This quote was told to me back in September 1987 by my good friend Rob. It is even written in the inside cover of my treasured copy of "Aikido and The Dynamic Sphere". I was doing Aikikai back then, and Rob and I met while we were both taking a course in western fencing at College of DuPage.
When I started Kali Majapahit in Singapore, most of the first year I felt nervous in class. Guro Fred ran the classes himself and I wanted to do my very best every time. It never felt like I did. The techniques were complex and different from anything I had ever done before, so I struggled to keep up. Still, I kept going to class and slowly got better.
Some of the best times were before or after the classes, or on other days when no specific lessons were planned. I'd meet up with some of the other students and get extra practice in or just explore some of the ideas and concepts from class. We'd meet in Fort Canning Park or at someone's condo and use the common room or the roofs/balconies/void decks...anywhere we could find.
There was no pressure to perform, since it was just us.
With each other we would look at every aspect of every technique, breaking it down and working on it for as long as we could.
This really helped me improve.
When I teach class now, almost 9 years later, I move through the material quickly.
The KM curriculum is rich and complete. There's a lot to cover in each class and I always feel a bit in a rush to move on so I can get through it all. I also want to share as many examples as I can of each principle, to give each technique plenty of context.
Therefore, I expect students to do as I did - find time to meet and train together and explore deeply what they have seen in class. KM is about developing your own flow, nothing more nothing less, and that requires an investment of time outside of class, especially when KM Japan only has 4 hours of mat time per week.
The bonds I forged with my brothers and sisters in those early days will last all my life. Long hours spent training together in parks, on beaches, rooftops and everywhere else helped me become the martial artist I am today and I will always be grateful for their fellowship and support.
Sharpen Each Other.
No comments:
Post a Comment