Walter glanced at the clock.
"My break starts in ten minutes."
"Could we talk then?"
"Bring the document."
Dylan nodded.
"Thank you."
He walked away.
Walter returned to the window.
Ten minutes later, Dylan came back carrying a folder.
They sat at a small table in the staff room.
Walter opened the document.
Dylan sat opposite him.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Finally, Dylan said, "I appreciate you taking the time."
Walter looked at the first page.
"Let's start here."
He pointed to the warm-up section.
"Why do you begin with partner resistance?"
Dylan leaned forward.
"To teach students how to respond under pressure."
"How old are the students?"
"Some could be as young as ten."
Walter looked up.
"And how much experience will they have?"
"None."
"Then what pressure are they learning to respond to?"
Dylan hesitated.
"Basic resistance."
"From whom?"
"Their partners."
"Who will be responsible for controlling that resistance?"
"The instructor."
Walter nodded.
"Then teach the instructor's responsibility first."
Dylan looked at the page.
Walter continued.
"Before a beginner learns how to resist, they need to learn how to stop. They need to understand the difference between discomfort and pain. They need to know how to communicate when something is wrong."
Dylan took notes.
Walter pointed to the next section.
"Here. You have students practicing standing transitions in the second session."
"Yes."
"Too early."
"Why?"
"Because they haven't learned how to move safely when their balance changes."
Dylan frowned.
"They'll learn by practicing."
"They'll learn by practicing correctly."
Walter tapped the page.
"Teach the movement without resistance. Then teach the safe exit. Then introduce controlled resistance. Do not reverse the order."
Dylan wrote it down.
For nearly forty minutes, Walter reviewed the curriculum.
He did not criticize Dylan personally.
He did not refer to the exhibition.
He did not mention the video.
He simply explained what needed to change and why.
Dylan listened.
He asked questions.
Sometimes he disagreed.
Walter did not become irritated.
He asked Dylan to explain his reasoning.
When the reasoning was weak, Walter showed him the problem.
When Dylan made a useful point, Walter acknowledged it.
The conversation felt different from the arguments Dylan was accustomed to having.
There was no audience.
No competition.
No need to win.
And that made it harder to hide behind confidence.
Near the end of the meeting, Dylan pointed to a section on injury reporting.
"Would you change this?"
Walter read it.
"Yes."
"How?"
"Make reporting injuries mandatory."
Dylan nodded.
"That's already in the policy."
"Then make sure students believe it."
Dylan looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Walter folded his hands.
"People often hide injuries because they don't want to disappoint their instructor."
Dylan said nothing.
"They don't want to lose their place in the competition team. They don't want to be called weak. They don't want everyone looking at them."
Walter paused.
"An instructor can say all the right words and still create an atmosphere where students feel they must prove themselves."
Dylan looked down at the document.
Walter continued.
"If a student believes you respect them only when they perform well, they will hide the things they should tell you."
Dylan rubbed his right shoulder.
The old man noticed.
"Have you had that checked?"
Dylan's expression tightened.
"It's improving."
"That's not what I asked."
Dylan looked away.
"No. I haven't."
Walter nodded.
"Then do it."
Dylan gave a small, uncomfortable laugh.
"You really don't miss anything, do you?"
"Not when it's directly in front of me."
Dylan looked at him.
"How long have you been noticing it?"
"Since the exhibition."
"And you said nothing publicly."
"I had no reason to."
Dylan stared at the table.
Finally, he said, "I think it's more serious than I wanted to admit."
"Then make an appointment."
Walter closed the folder.
"That's the first correction you should make."
Dylan visited a sports medicine clinic the following week.
The examination confirmed that his shoulder injury was more significant than he had believed.
The doctor identified inflammation and a possible tendon injury that required further imaging and a period of modified activity.
Dylan was instructed to avoid certain movements until the assessment was complete.
He did not like the recommendation.
He had a competition scheduled in six weeks.
He had students preparing for the same event.
He had built his reputation around being available, strong, and ready to demonstrate every technique.
But he also remembered Walter's words.
Do not reward someone for ignoring pain.
He canceled his next competition appearance.
When he announced the decision to his students, he expected disappointment.
Instead, Mason asked, "Does that mean you're taking time to recover?"
Dylan nodded.
"Yes."
Mason looked relieved.
"Good."
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
"Good?"
"You've been favoring that shoulder for weeks."
Dylan looked at him.
"Why didn't you say something?"
Mason hesitated.
"I thought you'd get angry."
The answer landed harder than Dylan expected.
He remembered the way he had spoken to Mason after the video.
He remembered how quickly he had turned a simple observation into a confrontation.
"That's fair," Dylan said quietly.
Mason looked surprised.