The Value of Seminars

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In short, seminars are not teaching venue’s but rather introductions to things you should seek out in full-time teachings under the guidance of qualified experts. Seminars as introductions do a good job as long as participants do some fact checking afterward. It is easy to inadvertently mislead an idea into a full blown concept to be taught for seminars are created and presented in the best light with the most dramatic performances the presenters can create simply because gaining one’s attention and then influencing them to take action is a goal, the actions being enrollment in the presenters dojo. 

Often karate-ka and martial artists see seminars as full blown teaching models and just as often the black belts take it all back and try to teach it to their students. That is another mistake made because what one takes back to the dojo form seminars is that the information has value and further research, analysis and instruction are required. Introductions, as with any discipline or any education and so on is just a piece of information to convey generalities that may interest one into seeking out additional information. If it does not, the person exposed to that introduction does not expend any more time than necessary to come to that conclusion - a good thing. 

Our human species likes things to be short, sweet and simple - at least to start. Our species has evolved and developed a solid means of assessing things quickly with little information so actions can be taken to, “Survive.” This is natural and in time we all build up stored experiences our brains can use when exposed to simplistic and fast data flow to make better and better decisions and no where is this more critical then in self-fense situations. 

In essence, seminars are a conference or other meeting for discussion or training; a class at a college or university in which a topic is discussed by a teacher and a small group of students; A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization.

Seminars are great in that they bring together smaller groups for recurring teaching activities with all participating to learn, to be introduced to, many exciting and beneficial aspects of karate and martial arts. It secondary benefit is its collective small grouped dynamic that allows more room to discuss things, to ask questions and to debate the material. Unlike full blown classes over time, most seminars are given as introductions and a Q-n-A venue so the attendants can go back, research, analyze, seek out professional guidance on the various subjects and either add that into their teachings or seek out a qualified teacher to come in and continue the lessons. The very nature of seminars does not allow for in-depth teaching, understanding and experience building, it opens the door to that. 

The very etymology of the work gives us the meaning of, “seed plot,” which also references, “seedbed.” A seed bed is a bed of fine soil which seedlings are germinated. This is such a telling definition that speaks to the very nature of seminars, a seed bed or seed plot where experts till the soil, add growth food to that soil then through seminar introduction plant a seed that when one goes back to their dojo they water, weed and cultivate until it grows into a fine sapling that continues to be properly cultivated until we have a great oak tree of knowledge where subjects of many seminars make up the branches that hold principles, methodologies and philosophies of the system of karate and martial arts. 

Note: Etymology; the word seminar is derived from the Latin word seminarium, meaning "seed plot".

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