who will you take corrections from?

[jks9199]

It depends on what you mean by "correction" and on the setting and context.

When working with a partner, both should be giving each other feedback, including things like "didn't the teacher say" or "wasn't the target supposed to be..."? If a more advanced student is working with a less advanced student, it's also expected that they will correct basic errors.

Any instructor's assistants should be listened to, as well. If I'm going somewhere to teach, and I bring an assistant or two -- then they're there because they understand what I'm teaching well enough to help me instruct it. I don't care who's more senior -- they have the lesson.

But, there's always those guys who go to a clinic or class and are more interested in what they can "teach" than the material being presented. They're the ones out there doing something wildly different from what was taught, often. Or who do the demonstrated technique once or twice, then are "moving on" or "showing variations." And they very often don't have the initial technique right, to begin with!

When you close yourself off to other people's input -- you close yourself off from growth. You shouldn't give everyone equal weight -- but they may have a piece of the puzzle that you don't. Even if you're vastly more experienced!

 

[Ken Morgan]

I think it would be incumbent upon you to speak to your instructor / sensei in that case, no?

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

Oh yeah, done. Issue was dealt with, I was just wondering what everyones thoughts were.

 

[pete]

why would anyone dismiss good information.

a saying i heard, but cannot place where goes something like this: it is better to have no books than to believe everything that is in them. it is better to have no teacher than to accept everything one teacher says.

or as mama used to say: use the brains god gave you.

 

[searcher]

Some pretty differing opinions so far. I like it.


I, for one, will listen to anyone. Whether or not I take their advice is a different story. You never know what you can learn if you open your ears and listen. I have had my TKD instructor tell me things about my Chito-ryu kata. I have had the same for my TKD forms from my Isshinryu instructor. I have had some great advice form some great guys/gals that had no "belt" in any system. Even though they were instructors in some area.


Do what you want, but I recemmend that you have an open mind.

 

[just2kicku]

Some pretty differing opinions so far. I like it.


I, for one, will listen to anyone. Whether or not I take their advice is a different story. You never know what you can learn if you open your ears and listen. I have had my TKD instructor tell me things about my Chito-ryu kata. I have had the same for my TKD forms from my Isshinryu instructor. I have had some great advice form some great guys/gals that had no "belt" in any system. Even though they were instructors in some area.


Do what you want, but I recemmend that you have an open mind.

I think taking advice from someone and taking their corrections are two different things.

I am all for listening to someone, I am not so apt to listen to a TKD instructor trying to correct my Kajukenbo katas and vice versa. Is this what you mean, or am I way off base?

I do think that a different opinion from someone in another art can be a good thing and I am not opposed to that. I think that would be like me trying to correct someone doing wing chun when I know nothing about it to correct. I can say what if you did that or this , it would look cool, but I couldn't say your stance is wrong on this part or that part when I really have no idea.

I think that is how I took the question.

 

[MJS]

Question for everyone;

I was thinking about this at our seminar this past weekend, plus there is a similar thread here.

So, who will you take corrections from?

Personally I will listen to anyone, low rank, no rank or high rank. Evaluate what they say, go through it in my mind, recall what I was taught and then give the other persons opinion its due, one way or another.

I’m a mid rank, but I find when there are some serious ranks around few listen to anyone but the serious ranks. For example about two years ago, I was in a situation once where I was practicing with another person who constantly made the same mistake, hurting me a bit in the process. I corrected him a handful of times, and he essentially ignored me, looking at me like I was an idiot, and arguing that I didn’t know what I was talking about. I finally asked the 8th dan to join us and watch us practice, low and behold buddy made the same mistake and the 8th dan gave him the same correction I did!! He bowed and groveled to sensei and ignored me.

This past weekend I had a similar situation, though not as bad. This past weekend I also took corrections from people my rank and lower, no problem, if I’m screwing up I hope someone notices and tells me.

So honestly who will you take corrections from?

I usually don't have an issue taking correction from anyone. However, there are times, when I have to draw the line. For example...during an Arnis class one night, I was paired up with a lower rank. We were going over a particular tech., and he was offering some suggestion....however, what he was suggesting, was not correct, yet he was insisting that it was.

There have been other times during seminars, when the person I'm paired up with, finds it necessary to start going off on a tangent, not related to what we're supposed to be working on.

By all means, if someone has a suggestion to make a lock or tech, or whatever, better, thats fine. But I have no desire to go off topic, or be taught the other persons supposed better way. Those people usually find themselves alone fairly quick, as I'm there to learn from the person conducting the class, seminar, etc., not the person I'm working with.

 

[ACJ]

Some people are treating it like someone with less experience in something in particular has little chance of being able to correct that something. But even ignoring the fact that someone could have picked something up a bit differently and be able to convey it so you understand it more, even if they are less experienced. An outside view can be useful. You can't see what you look like all the time. If you're doing a form or whatever, you can't tell what you look like overall.

I am the highest grade in my school bar the instructor, and I will ask people who don't know my form to watch and look for things I can't see. I'll ask low belts that I've taught recently to watch. They will sometimes tell me "but didn't you say this technique should be done blah blah blah". If they're right, I know they have picked up something I've taught them AND I've improved myself. If they're wrong, I can tell they were probably paying attention, and be able to clarify what I taught earlier as there was obviously confusion.

This is the same way that my instructor will sometimes ask me to watch his form, but I would never go up to him and say "this is wrong", maybe "so you do it like this?" because maybe I have missed something, maybe he has slipped up, I don't presume.

 

[MJS]

Just to expand and clarify my last part of my post. There is a difference between someone offering a suggestion to make my lock more effective on them, due to them being very flexable. There is a difference if someone suggests moving closer to add more leverage to the tech. I'm doing. However, there is one person who I seem to get stuck working with during Arnis camps/seminars, more often that I'd like. We start seriously drifting to 'his' way of doing things, which usually has nothing to do with what we're supposed to be working on. He then drifts further by starting to work on drills that he does in his art, instead of working on whats being taught.

IMHO, this is nothing but disrespectful to not only me, but to the person doing the instruction.

If you want to offer a suggestion, thats fine. If you want to drift and start showing me your art, save it for a break.

 

[Jenna]

I think taking advice from someone and taking their corrections are two different things.

I am all for listening to someone, I am not so apt to listen to a TKD instructor trying to correct my Kajukenbo katas and vice versa. Is this what you mean, or am I way off base?

I do think that a different opinion from someone in another art can be a good thing and I am not opposed to that. I think that would be like me trying to correct someone doing wing chun when I know nothing about it to correct. I can say what if you did that or this , it would look cool, but I couldn't say your stance is wrong on this part or that part when I really have no idea.

I think that is how I took the question.

Exactly! Good post. I think opinion is one thing and but I think, as in your example, "a TKD instructor trying to correct my Kajukenbo katas" I would find that a bridge too far. And I have met these kinds of folk and come away with one overriding impression: arrogant. I never dream of offering advice when visiting the class of another art and consider my belt to count for nothing there. I would, as you have mentioned, expect the same courtesy to be extended to me from visitors and new starts That does not always happen of course
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Question for everyone;

I was thinking about this at our seminar this past weekend, plus there is a similar thread here.

So, who will you take corrections from?

Personally I will listen to anyone, low rank, no rank or high rank. Evaluate what they say, go through it in my mind, recall what I was taught and then give the other persons opinion its due, one way or another.

I’m a mid rank, but I find when there are some serious ranks around few listen to anyone but the serious ranks.

Rank is a two edged sword. It has the tendency to desensitize one to feedback from perceived lessers while taking feedback without question from perceived greaters.

Rank will, as you well know, get you into conversations that you would otherwise be excluded from. Rank lets people know that you have a certain level of experience. Since most kyu grade or equivalent students do not have the knowledge base to accurately evaluate what is being said by other students, the rank give you an idea of who's feedback you can take seriously.

Keep in mind that with few exceptions, a low ranking student is no more knowledgeable (perhaps less so) than yourself. Now, we had a scenario a couple of years ago where a second dan Shotokan karateka joined our taekwondo school. While he was less knowledgeable than I was about the taegeuk poomse, he was a wealth of knowledge regarding shared techniques between the two styles. But he was the exception, not the rule. Most white belts are just new students to the martial arts.

My advise to anyone is to take a lower ranking student's feedback into consideration, but run it by your instructor before simply accepting it at face value.

Daniel

 

[just2kicku]

Am I missing the point? The OP asked who would you take corrections from. I see a lot saying they would take someones advice, but would you take coerrections from them?

I see ACJs' point, he's asking students in his dojo to look at whatever he's doing.

And Daniel, I see your point. That student had a lot to offer of melding the two, but if he came in and started correcting you on what you were doing, would you take it?

Maybe I'm reading to much into this, but I see a distinct difference between someones advice or observation and someone correcting you.

 

[Steve]

What do you mean by correction, then? I'm confused. Are we talking discipline, like, "Steve, stand up straight and pay attention." Or are we talking about technique, in which case, I don't think I understand the distinction.

 

[Steve]

LOL... I think I killed this thread.

 

[Ken Morgan]

Rip

 

[Guardian]

Good point Just2;

Would I take corrections from someone, yes I would after I evaluated what they were telling me. They are looking at what I'm doing from outside, just like a football coach or up in the box coaches, they see more then the player on the field for the most part.