Skills Learned in Class vs Skills Learned On Your Own

SPX

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So give me some thoughts on something. . .

How much of what you know as a martial artist, and the abilities that you have gained, has come from what you have learned in class from your instructor and how much has come from your out-of-class study, such as experimenting with your art in various ways, reading texts written by masters and gaining insight from other practitioners?

I hope my question is clear. My feeling is that truly great instructors are pretty rare. Most are, as the very word implies, pretty average. So what does it take to become a great practitioner when the best you have available is a merely average training environment?
 
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SPX

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To clarify, perhaps I should change "out of class study" to anything that is not directly taught by an instructor.

For instance, even in class, you may be sparring with someone and realize something about footwork or how to counter an opponent that you didn't know before. This was learned through your own experience, not because someone taught it to you directly.
 

MJS

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So give me some thoughts on something. . .

How much of what you know as a martial artist, and the abilities that you have gained, has come from what you have learned in class from your instructor and how much has come from your out-of-class study, such as experimenting with your art in various ways, reading texts written by masters and gaining insight from other practitioners?

I hope my question is clear. My feeling is that truly great instructors are pretty rare. Most are, as the very word implies, pretty average. So what does it take to become a great practitioner when the best you have available is a merely average training environment?

I enjoy working out with people outside of my art. I enjoy this because its a great way to compare things and well as experiment and test various techniques. How much of what I know was influenced by outside teachers? I can't really measure that..lol.

As for great teachers being rare....yes, I'll agree with that. During my years of training, I've had many different teachers, however, I can safely say that out of 7 people, only 4 would fall into the great category. Now, to clarify, I'm not including teachers whos seminars that I've gone too. I'm only talking about teachers who I train with on a regular basis.
 

Black Belt Jedi

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For me to be a great practitioner of your system is to have both the skills learned in class and the skills learned on your own, ideally through the use of visual aids. Martial Arts training should develop you skills in creativity, in order to do that you have to use visual aids. I'm not saying use visual aids such as videos, and books so often, but use them as guidelines. Most instructors frown upon students using visual aids and have intentions of holding them back from devloping their creative drives. Having the balance of learning techniques in class and using visual aids can help you be open minded and the make the art you train in be beneficial to you.
 

geezer

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How much of what you know as a martial artist, and the abilities that you have gained, has come from what you have learned in class from your instructor and how much has come from your out-of-class study, such as experimenting with your art in various ways, reading texts written by masters and gaining insight from other practitioners?

I don't see learning from an instructor and learning on your own as two separate things. The best instructors I've had insisted on a firm foundation in the basics, but then encouraged students to train on their own as well as in class, to experiment, and ultimately to adapt their art to fit themselves. It is a poor instructor who attempts to turn out clones of himself.
 

WC_lun

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In past arts I've studied, I'd say it was 50/50. I trained a lot, but also did a ton of free sparring and reading. With the Wing Chun, just about everything I get is from the instructor. Sure, I work hard on it, but I don't pull ideas from the ether or media. Some things you just have to feel to even get a grasp of what is being shown. For me, the Wing Chun I am training in is like that.
 

Cirdan

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Pretty much all I learned came from my teachers, I`ve just applied it and made it mine.

Great instructors are very rare. You can learn a lot from a good or average instructor, but the ones who truly understand the art and how to pass it on are something special. If you can get regular classes with one, consider yourself lucky.

So what does it take to become a great practitioner when the best you have available is a merely average training environment?

I am not sure that is possible. Unless you are some kind of pordigy you need a good teacher to become a good MAist.
 

K-man

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A good teacher will encourage a student to explore 'outside the box'. In any week most students will be in class for about three hours. If this time includes a warm up, a bit of fitness training and some stretching then it is probably closer to two hours of actual MA training. I would contend that the teacher is helping you along the path. How fast you progress is up to you, and I'm not talking of grading in that context. If you rely only on what is taught in class you may become a competent martial artist but you will never be more than that.

I read books, watch videos, cross train, attend seminars and discuss many issues with other martial artists. This allows for 'cross polination' which leads to greater understanding. If we go back to the original question, you should expect to learn good basics in class but if you really want to progress you need to take responsibility for your own knowledge and also
do a lot of work on your own. :asian:
 

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