Why Does It Take So Long to Learn the Martial Arts?
The bully charges out of the alley and tosses a whole, darned trash can at you! Do you ask him to take that garbage can back because you’re only on your ninth Karate lesson and haven’t reached the deflecting the garbage can lesson? Or do you ask him go away because, here it comes, you forgot to pay your dues at the local dojo?
The point of this silliness is to ask the question, why does it take so long to learn the martial arts? You can teach a guy to fly a fighter jet, go to war, spend time in a concentration camp, come home and retire, in the time it takes to learn some systems of the martial arts. One system I heard of takes 17 years to earn a black belt.
Some people will make the excuse that you’re learning more than self defense. You’re solving martial mysteries and its all about the lifestyle and you need to invest in your old age, you know? But you’re still lying under that trash can and the guy is pulling out a knife, and no matter how many lessons you’ve taken, you have to do something!
Garbage in, garbage out, is the old saying. And it is true that if something is hard to put into your head, then it may not be so easy to get out. Maybe it is time to look for an art that is as fast to learn as running, or boxing, or some other easily understood sport.
Yes, I know Karate is not a sport, it is an art, but it can still be learned quickly and easily. It just has to be taught by concept, and not by one mystical technique after another. Techniques that are random data, to be truthful, don’t really relate to one another.
That does pose a problem, that even if you learn a thousand techniques, you might not be able to make sense out of the whole thing until you reach technique one thousand and one. And the time it takes, well, a hundred years is to long to become competent. And then float off to the heavenly choir.
The solution, as I started to say earlier, is that the martial arts must be taught by concept. Instead of having a fellow memorize hundreds of techniques and katas, have him learn the concept which is directly beneath all those katas and techniques. Have him learn the concept, and, suddenly, you’re going to find that he can figure out those thousand techniques without any need for endless memorization.
Give him an acorn and water him, that’s my motto, and watch the oak sprout. Most martial artists, unfortunately, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, are lost in the limbs of the trees. That is the real way to teach, however, give the guy a concept, have him solve some problems with those concepts, and, faster than a rabbit on performance enhancing drugs, you’ve got yourself an instant martial artist.
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Because it is hard!
Buddy,
can you give a bit detailed explanation of ” the Concept”..
I know for sure,it hits the bulls eye of explanation,but can make much good,if i get a bit more clarity..
you can also choose to reply back personally to my email address:nivaskapil@gmail.com
Nivas K