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Summertime…and the training get’s different.
Class was pretty challenging when the heat hit the city last night. Add the high humidity, a class mainly made of children under 10, and I had a recipe for overheated bodies.
I chose to take the kids outside, and train in the shadowed side of the building on the 8-foot cement pathway there. There was a good breeze that helped keep the students cooler. However, the down side was that I had to space out the students 3 abreast in four lines, and even then there was the chance for the less experienced students to fall off of the edge of the pathway onto the sloping grassy sides with their feet. Although I gave my
students the option of keeping their shoes on, many of them chose to go barefoot on the cement. Inwardly I rolled my eyes at this thought because I knew that most of them did not have hardened conditioned soles. My usual training area has this soft slippery furry covering that is pleasant to move upon. Yes… it's also nasty on the aspect of slipping your feet out from under you when you surge forwards in stance.
Therefore, I was worried about making the students do too much movement in stance. I could see them getting blisters from the unusual new surface. I made them do a short review on their belt rank test techniques, and then decided to bring them to another section of our facility. It's a nice wide-open indoor observation area, and had plenty of room for kata. It overlooks the pool, and the running track/football field. Wonderful view. It would be best if the flooring was wooden, but no… it was tiled cement floor. Far easier on my student's feet than the rough cement outside, but oh boy…since it is on the second floor, and heat rises… we all felt the slam of this sauna as soon as we entered the area. My students looked at me with both anticipation, and dread. I decided to test how well they could focus their minds, and perform their testing kata in such a negative environment. I could see the sweat forming on the student's faces and this was on the
ones that were sitting down and watching the other's perform. My student's spirit rose to the challenge, and their kata were well done.
I kept the observation area in mind as a potential training spot IF the weather was more cooperative, and I led the students back outside to the harsh cement. I changed gears in the class that I had previously prepared in my mind, and decided to do one-step kumite introducing new concepts of counters such as using Haito uchi (Ridge hand) for the first time for my higher belts, and stepping to the side for my lower belts. I felt that this
would create less damage on their feet, not overheat their bodies too much, and keep their minds busy enough that they might forget how hot it was outside.
I warned my students to please raise their hand, and tell me if they were feeling dizzy, nauseous, or a slight headache while we were training. Then, I made a really BIG mistake. I was concerned about keeping these children hydrated. Adults? I know that they can handle a lot…but kids? My own children are susceptible to overheating and fainting. I had visions of little heads striking the cement as they fainted from the heat. I told my students that they could get a drink of water if they were feeling thirsty.
*Slaps head* Note to self: This is an o.k. way to handle adult students. They will be responsible with their water breaks and will usually get water IF they feel it is necessary. They realize that we only have one hour to train, and that each distraction interrupts the class. They want to get their money's worth, and will refrain from running to that water bottle. Children however.. oh gosh..
I barely started teaching, and one had their hand up "Sensei? May I get water?" "Yes… " I responded "Now what we are looking at here is..." A second child raises their hand "May I get water too?" "Yes…" I answered, "If you notice my feet they are placed..." First child returns, second child returns and we barely get started into the first 6 minutes of the exercise, and first child raises the hand again. All that I could do was say to myself "You did tell them that they could ask to go get a drink of water if they were thirsty. You got what you deserved. Who would have thought that a child would be perpetually thirsty?"
I'll be the first person to admit that those 20 minutes were the LONGEST ever for me in the history of my dojo so far.
I personally dislike the "forced" water breaks that I've seen done in some activities. Personally, I like the option of choosing whether or not I feel like getting water. The majority of the time I can train throughout a full class without going for water. I had properly hydrated myself before class by drinking 2 glasses of water 2 hours before training, and one more glass of water 15 minutes before training.
I wonder... perhaps I can allow the adult students to get water if they feel the need to do so, but control the children's access to water by creating "water breaks" interspaced between the various exercises at my timing. Then ALL of the children will have a minute to go take a drink of water, and then return instead of random interruptions throughout the class.
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