Bruce Lee who, in my opinion, was a good example of someone who wasn’t “done baking.” Just like a chocolate cake that is taken out of the oven too soon. It is still raw. It didn’t stay in the heat long enough to rise to its full potential. It is not what it was meant to be but you can still enjoy it as something else. Maybe as some cross between pudding and cake but it is not the intended cake.
Mr. Lee stopped training with Yip Man before he had a good understanding of what his martial art, Wing Chun, or traditional martial arts, in general, are all about. Then he started to fill in the blanks with training and techniques that he found somewhere else because he didn’t realize that a lot of what he was striving towards was in the traditional system he left. I’m not saying that he wasn’t talented or that he didn’t know what he was talking about.
You also hear this sentiment from a lot of people who also didn’t stay with their training long enough, practice hard enough to get the benefit, or they trained with an instructor who didn’t have the experience to know what was what. Each generation that passes on this mentality makes the gap between understanding and foolishness grow wider. “Why should I do that if I don’t spar like that?” is a common sentiment that I hear from people who expect certain things from their training before they are ready. They proudly declare that they have “moved beyond” their prior teachers and training.
Let’s take fighting with a bo (staff). Some people just learn the basic strikes and then want to move on to more advanced training. They think the further in the curriculum they go is an indicator of their ability (this is an ego-driven concept). They don’t really understand what they already “know”. When you explore and study just a single technique, such as a downward strike, you uncover many different techniques and concepts. Within the one strike you find disarms, deflections, and preliminary strikes and basic concepts and insights into weapons fighting even before the point where the strike lands. Knowing, understanding, and the ability to actually work that knowledge is a better indicator of “mastery” than just simply memorizing a bunch of forms and not knowing what they do. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each movement? What are the combative strategies being taught? How do the techniques vary depending on the combative scenario? What muscles are involved and how do they work together to maximize speed and power? What is the timing and maiai (combative distancing) involved? How are the various angles of the technique and body adapted to the situation?
That is an example of just ONE technique with one weapon! You can’t get that without years of study. Years of falling down and getting back up and learning from your mistakes.
Keep the cake in the oven long enough so you can experience the full enjoyment for which it was meant. The chef created the recipe that particular way for a reason.
Mr. Lee stopped training with Yip Man before he had a good understanding of what his martial art, Wing Chun, or traditional martial arts, in general, are all about. Then he started to fill in the blanks with training and techniques that he found somewhere else because he didn’t realize that a lot of what he was striving towards was in the traditional system he left. I’m not saying that he wasn’t talented or that he didn’t know what he was talking about.
You also hear this sentiment from a lot of people who also didn’t stay with their training long enough, practice hard enough to get the benefit, or they trained with an instructor who didn’t have the experience to know what was what. Each generation that passes on this mentality makes the gap between understanding and foolishness grow wider. “Why should I do that if I don’t spar like that?” is a common sentiment that I hear from people who expect certain things from their training before they are ready. They proudly declare that they have “moved beyond” their prior teachers and training.
Let’s take fighting with a bo (staff). Some people just learn the basic strikes and then want to move on to more advanced training. They think the further in the curriculum they go is an indicator of their ability (this is an ego-driven concept). They don’t really understand what they already “know”. When you explore and study just a single technique, such as a downward strike, you uncover many different techniques and concepts. Within the one strike you find disarms, deflections, and preliminary strikes and basic concepts and insights into weapons fighting even before the point where the strike lands. Knowing, understanding, and the ability to actually work that knowledge is a better indicator of “mastery” than just simply memorizing a bunch of forms and not knowing what they do. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each movement? What are the combative strategies being taught? How do the techniques vary depending on the combative scenario? What muscles are involved and how do they work together to maximize speed and power? What is the timing and maiai (combative distancing) involved? How are the various angles of the technique and body adapted to the situation?
That is an example of just ONE technique with one weapon! You can’t get that without years of study. Years of falling down and getting back up and learning from your mistakes.
Keep the cake in the oven long enough so you can experience the full enjoyment for which it was meant. The chef created the recipe that particular way for a reason.
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