Originally Posted by
The Juice
As an instructor I was always prepared to hit the student as much and as hard as it took to have them let go of the controls. I know seems bad but students lock up at times and I will do what is necessary to get them to let go of the controls if it came to that.
Of course this is not a method I would suggest during all stages of instruction.
I wrote to Rod Machado, and he echoed doing whatever it was possible to physically overcome the student if need be. I hate to sound like a whiner, but at 150 pounds, I am out-sized by almost every student of mine. Sometimes by nearly twice my weight. (Especially the sport applicants, whose especially large girth makes going in for a medical look like a losing proposition.)
I know this sounds bad, but sometimes I feel like my only physical option is to punch my student in the head to stun them into letting go (only when things get dire of course). Is that too extreme? In the instance I wrote about, I tried to out-stomp the student on the controls, but I couldn't. Plus it happened lightning quick.