The use of Gray's Anatomy

[white belt]

I had a Grey's Anatomy for years. Saw a Grant's Anatomy in a book store and haven't used the Grey's since. It cost $54.00, but it is worth every penny. It is in color and the breakdowns are superb. Take a peek when out browsing at the local book store.

white belt

 

[Doc]

Less time needs to be spent trying to figure out "why" and more on "how." The best reference is a good teacher explaining HOW to make something work. If you spend your time on the WHY, you'll never learn HOW. WHY comes much later AFTER you know HOW. The "scholar" was a "warrior" first, so he could make sense of the "why."

 

[white belt]

"How" is accurately reinforced by anatomy breakdowns as well. A good case in point is the generous Oriental Master with limited English vocabulary. "How" can become clearer sooner, with images beyond the skin, where words are sometimes lacking.

white belt

 

[Doc]

Originally posted by white belt
"How" is accurately reinforced by anatomy breakdowns as well. A good case in point is the generous Oriental Master with limited English vocabulary. "How" can become clearer sooner, with images beyond the skin, where words are sometimes lacking.

white belt

A teacher with the enability to communicate effectively with students, is not a good teacher no matter how knowledgeable or competent they may be. The best anatomy reference is the guy standing in front of you while the teacher watches and corrects.

I personally have students who are M.D.'s, Ph.D.'s, chiropractors, and acupuncturists. They seem to know pretty well what you will find in those anatomy books and charts, but they can't make a technique functional until I show them how. And no, their knowledge of anatomy, bone structure, and acupuncture points doesn't help them.

The HOW should always be the focus. It will take years before you even begin to understand WHY. Unfortunately Kenpo more than other arts, seems to be full of people who can't really DO the things they like to TALK about.

 

[white belt]

I described my circumstance. My teacher is a 9th Dan Grandmaster from Korea. His English is not the greatest, but he IS a good teacher. A good teacher learns to overcomes such obstacles. There are poor teachers who can and can't speak your native tongue. The medical implications are very good to know when it comes to any self defense art. The nonchalant attitudes are more easily turned to serious focus when safe practice of dangerous techniques is needed. Anatomy knowledge IS useful when pointing out the safety factors in training and the medical implications of various methods. Carotid attacks are hard to practice full power. They of course can be lethal if practiced carelessly. Showing a student on their body is needed first. Showing the interconnection and gravity of what they could do is helped with anatomy charts. I have a heart doctor and a physical therapist under my tutelage. They are more quick to understand the outcome of different techniques than say a Barber shop owner. Is the coordination there more quickly? I agree it isn't. But it still does not take from the above points. They, knowing more the dangers, tend to approach practice with a little more caution and respect. Knowing this, they can also recognize more quickly what not to use on drunk Uncle Bob when the beer runs out. Having some anatomical knowledge helps everyone. Do you think the old Masters would have been better off without the Dim Mak charts passed down through the generations too? Why do those exist, I wonder?

white belt

 

[cdhall]

White Belt and Doc,

I'm not sure you two are disagreeing.

You have both stated that a teacher is required to show you how something works.

The rest is a tangent you two seem to be distracted by. I think most of your argument here is that Doc would prefer a teacher to be able to speak English but both of you are stating that a teacher needs to show you how to do something and both of you have illustrated how and why this is the case.

I don't think you truly have a disagreement on the topic of needing a teacher who can properly train his students.

White Belt-you seem to have a good teacher so I'm not sure what you guys may be disagreeing about.

Do you both believe that it is better if the teacher can speak the student's native language?
Do you both belive that a teacher Must speak a student's native language?
Do you both believe that it is possible to communicate effectively without being able to speak the same tongue?

I think these are the only points you two have in contention. If you want to carry this out will you please restate the premise that you are arguing? As should be obvious I think you have both made great points. Thank you. :asian:

 

[white belt]

Thanks for the input. I do agree with a good teacher being the best resource. My experience has been that proper hardcopy reference helps, too. If someone takes the two and switches their roles, then yeah, that's not very productive. What do you think, Doc? Do I understand your point?

CDHall, speaking of books, I picked up an extremely large hardcover book of Hapkido by Mark Tedeschi. The first chapter deals with how to throw the book at an assailant.

If I misunderstood Doc, my apologies to him. Good referee job Mr. Hall

white belt

 

[Doc]

Originally posted by white belt
Thanks for the input. I do agree with a good teacher being the best resource. My experience has been that proper hardcopy reference helps, too. If someone takes the two and switches their roles, then yeah, that's not very productive. What do you think, Doc? Do I understand your point?

CDHall, speaking of books, I picked up an extremely large hardcover book of Hapkido by Mark Tedeschi. The first chapter deals with how to throw the book at an assailant.

If I misunderstood Doc, my apologies to him. Good referee job Mr. Hall

white belt

Don't misunderstand. We're pretty much on the same page. (I have a tendancy to speak as if you were my student). With students, I just de-emphasize the "reference material" because it's basically useless in learning "how." Trust me, it really is.

But I also see here students striving to suppliment their instruction, which is a good thing when you feel the need. But students sometime become hipnotized by the accumulation of "information." I would rather they become hipnotized by their ability to execute and work on getting better at it. My students receive so much input from the teaching staff, they rarely go outside of our own study materials until they become senior instructors.

I'm sorry and I have to remind myself that my situation is unique and everyone can't teach in the demanding fashion that is the norm in our curriculum.

An instructor who cannot speak your language fluently will never teach you to a higher level. Imagine taking a physics class from someone who deosn't speak english.

Don't discard anything, but make sure it's actually helping you to "Stop that punch and knock that sucker down." :asian:

 

[cdhall]

I may have misunderstood how far apart you two really were but I am glad that I was correct in assessing that you were largely in agreement.

I think I'm with you both
A) Good teacher is best and of primary importance
B) Reference materials can be useful but can not substitute for the good teacher

We agree on this? If so, then that is all I wanted to check on. I was just wanting to confirm what the common ground was. I've enjoyed both of your posts.
:asian: