In the martial arts everyone has an opinion, whether that person is knowledgeable or not. The problem these days is that everyone believes what they read and watch on social media, instead of thinking for themselves.
.
But sometimes you read an article or watch a video that contains new, controversial, or subjective information, and the way you interpret that information is anything but logical.
.
You can fall into the trap of believing things that may not be completely accurate, and you don’t even know you’re doing it. What you believe in and the decisions you make are often influenced fallacies that shape the way you think.
.
You tend to have preconceived assumptions about how things work. When you hear information about a particular topic – it could be bunkai (see recent post), or how a technique works, or any other type of information – you tend to pay attention to parts of that information that confirm your existing beliefs, and ignore things to the contrary.
.
This is called confirmation bias.
.
Most of the karate seen and practiced today is what the Japanese call, “Omote”. Which means “surface” in English. Almost; “What you see, is what you get!”. If it looks like a ‘spear-hand’, it is a ‘spear-hand’,…. if it looks like a down-block, it is a down-block, etc etc.
.
There are so many people who read the name of the technique in Japanese, and assume this is the only use for that technique.
.
But there are many more levels to your techniques than this. Unfortunately most people are happy just punching, kicking and “blocking”, without even considering there is more.
.
When looking for answers to questions you must try to avoid confirmation bias. Finding an answer that you already believe in. Do not be biased toward the sources that have information that you already agree with. Always keep an open mind, perhaps seek evidence that contradicts your original opinion.
.
The status and credentials of an individual greatly influence your perception of that person’s message. If a person is known to be an authority on a topic, you’re more likely to believe that person’s comments on the topic. This is the argument from authority.
.
Don’t be ignorant to other ideas because you believe there is only the way you have been shown. Master ‘so-and-so’ shows the technique this way so therefore there is no other way. The argument for ignorance occurs when you decide something is true (or false) because you can’t find or understand evidence to the contrary.
.
Don’t happily follow the crowd just because you think that way you won’t be challenged. This is conformity.
.
There is ALWAYS another way. Take a step back, and think about it logically. Don’t just try to prove something, try to disprove it too. Do your own research and challenge what you think you know.
.
How you interpret and apply information is what matters. Take a step back, think about it, apply logic, and learn.