This post is of an interesting nature. There may be a tendency to not refute what Sensei says or teaches. If you are that type of Sensei, stop it! Sensei is merely a human, a person, a flawed product of the Universe - a perfect form of imperfection.
In my past I have been exposed to some very intelligent and knowledgable persons of karate, martial arts. I have been surprised when I make some statement that I can see in their body language and facial expression they disagree to the statement but when I ask them to comment they refuse, in one case a simple shake of the head no but the body language spoke to me .... no way dude, your wrong.
It may or may not be a part of how your dojo is run. It may be a misplaced ideology supposedly derived from the assumption that it is the way they did it in a traditional Asian dojo. So what, we are not Asian. We are not them. We as American's understand our innate need to ask questions and to question things.
I have received a comment or two in the past as to my views as posted on my blogs. One said they posed the blog topic and my view to their Sensei and were told to disregard what was written. When an answer was pursued the Sensei said something Asian like, "You will understand when you reach a certain level of proficiency, go practice your basics."
My view, either a bit of misdirection due to a perceived threat to authority or a lack of sufficient knowledge to understand the view or both. No one person of any rank, level or grade; no one person of any age, no one person of any level of knowledge, and no one person of any level of proficiency knows all.
The moment you believe your doctrine is the end all of all the martial arts or any endeavor of life you have simply stated to yourself that you don't want to learn more, your comfortable, your in control and you have your following so why much it up. Then again, it is my view, my perspective and my blog.
If your Sensei simply states something like, "I would like to take time to consider this information. I will get back to you." When they get back to you they can say one or two things, "I have never heard of this," or "I don't know about this. I will ask others about it and get back to you." Anything at all because you don't and do not have to know everything. You can be right, you can be wrong and you can be both. We are fallible, we are human even if we wear a red belt and people think we "master."
Last, even if Sensei knows of it. If he/she says they know of it but they don't use it in their system. Don't discard it. Work it out for yourself and if you can make it work or the thing speaks to you then use it. Maybe not in the dojo but rather in your private practice. If your a newbie then file it away for later so you can establish your foundation and then review it.
Hey, Attention on Deck!
Hey, NOTHING here is PERSONAL, get over it - Teach Me and I will Learn!
When you begin to feel like you are a tough guy, a warrior, a master of the martial arts or that you have lived a tough life, just take a moment and get some perspective with the following:
I've stopped knives that were coming to disembowel me
I've clawed for my gun while bullets ripped past me
I've dodged as someone tried to put an ax in my skull
I've fought screaming steel and left rubber on the road to avoid death
I've clawed broken glass out of my body after their opening attack failed
I've spit blood and body parts and broke strangle holds before gouging eyes
I've charged into fires, fought through blizzards and run from tornados
I've survived being hunted by gangs, killers and contract killers
The streets were my home, I hunted in the night and was hunted in turn
Please don't brag to me that you're a survivor because someone hit you. And don't tell me how 'tough' you are because of your training. As much as I've been through I know people who have survived much, much worse. - Marc MacYoung
WARNING, CAVEAT AND NOTE
The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books. Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.
Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.
“What you are reading right now is a blog. It’s written and posted by me, because I want to. I get no financial remuneration for writing it. I don’t have to meet anyone’s criteria in order to post it. Not only I don’t have an employer or publisher, but I’m not even constrained by having to please an audience. If people won’t like it, they won’t read it, but I won’t lose anything by it. Provided I don’t break any laws (libel, incitement to violence, etc.), I can post whatever I want. This means that I can write openly and honestly, however controversial my opinions may be. It also means that I could write total bullshit; there is no quality control. I could be biased. I could be insane. I could be trolling. … not all sources are equivalent, and all sources have their pros and cons. These needs to be taken into account when evaluating information, and all information should be evaluated.” - God’s Bastard, Sourcing Sources (this applies to this and other blogs by me as well; if you follow the idea's, advice or information you are on your own, don't come crying to me, it is all on you do do the work to make sure it works for you!)
“You should prepare yourself to dedicate at least five or six years to your training and practice to understand the philosophy and physiokinetics of martial arts and karate so that you can understand the true spirit of everything and dedicate your mind, body and spirit to the discipline of the art.” - cejames (note: you are on your own, make sure you get expert hands-on guidance in all things martial and self-defense)
“All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.” - Montaigne
I am not a leading authority on any one discipline that I write about and teach, it is my hope and wish that with all the subjects I have studied it provides me an advantage point that I offer in as clear and cohesive writings as possible in introducing the matters in my materials. I hope to serve as one who inspires direction in the practitioner so they can go on to discover greater teachers and professionals that will build on this fundamental foundation. Find the authorities and synthesize a wholehearted and holistic concept, perception and belief that will not drive your practices but rather inspire them to evolve, grow and prosper. My efforts are born of those who are more experienced and knowledgable than I. I hope you find that path! See the bibliography I provide for an initial list of experts, professionals and masters of the subjects.
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