Choices

[Octavius]

Another thread here has inspired me to ask myself this, so I posit it here for you mental mulling:

Which type of teacher would you choose if you had to choose between the following in each scenario?

Scenario 1:
- a teacher who has legit training, lineage, and background, and shows good form, technique, etc. He is physically fit and physically capable of doing everything he makes the students do in training. But he is young, and does not yet have the experience of an older person.

- an older teacher, perhaps with a minor physical disability of some sort that does not allow him to be as dynamic in his movements as a younger man. But he also has had the legit training, lineage, and background, but also has simply the years of experience his age has given him. But becasue of his age and physical disability is not able to do everything that he teaches.


Scenario 2:
- a teacher who has the legit training, lineage, and background, and is reasonable competent as a martial artist. He is of course better than you, but he does not possess any physical attributes whether it be genetically endowed or skillfully attained that would simply WOW a person. But the upside is that he is a truly decent and good person. A person of honor, virtue, true wu-de.

- a teacher who has the legit training, lineage, and background, and has some phenomenal and incredible abilities. Simply put, this person has skill that seem like magic. But, he is not an easy person to get along with. Not that he is a crook, or a contemptible human being or anything, but he has an abrasive personality and oftern comes off as cantankerous and as a jerk. But man, the things he can do...

Scenario 3:
- two teachers, let us assume that they are currently of equal skill and ability (however that may be assessed). The only difference is this:
[a] one teacher has trained for a long time, but on and off during this length of time, and has not made kung fu his priority as a vocation in life. But eventually has arrived at the present level of skill.
[b] the other teacher has trained for a much shorter period of time, but the shorter period of time was very intense, eating, breathing, sleeping kung fu and making it number one priority in life. Such that even after the shorter training period, he now has the same level of skill as the first teacher.
If the above is the only difference between the two, and everything else is the same, which would you choose?

[JasBourne]

Scenario 1: Choice 2, the older guy. Wisdom is priceless, and if what he teaches does what he says it can do, what does it matter if he himself is now not capable of doing it? He once was, and that knowledge is still there.

Scenario 2: This one is tough, because the demarcation is fuzzy. Is sifu 1 skilled but not pretty? Is sifu 2 a phenomenal athelete?. A jerk is a jerk, and will not teach you anything except how to be a jerk just like him. If he's not a good communicator, how will he teach you his wonderful kungfu??. I pick sifu 1, as I am more likely to learn.

Scenario 3: Choice #1, s/he actually has a life. People who obsess tend to have a limited world-view.


My 2 cents. You should have made it a poll ;)

[Silumkid]

I understand your point in these examples, but find myself not caring about the examples. The reason being is that I don't particularly care what the teacher can/can't do, will/won't do, is/isn't capable of. I care about whether he can teach ME to do it or not. For example, I'm sure Mike Tyson in his best days didn't care whether or not Cus D'amato ever set foot in a ring or could handle himself on the street...he cared about if Cus could coach him to the title, which he did. That is what matters to me.

[Justa Man]

Scenario I :
- i'd choose the older guy who has more years in but can't do all the movements he teaches. call me corny, but i get an image of an old chinese cat in a kung fu flick that is crippled, but knows that secret stlye that, in the hands of his young, strong student, is undefeatable! i just think he'd be a better source to learn from. he was probably able to do it in his younger years and that's all that matters.
Scenario II :
- i'd chooose the non-jerk. i have to get along with my sifu if i'm going to put my time and work under his supervision. if he ain't cool, i don't care if he's a modern day tung hai chuan, it's my life and i'm not spending it learning from i guy i don't like.
Scenario III :
- the guy who eats, sleeps, and fu(ks kung fu. that on and off stuff makes for maybe-skill, and half-knowledge. real skill comes from doing stuff day in, day out until you are so sick of the movements you could retch. and then doing it for another month on top of that. when you hit that point, then you can say you truly understand the movement and can teach it to it's fullest. that's the cat i want to learn from.

Nice post man. Made me think about how much i truly appreciate my sifu.

[red_fists]

Scenario 1: Choice 2

Scenario 2: Choice 1

Scenario 3: Choice 1

[anton]

Scenario 1: Option two. Who cares what he can/can't do - as long as he can teach me and pass on his vast experience.

Scenario 2: Option one. Its hard to learn from someone for whom you have no respect.

Scenario 3: Option two. This guy has a serious attitude to training and will work you like an animal thus producing better results.

[prana]

Although I cannot use kung-fu as an example...

Scenario 1B : Being good when it doesnt matter, versus being good when it matters, and old age matters significantly.

Scenario 2(?) : Sometimes, some students learn better in differing situations, like through hardwork, and dedication. Sometimes, teaching everything by being nice can be a hindrance. Of course, providing, he is not evil or unkind as you stated, but might keep you away from the real underlying reasons why certain thigs needs to be done. SO depending on where you draw the line, to choose.

Scenario 3B : Breathes the stuff, acts the stuff and in bed with the stuff.

[shaolinboxer]

Sc. 1: The old man. If he has some disabilities it has forced him to adapt to his condiditon, a skill much harder and more natural than creating ideal techniques.

Sc. 2: The nice guy. I just can't under someone who I don't get along with.

Sc. 3: The guy who trained over a long period of time. His skills will be more natural, and more permanent. Training patiently over a numer of years creates a powerful mind, and he's less likely to get bored of teaching you.

[tsunami surfer]

I agree with Silum kid. If the person canteach you will learn from them. I've been trained by men and women both older and younger than myself. But one thing about the instructor that is a jerk, he maybe the best at whatever he is teaching and look like a bronze god but a jerk is a jerk and very little of what he says will get thru our cranial vault walls. The only thing that I ever did learn from jerk instructors is they won't teach you everything because they are insecure that you will surpass them. An instructor who is secure in themselves will teach you everything and want you to surpass them.