If You Knew Then....

I can't think of anything in particular that I would have changed. No matter how good your hindsight is, there's no guarantee that you'd actually be happier if you were able to modify some part of your previous experience. Things don't work like that. Any retroactive change would almost certainly entail hidden costs and losses in addition to the theoretical advantages and benefits that you think would accrue, and you have no way to know whether the benefit column would trump the loss column.

I have enough good things in my current MA life that I would be very hesitant to risk them if given the chance to modify the past, even based on superior knowledge or understanding relative to what I started with in the MAs.
 
I would start training in the art that I train in now, instead of taking the long way to find it, and I would have started about 15 years earlier.
 
There were a few different Kenpo schools around, so I most likely would have picked that art anyway. However, I would have researched each school a bit more, rather than just picking the one I originally did.


arnisador said:
My training has become so much more alive and realistic over the years...I wish I had known better training methods way back then.
Click to expand...

I'm with you on this 100%!!!!
 
Nothing yet....except I would have started when I was 2 years old...LOL
 
Aside from starting earlier, I can't really knock any of my earlier training.

With every missed block, poor kick, punch, or poorly executed technique, it has only made me better than before.

Every sparring match I did not win in points I still won. The knowledge. The experience. The fun.


I would do it all again.

Marc
 
When I moved to South Florida when I was 13, I was looking for a MA school to continue training. I was leaning towards TKD, as I had some exp in it but I was open to other styles as well.
When I looked in the yellow pages, their was a Judo school listed, so I called up. the guy even said if I was willing to travel the 5 miles to his schol, he would cut me a big break on payments.
But a TKD school opended up down the street from me, so there I went.
After I was there for awhile I was mentored by one of the instructors who had a throwing arts background. This and the fact that when I actually got into fights, I almost allways ended up in some form of standing or ground grappling at one point or another, so those factors lead me sparked my intrest in Jujutsu.
So if I had to do it again, i would have went to tht Judo school, or at least gone into Judo after I left TKD.
 
I'd change one thing. Instead of starting Bujinkan back in, what, '92, I would have started doing Pentjak Silat, preferably with Rudy Terlinden. Yep. That, & done some good Eskrima. That's about it. I think that the Jujutsu & Karate I did as a teen was a good base, it gave me a point of reference to what I would want in the future.
 
There is so much to pick from now a days. I guess I am glad things were sparse in the 60s because I was able to focus in one direction by design and not by choice. With that base I can now have some fun with all that is out there and see what fits where.
 
Guess this falls in the "Coulda, shoulda, woulda" realm.
Fact is if I had it all to do again, I'd do most of it the same.
If I were to try to change anything, I'd most likely make bigger mistakes.
Don B.
 
I had a twenty someodd year layout in my training. Needless to say, that wouldn't happen on pass 2.
 
I can honestly say that I have no regrets. Even some of the mistakes that I did make I can now use to help other students. There was a time when I wasted a whole year and really did not practice like I should have, but I now know how hard it is to get back on track after hardly any pratice. This is just one example of a mistake that I can use to teach others. I am able to tell other students, " Hey I've been there, don't go down that road".
 
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