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"She's faster than she looks"

I have taken some time off from writing for a family move, and settling in, and now the Olympics have brought me back. I have been brought nearly to tears regularly with the Olympic Games this year. Not because of the medal count, or the wins, but because of the forceful, and broad femme body positivity. I have always had a stocky build. I was a sporty kid. I loved running, and soccer, and riding horses. I hated that I never fit right in athletic clothing, that I never looked like other athletic girls. Riding boots I had to have stretched to fit my calves, soccer shorts got eaten by my thighs, and so on. I was too short to be considered for my favorite position most of the time, my legs are out of proportion with my upper body, and it DROVE my riding instructor nuts. As an adult I took up historical fencing in the SCA. When I started I was at a time in my life that my relationship was crumbling, my job was a struggle every day, and I had taken up Yoga 3 times a day, plus riding from
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Keep Calm, and Design Instruction: How Do I Use Prior Knowledge?

So, you have asked the questions, or used the checklist to gather information on the new player at your practice… WHAT NOW???? Keep Calm, and Design Instruction Conversational Tools First, most of the time it will be more informal and organic. It will come up as general reminders or comments from your students. Putting prior knowledge to use is one of the most fun things in the beginning.  It can create a cooperative learning environment and establish trust between the teacher and student. Conversations might sound like: “OK we are going to work on footwork first! I know you have some experience with ballet. As we work think about what foot positions this work is similar to and tell me what the names for these foot positions in ballet are.” “You have done Tae Kwon Do? Great! Can you show me horse stance? This is the perfect place to start building a period fencing stance! You are already HALFWAY THERE!” Any time you can help your student by: A) Referencing prior knowledge “Hey this mov

Prior Knowledge and Fighters and Coaches

  Prior Knowledge for Fighters and Coaches So, if you have not heard before,  the term prior knowledge refers to everything a student walked in the door knowing that day. It seems like a really easy concept, of course you want to know how much they know, OF course we ask new fighters things. But are we asking the right questions, and are we asking and evaluating enough to really know where these fighters are at?  Conversely, are we handing a Kindergartener a typewriter and sending them off to write a novel so to speak.  Did you assess their understanding of basics? (What is your definition of basics?) Did you talk to them about learning preferences, how to address them, and preferences about physical interaction? What style are they learning? DId you ask about physical  limitations? Previous teachers? What about other sports or activities, and confrontational skills? As a classroom teacher I used checklists daily to assess skills and knowledge, and make certain I was moving children th