Always Look Eye
by Thomas Zermeno, PCI# 1390T-B/EMSCI# 412T-B
Norman (OK) Police Department
IPMBA Board of Directors: Education
Perhaps one of the greatest instructors in cinema was Mr. Miyagi from the original The Karate Kid movies. You know the ones I am talking about. I am referring to the ones with Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso) and Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi). The following is going to be filled with “Miyagi-isms” and how they apply to being an IPMBA Instructor. I suggest that you play the song “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito while reading this article.
There is a scene in the movie in which Mr. Miyagi has Daniel standing in the ocean with one leg lifted, trying to maintain his balance as the waves come crashing in. Off in the distance, he sees Mr. Miyagi standing on a pole with one leg up. He then places his arms in the air and kicks with the planted leg, simultaneously switching his planted foot. This is the crane kick that we later learn about and is used by Daniel to win the match against his nemesis, Johnny Lawrence. Daniel asks him what he was doing and Mr. Miyagi tells him what it is and that, if used properly, it cannot be defended against. He then asks when he will learn it. Mr. Miyagi’s response is the best one to apply to our courses: “First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-San, not mine.” Remember when you are instructing that many of your students haven’t even gotten on a bicycle prior to your class. We must start with the very basics and work our way up. I always state that we will operate on a “crawl, walk, run, sprint”, in that each day we increase the intensity.
Please keep in mind that all of the material that you are provided for instruction has gone through rigorous processes to ensure it is the best and most up-to-date possible. Getting familiar with it is not enough. Getting intimate with the material is imperative to putting out a quality product. You must be patient with and trust the learning process that is set forth in the curriculum. As Mr. Miyagi states: “You trust the quality of what you know, not the quantity.” Once you get to know and become very familiar with the product, become proficient with it and you can be the best… around. “No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher. Teacher say, student do.” We must we teach everything correctly from the start. It is harder to correct a mistake or unlearn incorrect material. YOU are the one that is expected to know the material. Own it and you will be successful.
Be brave and exude confidence when in front of your students. Most of us have some level of anxiety that we mask (me included), but when it is time to go to work, we must not lose focus. Mr. Miyagi says it best: “When you feel life out of focus, always return to basic of life.” And he starts breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. He is reminding us that as long as we are breathing, we can get through anything. We just sometimes have to remember that. One way to help students who are struggling is to remind them to breathe. Fear and anxiety exist in every one of us, and we must face it and not lose to it. Or, as Mr. Miyagi continues: “It’s ok to lose to opponent. Must not lose to fear.” He says this during Daniel’s final fight in the championship when he admits to Mr. Miyagi that he is afraid. He is reminded that he shouldn’t let fear win. If you exude that attitude during your course, and instill that frame of mind in your students, it will go more smoothly and be so much more fun. Remember that.
Once you have mastered the material and become the best around, remember a few key things. One, “If come from inside you, always right one,” referring to self-confidence and self-realization. When you bring out the enjoyment that you have for public safety cycling and share it with the students, you will infect them and receive it back ten-fold. Two, you must commit 100% to the material and to your instruction. As Mr. Miyagi puts it: “Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later (squishing gesture), get squish just like grape. Here, karate same thing. Either you karate do ‘yes’ or karate do ‘no’. You karate do, ‘guess so,’ (squishing gesture) just like grape. Understand?” You must go all in. Third, always be prepared for obstacles and have a plan to overcome them. As the motto of Miyagi-Do Karate states: “When the fight comes to you, you have to be ready to fight back.”
In closing, you are the ambassadors for our organization. You have been entrusted with the best and most complete material for instruction in the field of public safety cycling. Trust the process and seek guidance from others in order to put out the best product possible. Be confident that you have the ability and the know-how to present the material provided and you will be the best…around! And finally, remember this: “You IPMBA yes, or you IPMBA no. You IPMBA guess-so, and you will get squished just like grape.”
Thomas joined the Norman Police Department in 2009. He is currently assigned to night shift patrol and is the training coordinator and instructor for the bike team. He has been active with IPMBA since 2011, after taking the IPMBA Police Cyclist Course. He was certified as PCI in 2013 at the IPMBA Conference in Baton Rouge and cross-trained as an EMSCI in 2017. He became an Instructor Trainer in 2019, attended the Bicycle Response Team Training in 2020, and was BRT Instructor certified in 2021. He currently serves on the IPMBA Board of Directors overseeing education programs. He can be reached at Thomas.Zermeno@yahoo.com.
(c) IPMBA. This article appeared in the 2023 Board Issue of IPMBA News.