Fine Tuning Karate

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Can anyone say, “Nit-picken?” Isn’t such detailed corrective effort about teaching students to fear they are getting things wrong when they aren’t? I read somewhere that all the “fine tuning” done in karate dojo actually creates a mind-set of “Fear of failing the Sensei” and all that dribble. Is this actually the best way to teach one karate especially if for self-defense.

Now, if SD is not in the picture and this is all about self-improvement and other philosophical teachings toward enlightenment and such then by all means, fine tune your karate. I still have to ask though, “Is fine tuning still a good beginners tool in teaching?” I think it might be but then it must be remembered that teaching must reach beyond those limitations toward a less rigid model and a more “Play Model.” 

Then I have to ask myself, what are we find tuning here and why? Often, I say that a lot, it is about fine tuning specific techniques when in my mind it should be about fine tuning, “Fundamental Principles.” I don’t mind fine tuning principles such as structure and alignment, etc., but feel strong that technique applications should be played with while maintaining adherence to fundamental principles. Maybe this is the change point in teaching, study, training and practice. A natural step-off point out of the nit-picken fine-tuning into play, play with techniques while working to perfect applications with principles properly applied. 

Lets call fine tuning, criticism, lets call nit-pickin, criticism. Criticism is not a positive way to teach or learn in my view. It ain’t fun, it ain’t play and it is a limited method of retention. Criticism, fine tuning and nit-pickin are rarely effective teaching methods. 

When I write about, “Fine Tuning or Nit-picken,” I am talking about the use of “Criticism” in teaching martial arts. Constantly tweaking a student is actually criticism, fine tuning or just plain old nit-picken. If your mind is focused on doing something correctly in the hopes of not being corrected so you can feel like you are doing it right then your focus is not focused, i.e., not focused on having fun playing around and encoding properly so that the lizard uses your skills to succeed in self-defense. 

“ … criticism is rarely effective teaching. … “ “You have to know your principles, understand them. And you have to have a clear idea of what you are actually teaching (most common mistake, people equate fighting with self-defense.) Your ability to pass on knowledge is absolutely limited by the clarity of your understanding of that knowledge. And what follows is a process, but you must know how to teach and how to communicate separately from this process. For instance, criticism is rarely effective teaching.” Rory Miller, Chiron Blog “The Process of Principles Based Teaching.”

p.s. I was a nit-picker in my early years teaching karate. I attribute that to military influences but also admit that it came from some deep seated issue in myself often expressed in inappropriate ways. It seemed to fit but since those early days I have come to realize that it is not the way toward the more violent aspects of a martial art. Go figure ….

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