If you're not having fun, you're not really fit
Monday 04 March 2024
Being and staying fit involves the mind as well as the body. 'A state of wellbeing' is when there is harmony between the two. They work in a symbiotic way, stimulating each other. Someone doing physical labour may be strong but there's no guarantee they're fit. When you see people on gym machines or pumping iron, ask yourself whether they look as though they're enjoying themselves. Some undoubtedly are, but for others it can be a routine, 'necessary' treadmill. Nobody ever enjoyed being on a treadmill.
We teach a lot of children at Meiji. Kids are boisterous. And they get bored quickly. When they start playing up, it's because they're not having fun. So, they create their own fun, which will rapidly become disruptive in a training or educational environment. Teachers should never forget this. If your teaching method is perceived as no fun, don't be surprised if you lose control of your class. Just because it might be a dry subject, like history, doesn't mean it can't be fun. It's up to you, not the subject. When you ask mature adults about the teachers they remember with affection, it will be the ones who brought their subject alive in the minds and bodies of their young charges, maybe made them laugh, got them involved, stoked their imaginations, gave them challenges they'd get pleasure taking on. It's the difference between preaching and teaching. And here's the paradox. Once children are having fun, once they trust you as a provider of fun, they have no problem with discipline, they understand the game, they understand the rules of the game. The discipline is part of the game, and they want more of it.
Exactly the same is true of adults. Our job is to make sure they leave the Dojo with a spring in their step. Not just feeling physically great, but with a positive sense of wellbeing. The success of any teaching or sports organisation can be measured in the number of students who keep coming back for more.
Having fun while keeping fit is the key to overall health. It provides purpose, confidence, self-discipline, team spirit, measurable achievement, respect and self-respect. Ouss!
isn't just a formal, mutual greeting, it's an expression of camaraderie between Students and Senseis who enjoy the true fitness experience together.