Reviewing low kyu games

 A very common piece of advice given to all level shogi players is to ask for advice from stronger players, especially in terms of reviewing their games.  I cannot argue with this obviously, because it's solid advice.  But I think not all strong players have an equal quality of critique, and I think it's important that we, as both lower and higher ranked players, understand the context and expectations for what kind of reviews should be given. 

Before I start, this is all my personal opinion, not a condemnation of others' teaching styles.

Modified Hosking Notation

 If you've had any interactions with me over the years, you'll probably think this post is hypocritical.  I've been pretty adamantly against adding new forms of shogi notation, because every time it's changed, it splinters English players' ability to read a little bit more.  That being said, what I'm detailing here is not a new notation format, but rather an update to formatting an existing one, so I hope you'll forgive me.

You have to follow through with your threats

 One of the first things you teach to a new shogi player is "You want to make a pawn exchange on the rook's file."  This sets them in the right direction, focusing their attention on using the rook to attack, and eventually being able to rationalize that they can put other pieces on that file to attack with.  This isn't a criticism - this is genuinely good advice that should be given to everyone.

But sometimes beginners take it too literally.