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Modern ideas...
People attend martial arts classes seeking fighting skills and are
surprised (even upset) when the
instructor is terse with them.
They are expecting some sort of personal trainer
or maybe life coach offering 'spa night'. Get a
grip?
It is important to remember that your teacher's role is to prepare your
mind, body and emotions for combat.
In a fight you will get punched, kicked and thrown
to the ground. Being weak and
soft will only get you hurt. The
instructor's job is to toughen you up without you becoming
macho or a bully.
Hitting requires training
Most people couldn't punch somebody to save their life. They lack the
technical know how, the accuracy and the
will to fight. In a fight, untrained people
typically panic and go to pieces.
Your instructor needs to train you. This requires them to be firm
with you.
Discipline, strength, stamina, resolve, courage, patience and intelligence
will all be necessary. All the strengths that you possess. We have no
need or use for your weaknesses.
Mindset
Your mindset in martial arts practice is different to what you
require at the supermarket, at work, socialising with friends or family, or
when driving the car. Lapses in concentration when driving a car could cause
a crash. If you 'space out' in a martial arts environment, you could be hurt
or harm somebody else.
Jutsu
In Japan, martial arts are classified as being either 'jutsu' or
'do'.
Jutsu means 'science' or 'method'.
A jutsu class teaches technical skills, techniques and combat.
Do
'Do' means 'the Way' and refers to the study of the Tao.
A do class teaches refinement of character/spiritual development.
In practice, a do class teaches both spiritual development and combat
skills, whereas a jutsu class only focuses upon combat.
Internal arts
The Chinese internal arts have always taught do and jutsu together.
The material is just too dangerous to be taught to students who have not
worked to rid themselves of negative emotions, pettiness and hang-ups. The teacher is responsible for the process of refinement.
Stern
The Art of War lists the qualities expected of a leader.
One of these is the need to be stern.
Definitions of 'stern':
Serious and unrelenting, especially in the assertion of authority and exercise of discipline
Strict and severe; using extreme measures or terms
Putting someone or something under pressure
Damaged goods
Not everyone who joins a martial arts class is well-adjusted.
Many new starters have a 'chip on their shoulder'.
Some people have their own agenda.
Lazy
Beginners frequently want something for nothing, and resent being asked to
work for the
fighting skills.
Martial arts classes are designed to temper the
ego and quash arrogance.
A student must learn patience and humility, respect and
consideration.
Invariably, this means not getting your own way.
Influence
A good teacher will do their best to integrate arrogant students into their
class, to demonstrate humility, to offer an alternative way of behaving.
They aim to temper the student's ego. To cultivate a change of attitude.
But one or two hours a week simply does not add up to much.
Ultimately, the influence of the instructor is mild. The
responsibility for
change rests with the student.
If the student does not want to change - or becomes argumentative and
defensive - the instructor may eventually ask the student to leave the
class.
Most students ask too many
questions too soon. An inquisitive mind is not wrong, but too much
questioning often signifies that the student failed to practice enough or
didn't take time to analyse and investigate the problem on his own.
(Adam Hsu)
Standards
Martial arts instructors are sometimes seen as being stern and aloof.
Even unfriendly.
It is important to recognise that their role is not to make you happy.
This is not the service industry.
The teacher is obliged to teach the art to the highest standard they can
manage.
A good tutor will not allow compromise.
Quality comes first.
Personal trainer?
Your instructor is not a personal trainer.
They are not obligated to please you or give you what you ask for.
Tai chi cannot be taught piecemeal.
You cannot pick and
choose how and what to study.
If a martial arts instructor had to choose between bowing to the demands of
the consumer marketplace or closing their class to the public, many would
close their class.
Teaching hand-picked students is better than diluting the art.
Corrections
Corrections are not criticism.
An instructor corrects the student because they care about the student's
progress.
Suggestions, possibilities and alternatives all serve to broaden your
horizons and open the mind to new possibilities.
A reminder encourages the student to remember the basics, to focus upon the
underlying principles.
The student should be grateful when corrected, because the correction offers
an opportunity for change, for improvement.
Courtesy/manners
In a martial arts class, the teacher insists upon good manners. Why is this? Because the teacher is educating you in the appropriate form of conduct.
Real manners stem from
sensitivity and consideration. They are not something
you can learn by rote.
Being polite takes very little effort.
It is not about remembering to behave a certain
way.
It is about listening. It is about respect. It is about being patient.
Lazy culture
Modern culture is perhaps the laziest in recorded human history.
Technology, conveniences and fast food have created a society of obese,
lethargic people.
The so-called 'third world' countries scrabble to maintain a baseline living
standard whilst the West wallows in luxury.
It is the responsibility of the teacher to be firm on
lazy students.
Arrogance
Arrogant students may seek to jump ahead and bypass certain stages of
learning.
This is the outcome of naivety.
Lacking an understanding of what is to come, how can they conceivably gauge
what is important, and what is not? In order to advance through the syllabus, some degree of quality must be
demonstrated.
Second-guessing
Second-guessing the teacher is foolish.
Inevitably you are lacking the entire picture.
You are making a judgement from an incomplete perspective.
Your initial grasp of the situation is usually limited.
It is only with time and consideration that a deeper purpose emerges.
Student point of view
Were a teacher to share their deepest, most profound insights with a
student, it would be a waste of breath.
Understanding requires context.
Lacking the necessary foundation, a student would dismiss the insight as
irrelevant. Why? Because it means nothing to that person at their current level of progress.
Usually, a student has no real idea what is important in the greater context
of their tai chi study.
They pick and choose based upon their own opinions,
expectations and limited
experience.
Pearls before swine?
Taking advantage
It is quite normal for most students to take a class and the teacher
for granted.
Sadly, it is a sign of the times.
Our culture has become very selfish and many people genuinely believe that
the world revolves around them.
Occasionally, a student chooses to moan/complain/vent their frustration at
the instructor. What can the instructor do about this?
Should they indulge the student?
No.
Values
The teacher is responsible for the class.
They are responsible for the safety of the students.
They are obliged to preserve and maintain the quality and pragmatism of the
art.
Therefore, the values and concerns of the instructor are not those of the
student.
The student cannot relate to what motivates the instructor, and must trust
that the instructor has their best interests in mind.
The sensei is not a therapist. The goal of
the dojo is to make healthy people healthier, physically and psychologically
and spiritually. It cannot be expected to repair badly damaged human beings.
As so if a member exhibits serious personal problems, the sensei's job is to
get rid of him, gracefully if possible, forcefully and definitively if
necessary.
(Dave Lowry)
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
5 January 2003
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