Knowledge vs Skill

When training in kung fu, achieving a black belt is difficult, but achieving a high ranking black belt is even more difficult. There are many factors that make achieving a high rank difficult but what I see as holding most people up is their inability to differentiate knowledge from skill. This limitation is evident by how they conduct themselves during class drills and in lower black belt cases, their approach to teaching their students. Students, rather than getting in as many repetitions of a drill as they can, spend too much time discussing the technique with their partner and intellectually analyzing their execution. Some instructors will exasperate this student tendency by spending too much time explaining a technique and not giving the students enough time to practice the application of the technique. I try to address this issue by using the catch phrase “Less yak and more smack”.

Having knowledge of a technique is not the same as having skill with a technique. Understanding how the technique can be applied and the mechanics behind that application goes a long way toward learning an application, but the only way to achieve mastery is through repetitive application of the technique. In a perfect world every student would take what I tell them in class and faithfully apply the lesson during daily practice, getting in thousands of repetitions at home between classes. Unfortunately the common reality for the majority of students tends to be that the full extent of their weekly kung fu practice time is their two hours of weekly classes.

Rule of thumb - if someone is talking, they are not practicing. If the instructor is talking, students are acquiring knowledge but not skill. Skill only comes from consistent application of knowledge.

“We have more information than we have skills to turn it into useful knowledge.” - Mark Rolston

Time Travel

This is another post directed specifically with my black belts in mind but I am sharing it publicly in hopes others may benefit.

In last week's black belt class I introduced the concept of time traveling to my students. The purpose of the lesson was to expand the way they were looking at the six harmonies and how they go about perfecting them within each technique. I made a statement that a good black belt is a time traveler who can manipulate time. Upon further discussion with one of my black belts, I realized that the term time traveler is not totally accurate as it implies certain aspects that are not possible. A better term would be 'time manipulator' but I think I will cater my Doctor Who fetish and use 'Time Lord'.

I assume that we all can agree that time is affected by perception. If you're having a good time, time flies by. If you're reading this post and find it boring, time just crawls by. If we agree that perception can affect time, then we have to agree that time is not linear, perception-wise. It is this lack of linearity that creates the concepts of real speed and apparent speed and colloquial terms like 'flat footed'. It is non-linearity that opens time up to be manipulated by a skilled practitioner. To put it another way, you don't need to actually be fast, you just need to be perceived fast by your opponent. Manipulating time is a skill every black belt must master. As you age and your reflexes slow, you have to find other means to maintain your speed.

As a Time Lord you will have a deeper understanding of the six harmonies, starting with pureness of intent. The method we covered last black belt class was specifically addressing Hung and achieving harmonization of your hips and shoulders when adding the explosive beginning to the form. Rather than starting at the beginning of the technique and trying to time your body based upon the beginning, we practiced starting at the end of the technique, in this case the double block, and working our way backwards to the beginning. If intent is pure, all the points upon the line of application will support the end result. So start with the end result and use it as a trigger to how to begin. Be a Time Lord.

"There is no truth. There is only perception." - Gustavo Flaubert (1821 - 1880)

Acts of Kindness

One of the proudest moments of my teaching career came from a comment one of my students overheard in a restaurant across the street from my school. A couple of senior ladies were at the till to pay for their meal when they were told by the waitress that someone had already paid their bill. One of the senior’s commented “I bet it was one of those kung fu guys across the street. They believe in acts of kindness.”

How great is that? Traditional martial arts are definitely as much about kindness as they are about kicking and punching. The fact that two senior ladies who have never trained in kung fu know this, shows that Silent River Kung Fu’s influence and efforts are being recognized by our community. My responsibility as an educator is to ensure these esoteric values are also recognized and embraced by my students.

The challenge we who train in the traditional martial arts face is not unlike the challenge facing society in general. Many of us make decisions based upon fear and while that is understandable, especially if you feel threatened, it is not always the most logical or productive approach to nullifying a threat. A person who only trains to fight, will only have one option in a conflict. Kung fu teaches empathy and compassion and It teaches us how to physically protect ourselves. It is the strength of our character and our empathy that gives us the option of resolving conflict without violence, and the wisdom to recognize that option exists.

Don’t weaponize yourself or your children out of fear. There are so many other things that are much more likely to harm us than kick or a punch. We all are getting our butts kicked everyday more by our acceptance of mediocrity, our limiting beliefs, our diets, our poor relationship skills, and our indifference. Don’t train to fight. Train to live.

“The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.” - Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969)

Community

Yesterday’s parade was, as always, a welcome reminder of the importance of community. Seeing all the seniors out of their lodges and watching the parade along with the rest of the community warmed my heart. I was concerned that we would miss a lot of them because of the new parade route but it seemed like they were all well represented.

I got to spend part of my day with my nephew too. The parade happened to correspond to his 4th birthday so we got to celebrate that milestone with him drumming with me on the Silent River Kung Fu float. I hope he has good memories that stay with him.

The best example of community was all my students who took part in the parade and helped decorate the float. Every moment each of them volunteered went a long way in brightening the day of everyone they encountered, especially mine. Never underestimate the power of a single act.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” - Leo Buscaglia (1924 - 1998)