I hadn’t really thought of it until just now, but since it is March 2008, I’ve hit a milestone. I began training in Kempo 18 years ago this month. It’s been an interesting ride, and I’ve changed quite a bit in my outlook and goals regarding kempo. I’ve met some great folks along the way, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here. I was just telling a student tonight, “I just figured out that how this should be done a few years ago. I’m telling you now so you can skip the ten years of doing it poorly so you’ll be way ahead by the time you’ve been doing it as long as me.” I’d like to give them the benefit of what I’ve learned through my mistakes without them having to make them themselves. But then again, I tell my students to question how they do everything I show them, and to play with how they execute their material, or else they’ll at best only be as good as I am, which would be sad. I want them to think about their material, experiment, and surpass me.
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you know matt, I think some times we can over teach.if our forms and techniques are really tools,then maybe we should give the tools,teach the basics,and step aside.we can always offer tips and encouragement,but if a student has a natural talent I think we can clutter up their head.this doesn’t mean he or she can’t use some input,but some af the more subtle things that work for me may not work for them.for instance my son has some orthapedic problems he adjusted his kicks to be effective for him.if I demanded he kick JUST LIKE ME it wouldn’t work for him.what do you think
I think we agree on many things. I think we should teach, let them explore, revisit, let them explore, and so on. The forms, and pretty much every ‘formal’ piece of the curriculum are frameworks upon which we can layer more and more sophisticated (but not necessarily complicated) understanding.
I don’t necessarily want my students to remember only my favorite applications. Instead of THE RIGHT WAY, I want them to do A right way. An effective way for them.