Do you question your teacher?

I think that this question is a very important one. I have been to a lot of schools where the teaching style is very rigid, and traditional in the Asian sense of the word. I have also been to some schools that were very non-traditional. My question for you all is, do you feel it is okay to question your teacher? Would it offend your teacher if you questioned their techniques? Personally, I feel like you should be able to. If you are paying someone, or endorsing their product or service, or whatever, I do NOT think that is disrespectful to ask some simple questions. I don't mean in the "my stuff is better than your stuff"manner of questioning. I mean, if something does not make sense to you, do you feel comfortable questioning the teacher? Alright folks, here is the Reader's Digest answer. I would type more, but umm, well, I ummm, awww just read.

A true teacher is a person who never stops learning. I have been told by many martial arts greats both known and unknown, that your martial arts die the second you think you know everything their is to know about martial arts. They have suggested that martial arts are living through you day by day, and that you should always do more to improve not just your physical abilities, but your teaching methods as well. Now personally, after close to 30 years involvement with martial arts, I find myself amazed at just how much there is to learn in the martial arts. I don't mean the new trendy martial arts fads(and there are a lot of them). I mean the basics, and the applications of the basics. I honestly think that I could spend the rest of my life studying what has already been discovered, and have a full day every day. That said, I think that many teachers are still content to do "x" because that is how they were taught. Well folks, times change, and so do the ways in which we fight. What may have been great in the 1700's might get your face caved in in the 21st century. Sure the old moves may have some value, but I think that a lot of modern theories are much more effective in terms of saving our lives. To draw an analogy let's try something like this......In the Middle Ages, the people handled their waste business in something called a chamber pot. Now in 2004. a chamber pot would still work, but I am very glad that we now have flushing toilets.


If you cannot ask your teacher a question about WHY a technique should be performed that way, here are 3 options of what you might hear. First is the very common,"Well, back when I learned this technique, this is how we were taught." Second, and equally common response might be," Well, one time, my teacher absolutely creamed a guy doing this exact same technique." The last one, and dissapointingly rare response is," When I learned this technique, I took it home and studied it with a couple of other students. And I will be darned if it didn't work in almost evey situation I tried it in."

That last response is a good one, but not one that I hear very often at all. I submit that those who do it because" so and so " did it the exact same way, are really cheating themselves out of a learning experience. I think that doing things the old ways frees people from having to think for themselves. Fact is, the teacher may not have put any thought into the technique at all. Asking them a question may expose their ignorance, and nobody likes that. So if your teacher does not really want to answer any questions, you just might have to ask yourself why not. Do they consider it disrespect? Or maybe they just don' know. Or care to.......

Do you do any weapons training?

Hello folks,
I have been gone for a minute because sometimes life gets hectic, even for the extraordinarily handsome :) Anyhow, after watching a horrific display of the watering down of martial arts at a tourney, I wanted to ask you a question. That question is, do you guys train with weaponry at your dojo? Now, before I jump all over anyone, I want to give my take on the thing. First of all, I personally think that it can be a good thing. But like anything else, it is all a matter of context.

Now as a traditionalist at heart, I love the idea of training with weapons. It is a way to preserve the old ways. Now when I say that, I mean that our roots should definitely be preserved. For all of you history fans out there, you know what I am talking about. Think about one of the most famous American sayings," Those who forget their history are DOOMED to repeat it". Weapons training can provide a historical link, and a little understanding about the history of our martial arts.

I love to see young kids, and adults really who spend dedicated hour after hour perfecting a craft. I love to see kids scream out in frustration, only to pick up their bo again keep practicing. I laugh when a grown adult limps around from talking a nunchaku to the knee, only to keep going with an ice pack tied on. I love the artistry involved, the aesthetic beauty, the grace of the practicioners.

That said, I think that tournaments are ruining it. In the search for more "spectacular" ( read marketable) feats, non-traditional weapons are used. I mean, they are still bos and sai and whatever, but it is different now. They are not regulation sized weapons. I don't think that the ninja would have been half as stealthy, or as difficult to spot with glow in the dark nunchaku. And I may be wrong on this, but I dont believe that the old bo were built out of graphite. Now I hope that you can really hear the sarcasm here, because I think that this stuff has gone on way too long. Do you think that the sword masters of old were able to toss their swords up into the air and catch them, before delivering the coup de grace? Not very likely. If you are into weapons training, practice will regulation weight weapons, and do real weapons training.

Ummm, is that it? oh no, I have something else. For all of you weapons fanatics out there, do yourself a favor. Practice weapons that are more concept based, rather than based on particulars. This is what I mean. If you train with a 3 sectional staff, (and you are braver than me) than you are training a very specific skill. There is nothing of practical value that emulates the movements of a 3 sectional staff. Conversely, if you have done any practice with sticks, then you have a host of practical skills. An umbrella, a chair leg, a stick, even a rolled-up newspaper can be very deadly weapons. If you haven't seen Dan Inosanto break a 2X4 with a rolled up LA Times, then you are missing something. If you have practiced with a knife, try thinking about how you could use a fountain pen, or a pencil. It works, and I think you owe it to yourself to try. Well, that is all folks, take care of yourself....and each other.