“The reason why I’ve continued it this far is it’s simply I just like it….. I just love training karate.“ (End quote) – Masao Shinzato 8th dan Matsubayashi-ryu
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What motivates students to learn and how can we encourage them?
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Students may be motivated by their interest in a topic, their prior success in a kick or punch, a desire to please parents or their instructors, or simply by their own drive to succeed.
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However, motivation works best when students also have a healthy self-image, are confident in their abilities and know how to take a step-by-step approach to their training.
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There are two main types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsically motivated individuals learn because of a desire that comes from within. Extrinsic motivation is when an outside force is involved in encouraging students to learn.
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Students are often forced to learn whatever is in the dojo curriculum. This can mean they are not always intrinsically motivated to master a specific training objective and may rely on extrinsic motivation, including rewards or negative consequences based on performance.
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Feeling overwhelmed at the dojo is a common among less experienced students that can cause them to lose motivation, no matter how passionate they are about a topic. While more experienced students tend to be good at seeing the big picture and breaking a task down into logical steps, this skill may not be as intuitive for the inexperienced.
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A good way to motivate students is to focus on one thing at a time, so they don’t feel overwhelmed. Let students choose, to the extent that’s possible, allow students some say in what and how they learn. When you are in control of your learning you are more invested in the outcome.
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Many teachers have a set dojo curriculum they must cover, but there is usually a way to customize lesson content by providing examples that reinforce learning and are of particular interest to students.
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Success fosters motivation to learn, so the more accommodating teachers can be, the better. Whether or not a student is particularly successful in a task is not the main goal, remind them that TRYING their hardest is what counts and praise their efforts.
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As students, you must WANT to learn, because if you hate the training, and feel you are being forced, you will NOT learn, or be motivated.
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Motivated students are more excited to learn and participate.
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Love to learn. Be motivated…… Smile, be happy. 
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 Photo Credit & quote: Yusuke Nagano
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