Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Changing of the Guard

And no, I do not mean when you are laying supine with your opponent captured inside your legs.


Definitions
I'm talking about something different entirely. In the old days of sailing, from time to time, a Captain would see his First Mate (also sometimes now referred to as "First Officer," "Executive Officer," or "XO") take command of his own ship. It is the natural progression, as the position of XO is one where a person polishes up to the point of being a Captain, being able to command one's own ship. 

When I worked in the car rental industry, the same concept was used. The manager of the office would often see a top notch assistant manager get promoted. I became rather accustomed to having trainees get promoted out from under me to assistant manager at another location, as well as having my assistant managers get promoted to branch manager of other locations.

In the martial arts, based on the traditions I was taught, was the concept of the Sensei - Sempai. This is a different relationship than the famous Japanese Sempai / Kohai relationship. The Sensei is the head instructor and the Sempai (sometimes spelled as "Senpai") is the "sergeant at arms" - the XO of the dojo.


Sempai
Through the years, I've had the privilege of having several really good Sempai to assist me:
David was one many years ago in a karate class I taught.
Brian was one jiu-jitsu student who made it to black belt, and found how difficult it was to find a good Sempai.
Later, Dave (a totally different one than David above), made for an unorthodox, but quite effective Sempai.
Tim became a good Sempai for a class I taught some years ago.


Acknowledgement
Recently, Sarah has been a superb Sempai. For two years, she has helped teach kids classes. In recent months, she helped expand to three classes per week. She has competed many times, winning much more often than losing. She has covered for me when my presence was not possible. She has helped with seminars.

Due to circumstances beyond immediate control, Sarah will not be able to attend nearly as much for the foreseeable future. This article is written particularly to acknowledge her accomplishments.


Changing of the Guard
And for once, I have some people waiting in the wings. In times past, when the Sempai was lost, they were often among the last students attending at a dwindling class, or in a class I was about to move away from geographically. This time is different. I have several horses in the stable that might just be able to take the mantle.

This final statement is not a slight to Sarah, but is a testament to her hard work - having prepared another to take your spot once you're gone is the stuff that Captains are made of. That is the main difference in a good Captain and a neophyte XO. An XO who can train their own replacement is one that will be able to take the next step when it becomes possible - to sit in the captain's chair.


.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Your comment will be displayed after approval.
Approval depends on what you say and how you say it.