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Monthly Message: September 2002
NOTE: The majority of this message was
taken from the book: Walking the Path of a Sensei by Eric P. Klein. It
is with sincere thanks and appreciation that I respectfully use it for
our continual growth in the ongoing journey of Karate.
Arigato Gosamishta!
Fellow Karate-ka:
"He who knows his technique by heart, but fails to practice it, is like
a person who knows the Bible and ignores the message of salvation." (D.
Nielsen)
You are the beneficiaries of every technique you learn that has been
handed down over hundreds of years by the karate masters of the past.
Each technique whether it be a punch, block, or kick has been carefully
molded into the most effective weapon of defense or attack that it can
be by these past masters. We are fortunate in that they took the time to
study the human body's nervous system and vital areas and created and
strove to perfect techniques that would be extremely effective in their
applications against an assailant of any kind.
So you and I practice our technique over and over, and yet no matter how
hard we work on a technique or how good we are executing it, we have the
frustrations of knowing that there is always room for improvement. I've
heard this from my teachers, and I know that you've heard it from me. So
you may be asking yourself that if your good enough to use the
techniques that you learn in a kata, or to use them in a moving
sequence, then why does Sensei make us do them over and over again?
To understand why we must look at two concepts:
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People learn at different paces.
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There is a difference between doing a
technique correctly and
technical perfection.
How fast you learn a technique has no
bearing on your ability to perfect it or use it effectively. If you look
down at someone else in the Dojo who is not learning their technique as
fast as you, you may be surprised to learn that that same person may
beat you with that same technique in the next class. When I watch my
class I look at you as a whole unit and also as individuals. By the time
I teach you one technique, I know how you will learn others.
Learning techniques is a process of
watching, mimicking, and listening, then, asking, being
corrected, and polishing. You should never become frustrated at the
pace you are learning because the only person you need to be concerned
about is yourself. Do not let yourself become frustrated or angered at
changes or corrections. How we perceive what we're being taught may
not immediately be aligned with how our Sensei perceives how quickly
we're grasping the idea he's attempting to convey. When you signed
up for class you entered a partnership with me. There will be trials and
errors along the way, but if you and I practice patience, we can achieve
great things together on your path to becoming a great martial artist.
Most people adhere to this definition of
patience: the capacity to wait calmly until an expected or hoped for
action occurs. This attitude will hurt you in your Karate training
because you will never progress. A better definition and way to follow
would be: Patience: Action without expectation.
If you are to understand that the more you
can practice a technique critically without putting a demand on yourself
that you'll have it down at a certain point and move on, or for that
matter not have it down and quit; the more openly you can study the
technique, and the more you'll learn from it. You should realize that
you have strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. As your Sensei I
realize my strengths and my weaknesses and practice to overcome them and
balance them out. I realize that having a positive attitude will
allow me to spend however long it will take to achieve my goals. You
must try to emulate this quality in me. Most of you already know that I
have no problem in admitting my mistakes in techniques. You should use
this example for yourself. If you don't then you will never come close
to perfecting any techniques, conquering any weaknesses, or making a
better life for yourself.
The process of learning a technique in
Karate is like moving up a spiral staircase.
On a spiral staircase you are always progressing in continual motion;
always on the same path, but never moving from one distinct plateau to
another. The "top" of the staircase is "perfection;" the steps are the
practicing and refining on our way to the very top riser. Do not try to
compare yourselves to someone else in the class or say to yourselves
that you'll never get it right. Instead, realize that just because a
technique isn't "perfect" it doesn't mean it's not good or effective.
We strive to become better and better. We
don't have to be perfect to be good fighters or technicians. We don't
even have to be perfect to be great. We just have to realize that we
must strive to be better and better. Our ultimate goal should be
perfection because it is the motivation the keeps us refining our
techniques. Whether this goal is attainable or not, if it helps us rise
in the morning and strive to be our best, it's a worthy goal.
This is the way.
Sensei Dave
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