Lifeless Body Of Knowledge?

[lawrenceofidaho]

This is a quote by a Ving Tsun Teacher that I just read (and really liked), and I thought some of you might appreciate it too.......


"As a teacher one should beware of giving all too precise instructions concerning the exact position of the feet, angles etc., as this tends to suggest that one has only a limited knowledge.
Only those who know little will be tempted to make generalised statements.

Those who really know a great deal, know that they know nothing, and would rather bite their tongues off than proudly assert their present, personal, second-hand or out-of-context interpretation as the ONLY and undying truth.

It is always right to be suspicious whenever an instructor who teaches something as complex as [Ving Tsun] claims to "know" something, for in every case [Ving Tsun] depends on many, many circumstances and is not a lifeless body of knowledge that can be analysed under a microscope."

[kj]

Good one. Thanks for sharing it.

Regards,
- kj

[AndrewS]

Yo Lawrence!


When are you coming to LA for some training and a tour of the clubs? Are you hitting Vegas this summer?

Later,

Andrew

[Ernie]

funny
i was talking[ now it seems we talk more then train these days ] to gary[ my coach] last night

and i told him one of the reasons i hung around and learned from him is he never tried to tell me he knew everything , the second some one comes off that way i know he is either a liar and trying to sell me something
or just trapped and has never stepped out of his martial bubble

it's rare to find a teacher that can say ' well i don't know '' and then is still excited enough about training to experiement to find the answer

after all a teacher is just a advanced student

[lawrenceofidaho]

Ernie,

that's awesome to have a teacher like that....... -I noticed that you refer to him as your coach, so it makes me curious about what extent; traditions, titles, rituals, etiquette, formal ranking, etc. play a role in your school (if at all). Will you share a bit about what the training atmosphere is like?


Andrew,

I think I might try to make it down to L.A. to attend a future "Friendship Seminar". The last one sounded so awesome, I regret not being able to be there........

I don't think I'll make Vegas this summer, though. (It's difficult for me to get away from work during that time of year for more than a day or so.)

[Ernie]

Ernie,

that's awesome to have a teacher like that....... -I noticed that you refer to him as your coach, so it makes me curious about what extent; traditions, titles, rituals, etiquette, formal ranking, etc. play a role in your school (if at all). Will you share a bit about what the training atmosphere is like?


funny how you picked that up i just wrote an article about that same thing for my website [ sifu or coach ?] :D

no traditions no titles [ beyond a once in a while sifu that slips out ] no uniforms , etiquette is hand shakes and hugs , no ranking just how far you have gotten in the drills there broke down in three catagories but it holds no specific meaning ,
it's a natural free flowing enviroment you go at your pace nothing is held back or secret the whole system is written down from begining to end on the wall for anyone to follow , gary just guides you and tells you when your ready to try something new .

those who know a little more help those that are learning new stuff , nothing complicated everyone wants everyine to improve , except for a few old school hot heads , or overzealous newbies blood is to a minimum .
in the early days it was much different there was alot of full contact and blood letting . but i would like to think i had something to do with the change :D

if you want more info just ask

[lawrenceofidaho]

Very cool.......Thanks for taking the time to reply, Ernie.

-Lawrence