They speak of not correcting Seniors within given Organizations, but when that same person tries to challenge someone and that person is, themselves, Senior to the Challenger it seems the same does not apply.
None of that really matters, anyone can be challenged, especially if they are wrong, but when one says ‘don’t challenge or correct a Senior’ in one breath, then proceeds to challenge a Senior in another it is just plain two faced at its’ very core. THAT is the part that bugs me, not the challenge. Instead of defending their view further, as would be commendable, they choose to back down and pretend the exchange did not happen. Cowardice and disrespect. These are not what I remember being the tenants of our school.
Furthermore, I feel anyone can overcome anything if they really push themselves, failures will come, but failures are our greatest Teachers... This line of thinking is what the individual took issue with and challenged.
Yes, everyone is individual, with their own gifts, traits, quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. This means that a good Teacher, or Guide, has their work cut out for them in their role of guiding people down a path towards their true selves.
The Individual disagreed outright saying that they felt this was untrue, that not everyone can succeed and not everyone is cut out to succeed whilst stating that our Founder never taught that everyone could succeed... This is NOT what I remember and NOT what I have taught or learned in my nearly three decades of training in this Art.
In my view this person is very young in their practice and even younger in their role as a Teacher. They admitted they would not share these sentiments with their students and would rather have them believe they could succeed and have them believe that their Teacher believes they can succeed as well, which is outright dishonest! Outright disrespectful to the floor on which our mutual Teacher had taught.
To me, this Teacher, while they may know their technique to the letter (I have not had the pleasure of seeing this myself) and knowing what is required for each rank, has a lot more to learn and, if dishonesty is the example they choose to set should likely not be teaching at all.
A good Teacher will find the individual strengths and weaknesses of their students, teach to both to improve upon both, it IS possible with time to learn this skill.
Teaching promotion requirements should NOT be the focus of a class, these things are trivial without an underlying understanding of the spirit and principles on multiple levels.
This person was coming primarily from a Self Defense standpoint, but they are not really teaching self defense and do not truly understand the term.
Most Yudansha today have never had to defend themselves, so how could they judge whether or not someone else can?
Most Students enter classes not for Self Defense, but for Self Improvement, or because their parents are making them.
These are things of which one should be mindful in their approach AND if they want to teach self defense they should become familiar with the subject as it is, a legal term, not a set of techniques taught in a manner more in accord with mutual combat.
I have great respect for my Teachers and the Organization itself, I have been training in this Art NON STOP since 1991.
I can do the primary Kata with my eyes closed and come up with drills for each on the spot with variations tailored to students with different body types and temperaments. This is not to boast. This took A LOT of FAILURE and HUMBLING moments.
What I know is what I know and it is not even a tenth of the Art. After so many years I finally know that I don’t know much.
There are Teachers I respect and Teachers I do not. One thing that puts me off is dishonesty and an inflated Ego because someone was granted a black belt and a beginning Teaching position thinking they know it all.
I was THAT person once too, so I feel the pain they are about to go through in their journey. It never ends.
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