I have been a fan of
boxing longer than I can remember, and followed Kickboxing back in
the 1980s, and been a fan of MMA since it was invented in the 1990s.
The other day I was on the
mat surrounded by a bunch of Jiu-Jitsu and Hapkido newbies. The only
old hand was Stirling. He has a Black Belt in Hapkido, and is a rank
above me in Jiu-Jitsu.
The rest were all rattling
on about how they like to kick, or how they like to stand. Some were
working on boxing skills with the pads. They were all very earnest,
but the level of skill and knowledge was pretty minimal. It was like
being in a kindergarten class as the kids try and discuss politics,
or particle physics.
Please don't mistake what
I'm saying. I am not any sort of expert in any sort of way. Call me
perhaps the minimum standard for competence.
A couple of the newbies
asked Stirling's opinion on a couple of points. Each time they
drowned his answer out expressing their own, clearly-superior
opinions.
One approached me for a
little help with his Jiu-Jitsu, sort of. He actually didn't ask. He
said, “teach me some Jiu-Jitsu.” I did so for a little while. He
thanked me, and then headed over to kick at a padded target. When I
mentioned one point where he could improve his front kick, he seemed
offended and told me why his wrong foot placement was actually
correct. I smiled and walked away.
My own philosophy as a
student is quite different. If I'm training somewhere and they show
me a different way to do something, I try and do it. This is true
even if it's something I think I already understand and can do quite
well. I do all I can to learn their version. I don't forget my old
way, but rather learn and add the new. If successful, I'll have two
variants instead of one. If very, very successful I'll have some
improvements for my old variant.
Take the first kick I even
learned; front kick. Shotokan has two variants. I've also learned
over the years how to apply both with different foot angling, and
different hip usage. I can't even remember where I picked these up.
Recently, I learned the
Jiu-Jitsu version of the front kick. It is incredibly different. I
didn't argue about the superiority of one kick over another, or
resist the Jiu-Jitsu version. I am currently trying to learn it. It
is inferior to a standard front kick in most respects. In one single
way it is better. I am adding a new weapon to my arsenal.
As I know nothing about
that version of the front kick, I let the guy who knows the technique
teach me. No arguing. No contradicting. Each second of training is
valuable. Resistance wastes time.
A good example of the
right way to do it. Last summer Oishi Sensei visited from Japan.
He is
an eight Dan, and the head instructor of the Komazawa University
Karate program. His program has produced more world champions than
can be imagined.
Through
an interpreter, he was explaining the correct timing of attack in
competitive fighting. This is very high level stuff, and he is a true
expert. The gym was packed full of Black Belts, and you could have
heard a pin drop. Did anybody express their own opinions, or offer
alternative theories? That would have been madness.
To
comparison to the kid kicking the pad incorrectly, I am Oishi Sensei.
He ignored me, and he kept kicking wrong. A real Einstein move.
We
also have a guy who fights MMA. He is about halfway through his White
Belt. He already knows how to do a lot of the stuff we do, but in a
different, less precise way. He never resists anything that any of
the Blue Belts as to offer. He listens, and tries it our way.
Sometimes he gets really excited about it, and sometimes not, but he
accepts it and wallows in it.
He
does this even though a Blue Belt like me is not even close to a
Jiu-Jitsu
expert. I
am less than a year ahead of him.
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