Life lessons from the dojo
Jul. 1st, 2010 10:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eveglassI was super-busy after class Tuesday night, and busy yesterday as well, so I'm only getting to writing this now. I know you all don't mind the delay.
Life lesson #34: Effectiveness depends on what you're trying to achieve
Tuesday night witnessed yet another case of subtle but important differences between the katas I know and the katas we're doing. In this case, the kata was Taikyoku Shodan, a very basic kata. (Link goes to video of the kata.) You'll note that at 0:19 and 0:29 there's a counter-clockwise turn using the back leg. When I was at my first dojo, I was taught to keep this leg extended, because it could be used to sweep the opponent. Now, though, I've been told to do it the way it's done in the video: squeeze the legs together and then extend out in the right direction, sort of like compressing and extending a spring. We do this, I've been told, because it's faster and more effective.
Well, here's the rub. It is faster, but it won't sweep an opponent's leg. So is it really more effective? That all depends on what you want to do with this particular move. I think this is one of those cases that applies to so many other aspects of life as well: if you want to know whether something's working, you need to know what you're trying to do first.
Life lesson #35: Winning and losing is sometimes arbitrary
At the end of the class, we had a bit of a group kata competition: first, the class was split into two halves, and each half did the same kata. One group was declared the winner. Then each group was split into two halves, each of whom did the same kata. One group was declared the winner. Then... well, you get the idea. In every case, it was the sensei who decided which group won.
Now, back at my first dojo, I was trained to always have an opinion ready when it comes to judging. You never know when the sensei is going to call on you, and you've got to be prepared to offer your opinion and give your reasoning. In fact, I used to judge some of our local competitions. So when all the groups were doing their katas (other than mine, obviously), I was watching very carefully and figuring out which group I'd pick to win. In all but one case, I had the opposite answer to the sensei. I have no idea what criteria she was using to judge, and neither did anyone else.
The fact that I was in the winning group is completely immaterial. The point is that a contest where the rules are hidden and the judgments are arbitrary (or might as well be, for all the explanation we got) is not satisfying. I'd much rather the sensei have explained beforehand what she was looking for. As it is, I can say I won, but I have no idea why. And what's the fun in that?
Life lesson #34: Effectiveness depends on what you're trying to achieve
Tuesday night witnessed yet another case of subtle but important differences between the katas I know and the katas we're doing. In this case, the kata was Taikyoku Shodan, a very basic kata. (Link goes to video of the kata.) You'll note that at 0:19 and 0:29 there's a counter-clockwise turn using the back leg. When I was at my first dojo, I was taught to keep this leg extended, because it could be used to sweep the opponent. Now, though, I've been told to do it the way it's done in the video: squeeze the legs together and then extend out in the right direction, sort of like compressing and extending a spring. We do this, I've been told, because it's faster and more effective.
Well, here's the rub. It is faster, but it won't sweep an opponent's leg. So is it really more effective? That all depends on what you want to do with this particular move. I think this is one of those cases that applies to so many other aspects of life as well: if you want to know whether something's working, you need to know what you're trying to do first.
Life lesson #35: Winning and losing is sometimes arbitrary
At the end of the class, we had a bit of a group kata competition: first, the class was split into two halves, and each half did the same kata. One group was declared the winner. Then each group was split into two halves, each of whom did the same kata. One group was declared the winner. Then... well, you get the idea. In every case, it was the sensei who decided which group won.
Now, back at my first dojo, I was trained to always have an opinion ready when it comes to judging. You never know when the sensei is going to call on you, and you've got to be prepared to offer your opinion and give your reasoning. In fact, I used to judge some of our local competitions. So when all the groups were doing their katas (other than mine, obviously), I was watching very carefully and figuring out which group I'd pick to win. In all but one case, I had the opposite answer to the sensei. I have no idea what criteria she was using to judge, and neither did anyone else.
The fact that I was in the winning group is completely immaterial. The point is that a contest where the rules are hidden and the judgments are arbitrary (or might as well be, for all the explanation we got) is not satisfying. I'd much rather the sensei have explained beforehand what she was looking for. As it is, I can say I won, but I have no idea why. And what's the fun in that?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-07-01 05:34 pm (UTC)Is that a more general difference, do you think? There are different styles of writing computer code: do you want your code to be easily modifiable, or ruthlessly efficient in the precise task you want it to accomplish. Was your old dojo more interested in adaptability, while the new techniques you're learning are intended for pin-point efficiency?
no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 06:27 am (UTC)