….Or lack thereof, to be exact…..
I’m showing a friend the basics of motorcycle operation….clutch/throttle control, braking, familiarity with the location of horn, turn signals, hi beams,….the basic stuff. We’re working in a big parking lot, and so far my friend has been an exceptional learner.
Now I’m not saying that people should teach their friends how to ride a motorcycle and expect them to take their endorsement exam at the DMV. Its not like teaching someone how to drive a car. Remember when your Dad or Mom rode with you as they taught you to drive? You wanted them to shut up and not get so flustered with you, huh? I highly suggest that someone that wants to learn to ride, should take an approved Motorcycle Safety Foundation beginner’s course. In fact, my friend will be taking the course next month. Having certified coaches on hand while someone is learning to ride, is a good thing!
At first, I sort of hmmm’ed and hawed about teaching her how to ride….but I took it as a way to learn how to become a better teacher. I found that teaching martial arts is a little different than teaching someone how to operate a motorcycle! People may say “teaching someone how to kick and teaching someone how to drive or ride, are no different”. But I disagree. There’s a slight difference in how the information must be presented, and a different type of patience needed to teach someone to drive or ride, especially if they’re a friend or relative. In a way, you need to separate your relationship with the person, in a way, so as to not get frustrated with them or impatient.
The other day, my friend mentioned that she sometimes thinks “I’ve been driving for 25 years, I should be able to figure out a motorcycle!” and she doesn’t want to let frustration creep in. Funny,….I thought the same thing about how I teach. “I’ve been teaching for over 25 years….I should be able to teach her how not to get nervous about all the coordination!” I’ve been wondering what else I could do to make her learning easier….how I can break down the information even simpler, and explain my demonstrations better. I want my friend to succeed at her MSF course and get her endorsement, and I want to set it up so that she is confident with the basics of finding the friction zone at 1st gear, shifting into 2nd gear, stopping smoothly, and trusting “push n’ lean”.
Some things that I’ve been reminded of, about being a teacher and a student……..
1) Learning a skill, however good your intent at mastering the basics may be, takes time. And even if you have a skill, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will carry over into another activity. Motorcycling, is another form of “gung fu”…..a “skill gained through time and effort”.
2) As a teacher, always remember where you’ve been. I remember the 1st day I learned to ride. I learned on a friend’s dirt bike when I was 18, but never got out of the dirt track. When I purchased my first bike in my early 20’s, I found that riding on the street is a whole different animal! I remember my nervousness taking the old Honda Rebel home….the feeling of going too fast, the sensation of leaning into a turn and feeling as if I would tip over….the Rebel being much heavier than the little dirt bike I was familiar with. I had the worst tension headache when I got home!
3) Because of point #2, I realize that true “patience” can only be possible if you do remember how you were as a beginner. My friend asked me once “Are you bored?” (Meaning “are you bored that I’m just going around the parking lot in 2nd gear and learning how not to stall the bike?”). I answered “no”, because as a coach, I wasn’t bored. I remember how frustrating it was to hit the cones when I took my own MSF class, I remember how much trouble I had going clockwise on the infamous “figure 8 box”, and how angry I was at myself for being able to do it counterclockwise but not clockwise.
4) If there’s one big lesson I learned from the MSF class that did carry over to my martial arts, is that pride, ego, and frustration will not allow you to succeed. I remember how I didn’t want to look stupid in my MSF class, even though the class is gear for beginners!
5) Pride and ego can get you hurt or killed on the street, especially if you out-ride your abilities when you are overconfident.
6) “Empty your cup”. As a coach or student, it is important that both parties empty their cups and go into it with a beginner’s mind. Sure, I’ve taught martial arts for over 25 years, but I’m no Rider-Coach…far from it. So I approached teaching my friend the basics just like my first day on the Dojo floor as a black belt. And it appeared to me that she approached the first day of straddling the bike as her first day in martial arts (she had done martial arts for quite a while also). I guess its working, because my friend’s start in 1st gear is very smooth now, and her transition to 2nd and 3rd gear is smoother and getting into more of the correct RPM’s.
With all that said….. I just want my martial arts students to know that only time and practice will make skills grow. Do not get frustrated because you’re not learning martial arts as quickly as you mastered basketball. Don’t get frustrated because your form is not as smooth as your interpretive dance. While some things from other activities might carry over into another activity…..there are just some things that don’t carry over. Accept that, and your practice will not disappoint you.
I feel lucky, that someone trusted me enough to teach them to get going in 1st gear. And I guess the trust goes both ways….she’s riding MY bike!. 
Don't Fight The Tao 