Skill Is Not Earned
In my many years of teaching I have realized that there are only two kinds of people on the floor: those who train, and those who come to class.
Those who train are the ones who are present of mind, body, and spirit, who are open to receiving the knowledge, and who are active in trying to better themselves in the short time they are given to do so.
Then the are those who just come to class. This post is meant for you. You know who you are. So please listen.
Skill is not awarded to you by just showing up to class. You don't earn XP points by being here. You don't get upgrades after attending X number of classes. Your skill isn't leveled-up because you threw so many punches or did so many techniques. There are no Achievements to collect. Practicing a martial art is not the same as playing CoD on Xbox.
If you're not interested in being here, don't come. I can tell you don't want to be here because of the lackadaisical attitude you present. Well, guess what? I don't want to teach you. I don't want to teach you because you're not interested in getting taught. There are other people on the floor who are training - I want to teach them, I want to train them.
If you're not going to put any effort in what you're doing, then why are you here? Just because you throw 100 round kicks doesn't mean you know how to throw a round kick when every single one of them is has absolutely no thought, commitment, or dedication to it.
It is said that martial arts teach discipline. Maybe you've heard this too, but you don't understand it. A martial art doesn't teach you discipline - rather, practicing a martial art gives you an avenue to teach yourself to be disciplined. We don't even make it that hard for you to do, either. We only ask you to focus your body and mind for 3 minutes at a time. I'm amazed at those of you that can't even do that. What saddens me is that you're probably the same ones who can play WoW nonstop for hours on end without so much as blinking.
The culture we have on the floor is highly steeped in self-actualization. I expect you to rise up to the challenges I present to you. Maybe it's a product of the style. JKD is about the very best expression of yourself. Other traditional martial arts, as I understand them having done them, are much more about "do it this way because I said so" - the driver is external, not from within.
So maybe those who just come to class can still benefit from martial arts, maybe just not ours. Maybe you need that external reference point. In any case, you need to reevaluate what you hope to gain by coming to class. I hope you come to the realization that you need to train.
Those who train are the ones who are present of mind, body, and spirit, who are open to receiving the knowledge, and who are active in trying to better themselves in the short time they are given to do so.
Then the are those who just come to class. This post is meant for you. You know who you are. So please listen.
Skill is not awarded to you by just showing up to class. You don't earn XP points by being here. You don't get upgrades after attending X number of classes. Your skill isn't leveled-up because you threw so many punches or did so many techniques. There are no Achievements to collect. Practicing a martial art is not the same as playing CoD on Xbox.
If you're not interested in being here, don't come. I can tell you don't want to be here because of the lackadaisical attitude you present. Well, guess what? I don't want to teach you. I don't want to teach you because you're not interested in getting taught. There are other people on the floor who are training - I want to teach them, I want to train them.
If you're not going to put any effort in what you're doing, then why are you here? Just because you throw 100 round kicks doesn't mean you know how to throw a round kick when every single one of them is has absolutely no thought, commitment, or dedication to it.
It is said that martial arts teach discipline. Maybe you've heard this too, but you don't understand it. A martial art doesn't teach you discipline - rather, practicing a martial art gives you an avenue to teach yourself to be disciplined. We don't even make it that hard for you to do, either. We only ask you to focus your body and mind for 3 minutes at a time. I'm amazed at those of you that can't even do that. What saddens me is that you're probably the same ones who can play WoW nonstop for hours on end without so much as blinking.
The culture we have on the floor is highly steeped in self-actualization. I expect you to rise up to the challenges I present to you. Maybe it's a product of the style. JKD is about the very best expression of yourself. Other traditional martial arts, as I understand them having done them, are much more about "do it this way because I said so" - the driver is external, not from within.
So maybe those who just come to class can still benefit from martial arts, maybe just not ours. Maybe you need that external reference point. In any case, you need to reevaluate what you hope to gain by coming to class. I hope you come to the realization that you need to train.