More People Should Follow Bruce Lee's Instructions

[Wing Woo Gar]

Alright, but they still have to want to learn, even if you do manage to convince them that they don't know it all. After that they have to want to learn if you're going to teach them.

After they lose they might or might not come back.

You seem to me to be overly invested in the enlightenment of others. Who hurt you? When it comes to teaching, I don’t believe I have ever turned anyone away other than people wanting me to teach children. I need all the students I can get. I don’t modify the teaching methods, but I don’t demand anything other than honest effort. If they really try and desire more, then I give it to them. It depends on where people are coming from, and what they want from the class and from me as an instructor. I am a person too, not a faucet that martial arts info comes from. I tend to attract students that want hard physical workouts, with a focus on balance, posture, coordination. I don’t do uniforms or belts or tournaments. I don’t teach children. I certainly don’t accede to demands of any kind ever. I do foster a family atmosphere with my students. I encourage cooperation and a sense of sanctuary inside the kwoon, as it were. I am not likely capable or equipped to “enlighten” anyone. A person can be shown a path, but they have to walk it to see where it goes. That’s up to them, there are no guarantees. Whatever a person thinks a human being is supposed to be, they are it. They are the expression of their potential in that moment. We know as moment passes to moment that things change, You will change, your body will change. Increasing your ability to pay attention, listen, and yield, gives you more control of each of those moments. In my opinion, this breaks down to me in relationship to me, and me in relationship to the earth in a physics way. If I can feel me better than you can feel you, I have some advantage. If I can feel you better than you feel you, you are at some disadvantage. This requires being honest with yourself, warts and all. How’s that?

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Nah... you know you're not funny.

Well played sir!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

It happens to me too.

The 1st ski trip I did was the Copper Mountain, Colorado. Without any ski experience, I got on the black diamonds ski trail "widow maker". When I got back down, I signed in a beginner ski lesson right away.

I assumed my MA experience could be transferred into ski experience. I was wrong.

Good story! At least you know how to fall.

 

[Steve]

You seem to me to be overly invested in the enlightenment of others. Who hurt you? When it comes to teaching, I don’t believe I have ever turned anyone away other than people wanting me to teach children. I need all the students I can get. I don’t modify the teaching methods, but I don’t demand anything other than honest effort. If they really try and desire more, then I give it to them. It depends on where people are coming from, and what they want from the class and from me as an instructor. I am a person too, not a faucet that martial arts info comes from. I tend to attract students that want hard physical workouts, with a focus on balance, posture, coordination. I don’t do uniforms or belts or tournaments. I don’t teach children. I certainly don’t accede to demands of any kind ever. I do foster a family atmosphere with my students. I encourage cooperation and a sense of sanctuary inside the kwoon, as it were. I am not likely capable or equipped to “enlighten” anyone. A person can be shown a path, but they have to walk it to see where it goes. That’s up to them, there are no guarantees. Whatever a person thinks a human being is supposed to be, they are it. They are the expression of their potential in that moment. We know as moment passes to moment that things change, You will change, your body will change. Increasing your ability to pay attention, listen, and yield, gives you more control of each of those moments. In my opinion, this breaks down to me in relationship to me, and me in relationship to the earth in a physics way. If I can feel me better than you can feel you, I have some advantage. If I can feel you better than you feel you, you are at some disadvantage. This requires being honest with yourself, warts and all. How’s that?

At the risk of misstating @PhotonGuy 's intent, I think he's trying to point out that sometimes, when some posters ask a question, they are not given a straight answer. He seems to be saying that if someone asks a question in general, and here in particular, they shouldn't be told to go look it up themselves or otherwise dismissed. If this is what he means, I kind of agree with him. I mean, it's a discussion forum.... if we're not answering and asking questions, what else are we going to do?

 

[PhotonGuy]

Yes. Which is the idea here-you convince them they don't know it all, now they are in that second category.


If they don't come back, that's on them. You're not shunning them, they're taking away the opportunity themselves. And sometimes, people go through that sort of thing multiple times before they're willing to learn. With martial arts, it's not all that important-with other stuff it can be.

So you've made it quite obvious that you would be willing to teach somebody who thinks they know it all, after you make them realize that they don't know it all. That being the case I would think you would definitely be for teaching somebody who comes to you and who realizes that they don't know it all in the first place. Somebody who admits from the beginning that they don't know it all and wants to learn from you, I take it you would teach them.

 

[PhotonGuy]

It’s particularly hard for people when they are not good at something they think is an area of strength.

Such as?

 

[PhotonGuy]

At the risk of misstating @PhotonGuy 's intent, I think he's trying to point out that sometimes, when some posters ask a question, they are not given a straight answer. He seems to be saying that if someone asks a question in general, and here in particular, they shouldn't be told to go look it up themselves or otherwise dismissed. If this is what he means, I kind of agree with him. I mean, it's a discussion forum.... if we're not answering and asking questions, what else are we going to do?

Yes thank you Steve, you nailed it.

 

[PhotonGuy]

You seem to me to be overly invested in the enlightenment of others. Who hurt you? When it comes to teaching, I don’t believe I have ever turned anyone away other than people wanting me to teach children. I need all the students I can get. I don’t modify the teaching methods, but I don’t demand anything other than honest effort. If they really try and desire more, then I give it to them. It depends on where people are coming from, and what they want from the class and from me as an instructor. I am a person too, not a faucet that martial arts info comes from. I tend to attract students that want hard physical workouts, with a focus on balance, posture, coordination. I don’t do uniforms or belts or tournaments. I don’t teach children. I certainly don’t accede to demands of any kind ever. I do foster a family atmosphere with my students. I encourage cooperation and a sense of sanctuary inside the kwoon, as it were. I am not likely capable or equipped to “enlighten” anyone. A person can be shown a path, but they have to walk it to see where it goes. That’s up to them, there are no guarantees. Whatever a person thinks a human being is supposed to be, they are it. They are the expression of their potential in that moment. We know as moment passes to moment that things change, You will change, your body will change. Increasing your ability to pay attention, listen, and yield, gives you more control of each of those moments. In my opinion, this breaks down to me in relationship to me, and me in relationship to the earth in a physics way. If I can feel me better than you can feel you, I have some advantage. If I can feel you better than you feel you, you are at some disadvantage. This requires being honest with yourself, warts and all. How’s that?

See Steve's reply in post #44.

 

[Steve]

Such as?

So, for example, if you think you're going to roll into a BJJ school and do really well just because you're strong and fit, you're going to be disappointed. You aren't going to perform very well... and now you have to recover. Some people can do that better than others. I've seen that very thing happen. Sometimes, those guys do come back after realizing that they weren't as good as they thought they were. They now know what what they don't know.

Other guys don't ever come back. They make excuses and rationalize their failure to perform.

It's like that old saying about emptying the cup. If you start out with an empty cup, you're ready to learn.

If the cup is already full, you can't put anything more into it. (i.e., you don't know what you don't know). And then one of two things will happen. You'll empty your cup (i.e., acknowledge what you don't know), or you'll just go into denial and stay ignorant... which can lead to what some folks refer to as dunning-krueger effect.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

So you've made it quite obvious that you would be willing to teach somebody who thinks they know it all, after you make them realize that they don't know it all. That being the case I would think you would definitely be for teaching somebody who comes to you and who realizes that they don't know it all in the first place. Somebody who admits from the beginning that they don't know it all and wants to learn from you, I take it you would teach them.

Yes. And for my point, read post 23 again.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Yes thank you Steve, you nailed it.

Ah. Then yes, I agree with you. And believe most on here do. The ones that don't-my guess- is that they have different philosophical reasons than not wanting to teach (either their style of educating involves encouraging the poster/student to do most of the work to learn, or a belief that whatever the question can't be answered/taught online).

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

At the risk of misstating @PhotonGuy 's intent, I think he's trying to point out that sometimes, when some posters ask a question, they are not given a straight answer. He seems to be saying that if someone asks a question in general, and here in particular, they shouldn't be told to go look it up themselves or otherwise dismissed. If this is what he means, I kind of agree with him. I mean, it's a discussion forum.... if we're not answering and asking questions, what else are we going to do?

A straight answer? That’s a good start for a thread.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

See Steve's reply in post #44.

Do you feel this in general or in regards to particular posters?

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

At the risk of misstating @PhotonGuy 's intent, I think he's trying to point out that sometimes, when some posters ask a question, they are not given a straight answer. He seems to be saying that if someone asks a question in general, and here in particular, they shouldn't be told to go look it up themselves or otherwise dismissed. If this is what he means, I kind of agree with him. I mean, it's a discussion forum.... if we're not answering and asking questions, what else are we going to do?

Wait aren’t we supposed to pretend to have the secrets?

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

See Steve's reply in post #44.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe it’s the way the question is framed, or the eye that reads it that earns an inaccurate or inappropriate answer. Some folks are sensitive, and text can be read in a variety of tones. Contrary to @Steve may think, I am quite funny in person.

 

[_Simon_]

I mean, it's a discussion forum.... if we're not answering and asking questions, what else are we going to do?

Just basically posting ridiculous memes I guess.

 

[Steve]

Just basically posting ridiculous memes I guess.

 

[Steve]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe it’s the way the question is framed, or the eye that reads it that earns an inaccurate or inappropriate answer. Some folks are sensitive, and text can be read in a variety of tones. Contrary to @Steve may think, I am quite funny in person.

I think you’re very funny.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I think you’re very funny.

I’m waiting for the next line….

 

[Steve]

I’m waiting for the next line….

that’s your job, funny man.