Here's the background: When I was going up the ranks we had a head instructor and our school was affiliated with our instructor's instructor's organization. All strictly EPAK, not like an offshoot or anything. So eventually my head instructor left, didn't like the area or something, 2 other instructors were appointed head instructors and maybe 6 months later there was some sort of legal falling out with the school we were affiliated with and we became unaffiliated. Everyone was still being taught at that point, it was just the head instructor's weren't necessarily getting new instruction. Now maybe another 6 months later, our instructor's find someone new to learn from and though I don't think we became officially affiliated with them as we had no name change or anything, our ciriculum started to change in terms or how or when things were taught and other minor things, like when I was going up the ranks we went green belt, red belt, brown belt and once the connection to this instructor became full force it became green belt, 3rd brown, 2nd brown, 1st brown.
So now to my question (sorry I am long winded): At the time of the ciriculum move I was about 3 to 5 months away from testing for my black belt (a 3 month process in our school) and because we were now affiliated with a new head instructor, some of the details of techniques changed, like in raking mace, the last move was changed from a snapping back fist to an uppercut. Personally, in that instance, I found the snapping back fist more natural and I was high enough up and a good enough student that I could get away with not changing what I was doing (though I always made sure to teach it as it was now being done).
But when you run into minor differences between instructors on how things are done, how do you decide what you should do? Is it a comfort thing, i.e. tailoring it to your abilities or do you always do it exacty the way your instructor tells you to do? And I realize that this may depend on your rank. As I said I was very close to my Black Belt testing at this point and had a lot of confidence in my stuff, that if I was judged on technicality no one could find fault. I think if I was say a purple belt at this time my response would have been different.
So now to my question (sorry I am long winded): At the time of the ciriculum move I was about 3 to 5 months away from testing for my black belt (a 3 month process in our school) and because we were now affiliated with a new head instructor, some of the details of techniques changed, like in raking mace, the last move was changed from a snapping back fist to an uppercut. Personally, in that instance, I found the snapping back fist more natural and I was high enough up and a good enough student that I could get away with not changing what I was doing (though I always made sure to teach it as it was now being done).
But when you run into minor differences between instructors on how things are done, how do you decide what you should do? Is it a comfort thing, i.e. tailoring it to your abilities or do you always do it exacty the way your instructor tells you to do? And I realize that this may depend on your rank. As I said I was very close to my Black Belt testing at this point and had a lot of confidence in my stuff, that if I was judged on technicality no one could find fault. I think if I was say a purple belt at this time my response would have been different.