School visit and inquiry etiquette

[Thread_Killer]

If you're interested in joining or just checking out a school, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. When contacting a school, please introduce yourself using your real name in proper written format. Don't just send a PM saying, "wen r yur clases n wat r yur pr sayson r8s.... Batangas Strangler."

2. Ask permission to visit the school, don't just show up unannounced.

For people who already do FMA and just want to visit another school to see what they do:

3. Don't hold conversations while the instructor is talking.

My school actually started a policy of having visitors join the class because we had some visitors who sat in the back, held private conversations and did a lot of smirking.

4. Don't hold your own teaching session while the instructor is trying to teach.

There is one relatively well-known fma teacher in Toronto notorious for this, especially during Dan Inosanto seminars. The really bad thing is he's never paid for attending the seminar as he was allowed to attend as a courtesy by the host.

5. Do not touch anything belonging to anyone else, including and especially training weapons and clothing.

I had one visitor take out and examine a stick and knife from one of my students' bag.

6. Only bring people with you that you've already been given permission to bring.

7. Never video tape anything. Ask permission to take pictures.

8. Don't offer to demo if you haven't been invited to do so.

9. Unless you've been told its okay to do so and unless you're actively participating in the class, don't interupt the class to ask a "what if" question.

10. Don't take advantage of someone's friendliness by visiting too often. It does disrupt the class.

Anything else anyone can think of?

[Mike]

Hmmmm. Not so sure I agree with all of it. Most gyms welcome walk-ins or show-ups. As friendly as Filipinos are it seems odd that FMA gyms would not like to have surprise visitors. Most of the other stuff falls under common courtesy. You are basically suggesting that people be respectful and not act like an A-hole. How about posting a sign detailing the etiquette for your gym on the wall..... But then Filipinos are not big on reading signs, hehehehe. I used the think that "Bawal" meant "you can". every time I saw a sign that said "bawal umihi dito" or "bawal magstambay dito" or "bawal basuera dito" I saw people doing exactly that in front of the sign. hehehehe.

[burungkol]

11. Don't go to other gyms/clubs to scout for talents and scoop up new techniques.

These things happened to us a lot of times in the past. That's why we are forced to held back on some of our training especially if we have a bad feeling about our visitors. We do not allow them to join the class. We just let them sit there, watch, then ask questions later.

[shootodog]

actually i do not like visitors much...

[Thread_Killer]

Burungkol,

The stealing techniques part wouldn't be so bad if they would only acknowledge where they got it from. But its always some ancient ancestor who passed it along to their father and they're only now revealing it to the public.

Mike,

What I'm teaching isn't boxing and most of it isn't for public consumption. I don't teach kids and teenagers because of this. I guess if I had a commercial school trying to maximize profit, yeah, I would invite visitors. A lot of fma people "visit" other schools to pick up techniques but then won't acknowledge from where it came from. As Burungkol said, this affects what we teach that session. Maybe a lot of Filipinos don't mind, but I don't like how people think they can behave and I will let them know it.

Shootodog,

yes, I do recall that.

[Thread_Killer]

12. Even though we're friends, don't think you can just drop by a practice to hang out and see what you've been missing. Show some ****ing commitment and giving back to the style, don't just take all the time.

[juncarino]

Our judo PE classes were open to other school's students. Subject to principal's approval of visit . Dojo guidelines. and most of Thread Killer's posting.
( However, our judo team sessions were not.)

[burungkol]

13. If you were a (previous) member and had been gone for a long time, do not assume that everyone knows you and stop acting like you're someone important.

Speaking strictly out of personal experiences, this pertains to a lot of seniors (no offense) coming back after a few years of absence. They went inside the gym, try to mess with the class, speaking with the students who they were, trying to prove themselves once more, etc. etc. This disrupts the class. This degrades you. Its better to keep those things to yourselves and let the instructors/professors acknowledge you and introduce you to the class.

[burungkol]

Burungkol,

The stealing techniques part wouldn't be so bad if they would only acknowledge where they got it from. But its always some ancient ancestor who passed it along to their father and they're only now revealing it to the public.

Ahh, yes that's true. It's always better if they acknowledge it. Pay homage and give credit.

However, stealing techniques from someone whom you are competing against is a strict No for me. We have a lot of these - friends coming in, having conversations, hanging out... but we are still competing against each other in tournaments. In these cases, we really hold back our training and we just stick to generic stuff.

[shootodog]

Ahh, yes that's true. It's always better if they acknowledge it. Pay homage and give credit.

However, stealing techniques from someone whom you are competing against is a strict No for me. We have a lot of these - friends coming in, having conversations, hanging out... but we are still competing against each other in tournaments. In these cases, we really hold back our training and we just stick to generic stuff.

in general i think that since "core techniques" aka sunday park techniques would be publicly demonstrated, i think we should sticki to these when there are visitors/ outsiders unless...

outsiders/ visitors are your sworn friends/ allies. but even then i wouldn't show everything.