I had the joy of discovering it Raiden Dojo a collective of exceptional instructors. People with different personalities, different teaching methods, different levels of experience, but with a lot of patience in explaining in detail what they teach us. Passionate people with decades of practice behind them who are a source of inspiration to others. It is a great advantage to have multiple people explaining the same «issue» to you. I didn’t have this privilege at school. You, as a student, are not the same every day, nor are they as instructors. So during a training course you can more easily understand the explanations of one or another of the instructors. Of course there is also the possibility of having a bad day and not understanding anything from anyone, in which case it is said that you are pulling the gray hairs out of innocent people (keeping the humorous line: it’s still good that you managed to do something). 🙂 But that’s a lesson in itself: how to overcome moments of utter confusion.
This diversity of approaches to the same martial art gives you a much greater openness to the learning process. Just being around patient, open-minded people who can explain the same technique to you in different ways is enriching. It’s about really wanting to learn! The intention with which you come to the gym is extremely important. If you really want to learn, you have all the possibilities and all the support to do so. You just have to take your time and be patient. The moment you realize that it’s up to you how much and how you evolve can scare you a little. But one extremely important thing we learn in the gym is how to manage fear. Hi, I am, in a certain sense, a child who has crammed fears, joys, a beautiful past with small exceptions, an uncertain present and a slippery future (in addition to the equipment, the camera and every now and then a bottle of water 🙂 ) in the backpack with which he goes to train. But that’s okay. I wouldn’t want it any other way. At least I identified the contents and I also managed to get rid of some things that I no longer needed and that had been left hanging for a bit. Which is a big deal. And that’s what I did through practice.
I didn’t start with the quote from Soren Kierkegaard. I don’t think there is anything more motivating for a beginner than the fact itself expert instructors of over 20, 30 years still learning, still trying to perfect his techniques, still looking for answers, ways, other possibilities to learn. Looking at them, I realized it Experience is the most difficult teacher: first it gives you proof, then it teaches you the lesson.
I have learned and continue to learn from each one, I enjoy each seminar because it represents the opportunity to meet other advanced colleagues from whose experience there is always something to learn.
OK…I said it would be a short diary and it wasn’t. Excuse me! 🙂 But I wanted to highlight this very important aspect. Not only in the gym, but in life in general, it is good to take advantage of every opportunity to learn. And people willing to teach you are increasingly rare, so it’s nice to appreciate them when you meet them.
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