Low-frequency martial arts training already limits opportunities for learning and progression. But if the learners are doing something different each time they meet, the frequency of any one activity is even further spaced apart.
For instance, if you’re running a free martial arts practice that meets once a month, but each month is a different teacher and style, the actual frequency to learn and progress in any one art or style is far less than once a month.
Once a month boxing is already so spaced apart, it makes learning boxing difficult. But if classes and activities rotated and boxing learners didn’t get another chance to box for another six months, that would make the problem of learning boxing even worse.
It reduces learning exposure to such a finite opportunity; it makes actual learning and progression impossible.
Does this approach center the learners and their progress?
What problem is this solving?
Even twice a month is still an unstable schedule; even once a week is unstable. But making the curriculum unstable on top of that sets learning up for failure.
Even if it were “self-defense” being taught every month, the idea of self-defense is unstable because there is no agreement over what it is, what it means, or what it looks like. It’s a catch-all term. You could do something unrelated and different each month and still call it self-defense. You still end up with the same problem: low-frequency classes with rotating activities and teachers.
This is not a problem of the students. This is a problem of the organizers. They’re prioritizing giving each instructor a chance to present what they want over providing the learners with a stable learning environment.
Every learner, whether adult or child, needs a stable environment for development.
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Very challenging, strong agree in general.
I guess there's also some questions about what is it for? I think also there's a question of what people want from the class.
A lot of the people who come aren't really that deep in the MA reasons so much as they find it fun and a decent work out with comrades when they are free.
So they turn up every now and then. I agree they will never get far at mma or whatever but also its hard to plan sessions around them as they are unreliable.