Comments on: In My Dojo, Cheaters And Failures Are Welcome http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/ Martial arts for personal development Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:16:42 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Gregory W. http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-10992 Gregory W. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:41:10 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-10992 Enjoyed the article. I'd like to say,with 40+ years in Karate/Judo, dashes of Aikido, I've learned much about myself and' my', 'lying mind'. The statement about 10 year w/ 3 years experience is sooooooooo true.... I have seen(many) people chase Belts/ Ranks with no thought of training for training. It has been overheard that, " I can't live up to this dojo's standard but I really want 'my' Black Belt". Martial Arts are about truth. A statement from a great Teacher said,"As human beings we are kind to ourselves...it is the goal of Karate to put ourselves into hardship, so that we may' know of our weaknesses' and 'face ourselves', in order to become strong". (para) I was told, by my Teacher, "there are NO compliments in Karate...one can always improve", "one more time please". I, always, thank him in my mind for those guiding words. . Ichi- " Seek perfection of character". Osu! Enjoyed the article. I’d like to say,with 40+ years in Karate/Judo, dashes of Aikido, I’ve learned much about myself and’ my’, ‘lying mind’. The statement about 10 year w/ 3 years experience is sooooooooo true…. I have seen(many) people chase Belts/ Ranks with no thought of training for training. It has been overheard that, ” I can’t live up to this dojo’s standard but I really want ‘my’ Black Belt”. Martial Arts are about truth. A statement from a great Teacher said,”As human beings we are kind to ourselves…it is the goal of Karate to put ourselves into hardship, so that we may’ know of our weaknesses’ and ‘face ourselves’, in order to become strong”. (para) I was told, by my Teacher, “there are NO compliments in Karate…one can always improve”, “one more time please”. I, always, thank him in my mind for those guiding words. . Ichi- ” Seek perfection of character”. Osu!

]]> By: Karate_and_Taiji_student http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8433 Karate_and_Taiji_student Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:06:53 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8433 That's a very interesting post. I especially like the example; I never thought about it this way before, but it makes a lot of sense and if I look back then this is exactly what the good teachers (or rather: those that I think were good) I had always advocated. That’s a very interesting post. I especially like the example; I never thought about it this way before, but it makes a lot of sense and if I look back then this is exactly what the good teachers (or rather: those that I think were good) I had always advocated.

]]> By: Chris http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8381 Chris Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:27:45 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8381 Scott, I cannot resist rephrasing your comment in the active voice: "A cheater in the situation you described would not uproot me, <i>I would hurt them...</i>" The skills which enable one to succeed within the game are often a superset of the skills we intend to cultivate. The difference between the former and the latter is revealed when we transgress the normal rules of engagement. Better to experience this in playful cheating than in a deadly serious fight, I think. Yes, it is ridiculous to propose that one could simply "step away" from a push-hands loss, when facing a skilled player. You and I know that, but some people do not, and they are my target audience. ;) I agree that taking a handicap is another good solution. Scott, I cannot resist rephrasing your comment in the active voice: “A cheater in the situation you described would not uproot me, I would hurt them…”

The skills which enable one to succeed within the game are often a superset of the skills we intend to cultivate. The difference between the former and the latter is revealed when we transgress the normal rules of engagement. Better to experience this in playful cheating than in a deadly serious fight, I think.

Yes, it is ridiculous to propose that one could simply “step away” from a push-hands loss, when facing a skilled player. You and I know that, but some people do not, and they are my target audience. ;)

I agree that taking a handicap is another good solution.

]]> By: Scott http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8376 Scott Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:59:38 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8376 I'm a huge fan of fail and enjoy it. Good teachers teach their students to take risks which result in failure. But I lost you when I got to the Taiji example. Isn't giving yourself a handicap a better tool for insuring failure than having a partner who cheats the rules? A cheater in the situation you described would not uproot me, they would get hurt....unless I did the gracious thing and simply gave up--which we agree doesn't improve the game/skill. I’m a huge fan of fail and enjoy it. Good teachers teach their students to take risks which result in failure.
But I lost you when I got to the Taiji example. Isn’t giving yourself a handicap a better tool for insuring failure than having a partner who cheats the rules?
A cheater in the situation you described would not uproot me, they would get hurt….unless I did the gracious thing and simply gave up–which we agree doesn’t improve the game/skill.

]]> By: Kat http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8364 Kat Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:25:08 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8364 I love this quote, "Losing is valuable experience, but giving up is not." It seems to speak a truth applicable to nearly anything we set our minds to do. Love your title as well. cheers & best of luck with Problogger's contest! I love this quote, “Losing is valuable experience, but giving up is not.”

It seems to speak a truth applicable to nearly anything we set our minds to do. Love your title as well.

cheers & best of luck with Problogger’s contest!

]]> By: Chris http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8356 Chris Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:26:51 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8356 Stephen, Training games such as fixed-step push hands tend to reward an unintentionally broad set of behaviors. Yes, one can play push hands such that their free fighting ability actually moves backwards. However, I think that if the instructor carefully demonstrates the intent of the game, then this risk is minimal. Whereas, if you take away all the games, then you are left with either a crippled art or crippled students. Patrick, Thank you. Ava, Yes, I do intend for all my posts to be taken in broad terms. Stephen,
Training games such as fixed-step push hands tend to reward an unintentionally broad set of behaviors. Yes, one can play push hands such that their free fighting ability actually moves backwards. However, I think that if the instructor carefully demonstrates the intent of the game, then this risk is minimal.

Whereas, if you take away all the games, then you are left with either a crippled art or crippled students.

Patrick,
Thank you.

Ava,
Yes, I do intend for all my posts to be taken in broad terms.

]]> By: Ava Semerau http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8353 Ava Semerau Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:48:05 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8353 As a success coach, I can't help but put this in broader terms. Especially the following truth: Immanent success in martial arts is always a simple matter of lowering your standards. Failure, in contrast, becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. And as the opportunity for failure decreases, the rate of learning slows. Wow, Thanks! Ava Semerau</a> As a success coach, I can’t help but put this in broader terms. Especially the following truth:

Immanent success in martial arts is always a simple matter of lowering your standards. Failure, in contrast, becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. And as the opportunity for failure decreases, the rate of learning slows.

Wow, Thanks!

Ava Semerau

]]> By: Patrick Parker http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8342 Patrick Parker Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:08:16 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8342 Hi, Chris, Great post. Not only are you exactly right on, but you have found a great way of expressing it. I've been fiddling around with trying to say this for a while but i think you have done a better job with this article. here is a handful of articles from my blog that seem to be related... http://www.mokurendojo.com/search?q=rulesets Hi, Chris, Great post. Not only are you exactly right on, but you have found a great way of expressing it. I’ve been fiddling around with trying to say this for a while but i think you have done a better job with this article.

here is a handful of articles from my blog that seem to be related…

http://www.mokurendojo.com/search?q=rulesets

]]> By: Steven http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/comment-page-1/#comment-8338 Steven Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:30:38 +0000 http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/in-my-dojo-cheaters-are-welcome/#comment-8338 Great advice: cheat. And it's great in the context of cheat-the-rules because there are larger things at stake. I even cheat the culture of Taiji-Fixed-Step-Poop-Hands, by disregarding it. It's built as you describe: for the overweight, though I'd contend that it's built for, not the overweight, but the pathetic, foolish, wishful thinker who crave desperately for an guru/mater/slave-maker. Cheat! That's great because, to me, it means cheat the infrastructure of belief systems that bind us and keep us from reality and truth. Peace. Great advice: cheat. And it’s great in the context of cheat-the-rules because there are larger things at stake.

I even cheat the culture of Taiji-Fixed-Step-Poop-Hands, by disregarding it. It’s built as you describe: for the overweight, though I’d contend that it’s built for, not the overweight, but the pathetic, foolish, wishful thinker who crave desperately for an guru/mater/slave-maker.

Cheat! That’s great because, to me, it means cheat the infrastructure of belief systems that bind us and keep us from reality and truth.

Peace.

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