(Approx 2 minute 10 second read)

If someone thinks that a lesson has no value, or is not relevant to them, then teaching them will be a waste of time. That person will simply go through the motions.
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What I’ve found over the years is that some people just want to keep doing the same thing over and over, holding the belief that they already possess all the knowledge they need, dismissing the pursuit of anything different.
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When I first came to the US from the UK, I was invited to teach at a dojo that had a different viewpoint and perspective from mine. I encountered quite a bit of bias, with some students and instructors unwilling to consider a different way of doing things. They were very locked into ‘their way’. And that’s okay – if they’re happy with it.
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However, many practitioners, having attained a certain level of proficiency, fall into the trap of complacency – a reluctance to explore different possibilities and philosophies.
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Some claim that they teach great fighting skills but focus on only one type of skill set and omit the rest. Really believing that what they train is the best training – they have superior skills for fighting, so why should they think they need anything else, right?
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The martial arts is a topic plagued by misconceptions, and many people have a variety of different ideas about what it actually is.
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A little while ago, I offered to teach a class in ‘bunkai’ to a ‘nidan’ of a fighting-based style. He refused, saying that no one came to his dojo wanting to learn kata, even though he included them in his syllabus.
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This is such a poor attitude to learning. I personally will never understand why people don’t want to learn something different and perhaps gain a little more knowledge and understanding.
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What I found interesting later was that he was a ‘shodan’ in Taekwondo who had transferred across to this style and had become a ‘nidan’ in double-quick time. I don’t want to appear condescending, but the videos I was shown of him training and teaching really indicated how poor his skill level was. Perhaps the reason he didn’t want me teaching him and his class. Well maybe.
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Anyway, just because your training is focused on competition techniques and fighting does not mean that something else has no value.
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Debates and disputes over the effectiveness of various martial arts are incredibly common. I often receive numerous comments from individuals highlighting their success in competition, which they believe is far superior to any other type of training.
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However, what many fail to grasp is that effectiveness can only be gauged in relation to specific goals. Before drawing conclusions about the most efficient path, you must express the objectives you aim to accomplish.
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When discussing effectiveness, the context is absolutely vital. And the effectiveness of any style, technique, or movement is not absolute; it’s intricately woven within the situation it’s applied in.
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So, to the ‘nidan’ who didn’t want me teaching ‘bunkai’ because “no one wants to learn kata” and whose skills spoke volumes – thank you. I can only applaud your confidence. You’ve taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes, it’s best to leave people to their brilliance.
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Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo