Less Talk, More Training!

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A aphorism or meme or quote used frequently in karate, as well as martial arts, training. It is used by people who, with the best of intentions, regurgitate this saying to get students to merely practice but there are issues with using it.

First, training involves a great deal more than merely going through the motions of a technique, combination of techniques or kata practices. To train you first have to "learn." How do humans learn?

Second, humans begin the learning processes even before they are born. Personally, my mother had this victrola record player. It was one of those ancient one's that you used a crank handle to turn that in turn tightened an internal spring so when you placed the, ancient thick platter records, on the turn table, lifted the playing arm with its needle and set it at the start of the record, turned on the turn table to play the music. My mother played the old records of big bands and this woman with a large voice by the name of Ethel Merman. 

When I was born and old enough I seemed to gravitate to that old victrola until someone placed a record on it and started the play. Older yet, I loved to turn it on myself and played the same records. To this very day I love big band music and other such recordings. 

So, in my mind, we begin to learn through personal experiences as recorded by all our senses, i.e., hearing, sight, sound and feeling/tactile/touch. As we age we begin to learn from that same experience that there are other ways to stimulate our senses in a learning process.

What other ways?

• When we experience things with brothers and sisters.
• When we observer how our brothers, sisters and parents receive and handle their sensory stimuli.
• When we experience the environment of our homes.
• When we first leave the comfort and safety of family and home, the environment outside.
• When we first venture forth from the comfort and safety of our yard, exit the fence that surround yard and home, to experience the greater environments we encounter outside our front gate.
• When we first have a book read to us by family.
• When we first learn letters, words and sentences that our family members expose us to so we may learn to. “READ.”
• When we first experience the sound from radio’s when they are first turned on to play music, etc.
• When we first experience the sound and pictures of television when they are first turned on to watch while eating dinner. 
• and so on … till;
• When we first go off to school to experience reading and learning from our teachers.
• and so on … till;
• When we read books; 
• When we read magazines;
• When we read and write on blogs;
• When we comment, like and message one another on social media like Facebook and Twitter;
• When we first put words to writing, ePaper, etc., and post that on social media, blogs and in books, etc.
• and so on … etc., etc., etc.!

The learning process we all use to analyze, create and synthesize into memories that we draw on to facilitate our actions and words toward learning and understanding all contribute greatly to how, what, when and where we practice, train, understand, encode to conditioned memories and then apply not just to violence for self-protection but to every thing we do, say, read, write and contribute to for ourselves to increase experience and understanding but also to influence others and our environment to increase the experiences and understanding in those venue. 

People now realize and are able to see all sides, hear in all directions, feel all of our environment and find balance to live and experience life in all its forms. People can understand that just training in this simplistic and restrictive way actually hinders our abilities to learn, understand and apply in practice that which is spoken, recorded in written form; movie/video form; and especially the most productive of communications, the spoken word. 

So, don’t promote “less talk” but do enthusiastically promote “more talk” so that one can absorb the teachings to learn what is not known and learn what is not yet known toward consciousness so that we can record and make use of toward practice, training and applications. 

If we all just used less talking then we might miss that which we don’t know we don’t know causing us to miss important teachings and learning that comes from open-minded active listening that leads to enlightenment, mastery and understanding that which is not yet understood. 

Talk and actively listen; discuss and exchange ideas and theories and facts; analyze what is true, necessary and relevant to the process like karate training; synthesize that which the group creates through the processes; then grow and prosper in martial arts, karate and life to become enlightened so you too can lead those who would follow. 

I never met anyone who became knowledgeable and educated without talking. Now, I would agree less frivolous or inappropriate or unnecessary talking is good but talking must be related to the subject, beneficial, and contribute, etc. 

Like saying, "Less talk, more training." Less inappropriate or distracting talk, more training (training is talking, reading, research, testing, synthesize, creativity, etc.) to progress, learn, understand and apply.

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