zDom
Senior Master
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2006
- Messages
- 3,081
- Reaction score
- 111
I was a lot like you, Cody 20 years ago.
What I didn't mention in my first post was that I effectively used several of the "moves" that I had been shown. In high school, I subdued an attacker with a guillotine choke. In a bar's gravel parking lot, I "hip tossed" someone while being attacked by five guys. Later that same night, I fought off three guys (until I stopped to make sure one was OK) with a set of home-made escrima sticks.
I won't go into the dozens of physical confrontations in which I put to use that basic karate punch my dad showed me. I was what my grandmother calls "a scrappy kid."
So for me, the belts and rank thing WAS a pride thing: it was a matter of leaving my pride at the door, of humbling myself, to strap on a white belt and bow to kids wearing black belts (who I probably could have beaten in a fight) in order to LEARN.
By the time I got to green or blue belt a couple of years later, I realized that "knowing a few moves" is a LONG way from "knowing karate" (or judo, or taekwondo insert ANY martial art name).
It was simply being introduced to a technique FROM karate, or judo, or taekwondo and, through a "scrappy nature" being able to put it to good use.
Then, by the time I was a black belt another two years after blue or green *I realized how little I had REALLY known as a green belt about the ART of taekwondo. At green belt, I had some decent familiarity with a few of the techniques, some solid training but at that point, I was still forging the TOOLS that are needed to REALLY learn the ART of taekwondo.
And now, about 15 years of studying the art of martial arts as a black belt, I realize how much I have learned about "fighting" since I've been training at the black belt level.
And even now I realize I still have a LOT to learn. Martial art training is a wonderful journey.
So I am pretty sure I understand where you are coming from. Here's the thing:
By focusing on teaching others, you are missing out on a WORLD of stuff to LEARN.
I hate to break out a martial art cliche, but it is clearly applicable here:
EMPTY that cup! And then find someone to help you fill it.
There are plenty of things that are learned by remaining a student long LONG after you THINK you have begun to learn.
Wishing you all the best,
What I didn't mention in my first post was that I effectively used several of the "moves" that I had been shown. In high school, I subdued an attacker with a guillotine choke. In a bar's gravel parking lot, I "hip tossed" someone while being attacked by five guys. Later that same night, I fought off three guys (until I stopped to make sure one was OK) with a set of home-made escrima sticks.
I won't go into the dozens of physical confrontations in which I put to use that basic karate punch my dad showed me. I was what my grandmother calls "a scrappy kid."
So for me, the belts and rank thing WAS a pride thing: it was a matter of leaving my pride at the door, of humbling myself, to strap on a white belt and bow to kids wearing black belts (who I probably could have beaten in a fight) in order to LEARN.
By the time I got to green or blue belt a couple of years later, I realized that "knowing a few moves" is a LONG way from "knowing karate" (or judo, or taekwondo insert ANY martial art name).
It was simply being introduced to a technique FROM karate, or judo, or taekwondo and, through a "scrappy nature" being able to put it to good use.
Then, by the time I was a black belt another two years after blue or green *I realized how little I had REALLY known as a green belt about the ART of taekwondo. At green belt, I had some decent familiarity with a few of the techniques, some solid training but at that point, I was still forging the TOOLS that are needed to REALLY learn the ART of taekwondo.
And now, about 15 years of studying the art of martial arts as a black belt, I realize how much I have learned about "fighting" since I've been training at the black belt level.
And even now I realize I still have a LOT to learn. Martial art training is a wonderful journey.
So I am pretty sure I understand where you are coming from. Here's the thing:
By focusing on teaching others, you are missing out on a WORLD of stuff to LEARN.
I hate to break out a martial art cliche, but it is clearly applicable here:
EMPTY that cup! And then find someone to help you fill it.
There are plenty of things that are learned by remaining a student long LONG after you THINK you have begun to learn.
Wishing you all the best,