Hey Shawn—

I’m sitting here at my daughter’s softball practice and the thought struck me about how your level of EQ in teaching is off-the-charts impressive. There are three coaches on this team, each with a slightly different style, but all basically stick to what they do. Watching as an outsider I can distinctly see the girls that respond well to the tough coaching vs. the ones that need the push through encouragement. Very interesting to watch some of them struggle at one station and then excel at the next with the main variable being how they are coached.

It made me think back to your approach with students at the dojo and how you could not only see what people needed but also adapt how you taught to elicit the best out of them. While I think some people can develop the ability to spot different student needs, there are few that have the instrinsic feel for a given moment and the talent to subtly adjust their style seemlessly. It was never “This person learns this way,” it was always “This person is in this place at this moment and here is what I can do to get them to their point of maximum potential.” As I reflect on it now, I can think of countless examples of how you did that with me and others.

20 years on and half a country away, but I’m still picking up on your lessons. There are plenty of teachers out there, but I’d say that’s the mark of a great one.

Congrats on the new space and I hope all is well.