The advantage of working with different instructors

From my point of view, the fact of having the opportunity to train with different people, of being in the presence of practitioners with more than 20 years of experience, can only be an advantage. It’s one of the things I like most Raiden Dojo Bucharest. No matter how different the instructors’ teaching methods are, they always complement each other and never contradict each other. At least, that’s how I see it. But to arrive at this conclusion, the recipient, the student, is very important (how open he is, what knowledge he has, etc.). The important thing is to understand and remember the fundamental principles (correct positions, posture, relaxation, correct breathing, etc.), because absolutely all instructors start from the basics. Some are more in force, others in flow, still others break down, fragment the movements to understand more easily… But the foundations are sacred. The moment you stop holding on to phrases like «yes, but I understood that it was so / yes, but X showed me otherwise”, and you start to relate to the basic principles that we all repeat at the head of the Sensei, you will start to see the advantages of working with different people who obviously have different methods.

At the beginning I also had some moments of confusion because an instructor explained something to us, then Sensei or another instructor came and showed us the same exercise, and I had the impression that their explanations conflicted. The confusion, the conflicts in my mind dissipated the moment I began to relate to the basic principles, instead of clinging to what I thought I understood from my colleagues’ explanations. It was then that my thoughts calmed down and I realized that they were all saying the same thing in different words. But I needed patience, a lot of patience. Especially with me. I needed to put the ego aside, learn to listen more carefully and look for the essence. Well, that’s how it worked for me.

By the way… I participated too about 3 Aikijutsu sessions and I had the impression that in this way I began to understand each other. So, one Friday, before Ninjutsu training (which I always get to early), I asked Vlad (one of our Kenjutsu and Aikijutsu instructors) to explain another outlet to me. TO Aikijutsu we work a lot from the bottom. Then Vlad secured my wrists to my knees so I could perform my technique. I was absolutely certain that I would impress him with my knowledge. 🙂 brackets. In the 3 sessions I attended, I worked with a colleague who, knowing I was at the beginning, held me back but also let me go… it went to my head, as you will see 🙂 I close the parenthesis. So…the moment Vlad pinned my wrists to my knees, he “buried” me in the mattress. No exaggeration. It didn’t hurt, but I was sunk into the mattress so I was sitting on the floor or concrete (I have no idea what’s under the mattresses at the gym). I say in my mind, as I listen to Vlad’s instructions: «Mom.. how the hell do I get out of here, I still have some and get to the ground floor?!«. 🙂 It was the fastest lesson anyone has ever taught me. The moment I tried to get out of the hold, I felt like all my joints were tripping, my breathing stopped, my body was like a ball, twisted, I started struggling uncontrollably and I realized all the wrong movements I made. It was as if red light bulbs turned on in all the areas of the body that had moved. Even though I know exactly what I did wrong (there may have been others, but the ones I made are clear), I haven’t even been able to correct them. It’s not easy, but it sure is beautiful.

The training courses are extremely interesting Raiden Dojo. I am fascinated by the way our instructors guide them. Their way of telling us things and «capturing» us in theoretical stories without overwhelming us. With care to protect us and teach us at the same time. With the awareness that all their speech can touch us deeply. This is a rare thing, therefore all the more precious!