(Approx 2 minute 10 second read)

I remember a little while ago being invited to teach at a dojo and hanging on the wall in plain sight was the curriculum or syllabus they followed. It was structured, organized, and served as a clear guide for what students were expected to learn.
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But as I taught, I noticed a pattern. Whenever I introduced something unfamiliar – something they hadn’t reached yet on their syllabus – students would say, “We haven’t learned that yet.”
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Of course you have to start somewhere, there’s no good ploughing on to an advanced kata or drill if the experience just isn’t there yet.
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However, if instructors just follow the curriculum too rigidly, they end up telling students what to memorize rather than guiding them toward real understanding. This approach often leads to surface-level learning – what the Japanese call ‘Omote’.
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Without this deep delve, students commit techniques, drills, and kata to memory for the sake of passing a test, but without the instructors guidance, they rarely take the time to explore the depth of what they are practicing.
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Learning isn’t just about storing information – it’s about being able to apply, analyze, and adapt it.
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“Nowadays even children get taught Suparinpei if it is needed for competitions. Well, a child can memorize the sequence of moves, but will he or she truly master those moves?” – Masaaki Ikemiyagi, Meibukan Goju Ryu
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True learning requires time. Students need the opportunity to explore the underlying principles behind what they’re doing, to make connections with what they already know, and to internalize the movements beyond simple memorization. But when progress is dictated by a syllabus hanging on the wall, there is little room for this process to unfold naturally.
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From my experience teaching in different dojos, I’ve seen this problem repeated time and time again. There is a mistaken notion that instructors must stick strictly to the curriculum to ensure their students are “prepared” for the next grade.
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In reality, this mindset often does more harm than good, as it prioritizes ticking boxes over developing real skill.
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The task of an instructor isn’t just to make sure students can perform techniques on command. It’s to help them acquire genuine knowledge and understanding – something that goes beyond rote repetition.
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At the end of the day, skill matters, real understanding matters. Your attitude, your actions, and your ability to apply what you’ve learned are what truly count. It’s not about how many techniques you know, but how well you know them.
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Don’t just scratch the surface, a syllabus should be a guide, not a restriction. Real progress shouldn’t be measured by memorization – it should be measured by depth of understanding and the ability to apply what you know.
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From my experience over the years teaching in many different dojos, I’ve noticed that some instructors teach their students ‘just enough’ – often because they believe they themselves have already learned all there is to know.
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Everyone should take the time to look deeper. Remember, ‘Omote’ is just the surface.
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Written by Adam Carter