Quote:
Originally posted by fil2
ps......this comment is NOT aimed at anyone .... jools pls dont use me in your argument.
[Edited on 25-5-2006 by fil2] |
You've taken that the wrong way. I'm not trying to use you in any arguement, I can argue my point effectively for myself. I apologise if you've taken offence.
Without aiming this at anyone I will explain my thinking.
My point was that (even in my limited experience) the higher grades, however experienced, are quite prepared to go over their own basic techniques time and time and time again in their own training. I've also watched 4th and 5th Dan grades devoting an hour or more to practising a single 'lower grade' kata with the Sensei pointing out tiny, almost imperceptible, errors in technique. My only point was that, in the martial arts context, everybody (regardless of experience or grade) seems more than willing to practise over and over again the techniques they first learned years ago, nobody seems to take the 'been there, done that, got the T-shirt, can't teach me anything about that' attitude.
The people I've spoken to about this often tell me that going back to basics is one of the the most effective lessons they do. Their mindset seems to be 'however often I've done this, I know I'm not perfect and I can improve if someone with the right coaching credentials points out how I could do this better'.
Am I wrong? If I am I'll shut up
In a nutshell, my attitude would be never to believe that I'm so far up myself or be too proud to go back to the most basic of basics. Who knows, somebody may be able to spot a flaw in one of my basic techniques that I may have been incorrectly building everything else on.
In another context, I've been playing bass since I was 15. Recently I was teaching some scales to somebody that had been playing a month. As they showed me how they played a scale, they showed me a method of fingering that they had worked out for themselves. I tried it and it immediately felt more natural than the fingering I've used for the last 20 odd years, I've incorporated it into my own playing and it's unlocked new possibilities.
My point is that, for myself, I hope that I'm always willing to learn something from anybody whether they are the worlds foremost expert or a raw beginner