Thursday, May 26, 2011

From The Draft Folder: Practice, Patience and Time

Here is a post from my Draft Folder originally dated 06.29.08.

A key part of learning karate is patience.

I have heard audible groans when I told the class that we were going to review earlier material. There have been many students who leave behind material because they are so focused on what is ahead.

Not only does a student need to take along earlier material as they progress, they must improve the earlier material. A brown belt needs to demonstrate a white belt level kata with brown belt skill. In order for this to happen, a student must take the skills they learn at yellow, green and brown and apply it to all their material.

This takes practice, patience and time.

10 comments:

Charles Hobby said...

I agree. The 'art' designation in martial art indicates that every aspect, from the first taught to the last learned, is just as important to master. I recall when our masters's teacher -- already in his late eighties -- arrived for a visit, and he selected to perform for our master's students an absolutely stunning and breathtakingly perfect rendition of the white belt's Basic Form Number One.

Charles James said...

Yet, what were you looking for/at in viewing the kata performace? The beauty as in how it looked or the underlying intent, etc.?

Charles Hobby said...

It was 25 years ago Charles, but at the time I was awed by how easy it seemed for him to precisely execute the form at speed and with power while somehow making it look like a flowing sort of dance. He put an aspect of life into the form that I'd never seen it imbued with to that point, because our master was always teaching it rather than presenting it. Does that make sense?

Michele said...

Thank you for your comments!

I think the concept changes as we progress in our training. Training is cummulative. As a kyu rank student, I was concerned with improving my fundamentals. I needed to improve movement and power as well as remembering the material. :) Right now, some of my training goals include conservation of movement, improving power generation, advancing my timing, bunkai, tegumi drills, self-protection and intent.

Journeyman said...

At the risk of repeating myself -

"Advanced techniques are the basics done better"

It's one of the mantras of our dojo but it fits nicely with your post, I think.

SenseiMattKlein said...

Noticed your title "From the Draft Folder". Read somewhere that you should write your post as a draft, and then wait until the next day to publish it. Guess what? When you wake up the next day and review it, you will always find ways to improve it. It works every time, but just like a great kata, it takes patience. Great post.

Michele said...

Journeyman: Well worth repeating! :)

Sensei Matt: Thanks for commenting! I am trying to clean up my draft folder which is full of partially written posts. A test of patience... :)

Charles James said...

Yes, Charley Horse, it does ... thanks!

Charles James said...

Journeyman said, ""Advanced techniques are the basics done better" and I would disagree.

Journeyman said...

Michele, thanks.

I've always found it fascinating when I watch true masters in my art. Some of their most impressive techniques are ones I learned as a white belt. Sure, some angles have changed, and they're used to respond to various attacks, but the underlying techniques and concepts are the 'basics'. All the advanced 'flashy' stuff, has just built on the foundations of earlier material.

Mr. James,

Without saying why you disagree, there's not much I can say.