learn, but I wasn’t one of their standard students with no experience so they took me on as a private student. Whenever certain instructors would come to Texas I would make a special point to go to their seminars and during the down time I would pay for a private lesson. If I brought instructors in for seminars the goal was to get a private lesson in their area of expertise and to have the seminar pay for the bulk of the expense. My standard sessions with Mr. Duffy by virtue of the distance traveled and scheduling dictated that I would train privately on the weekends with him. My training with Mr. Braughton was completely private training with he and his wife (a dangerous lady in her own right), unless he asked that I attend a session with the group. Before going to my next private lesson, I practiced what I had learned prior and I went into those sessions prepared with questions from the previous session. I came into every session with an open mind and spirit of receiving. Throughout the years of training, private lessons and consistent self-regimented practice sessions (even as little as 20-30 mins twice a week) have helped me get closer my personal goals in training.
To this day I still get several private training sessions in a month, am willing to travel to touch hands with instructors and peers, and understand the value of being a life long student.
When you hear of people speak of their time with Mr. Parker the sessions that are spoken of in the highest regard are those that involved private training…
An example of how violence can happen during normal business hours (9pm) and at a normal place (Chevron gas station). Not 3am in some well know drug neighborhood. Keep your head on a swivel people...
Kenpo: A system of self-defense that teaches ordinary people how to prepare for extraordinary situations...
Getting Away with Murder...Sun, Aug 22, 2010
Article on the front page of today's Houston Chronicle highlighted the number of unsolved murders in the city of the last 5 yrs. Approx 2800 murders over the last 5 yrs, 800 unsolved. Doesn't take into account all of the assaults, altercations, rapes, kidnappings and general run ins people tend to have in a big city like Houston.
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