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Unknown
If you ever watched a senior student train and thought, oh my gosh, that doesn't look anything like what I'm doing. You're right, it isn't. And the difference isn't just skill level. It's a fundamentally different relationship with the training itself. Let's jump into this.
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Unknown
I'm reminded of a story. One time
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Unknown
I was talking with one of my students, and I can't really remember the context, but I think he was about sandan at the time, and and I had another student in the dojo at that time who loved to explain everything to everybody.
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Unknown
And I think they were first kyu or something.
00;00;46;02 - 00;00;58;27
Unknown
So they were explaining a lot. And then I was talking with my other student who was sandan, and I said, it's interesting, isn't it? I said,
00;00;58;28 - 00;01;16;22
Unknown
I rarely see somebody like nidan or sandan and above, stopping to explain and over explaining. And my student laughed. He said, yeah, yeah. That's when we understand that we don't really know very much.
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Unknown
We finally know that we don't know too much when we get to nidan or Sandan. Right. We're finally aware of our misconceptions. So
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Unknown
anyway, beginners
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Unknown
oftentimes learn techniques, and of course that's a good place to start. It makes sense. They learn techniques. And then the more advanced students are working on principles. So they're using the techniques like a palette or like a container.
00;01;46;08 - 00;02;11;06
Unknown
But inside is what they're studying and inside is the principles. So this transition between the two it's gradual and it's often invisible. The students are often unaware that they're now transitioning to studying principles rather than just step one step to where do I put my right foot? Where do what do I put my left hand and all of that?
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Unknown
So
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Unknown
there's no markers
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Unknown
and each person is on a different timeline.
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Unknown
So knowing the name of the technique or even the correct shape, the correct steps for how to do it. That's not the same as understanding it and understanding it is not the same as embodying it.
00;02;32;23 - 00;02;50;15
Unknown
True mastery comes when we can embody it. And then we've got the control, the restraint, the discernment to be able to adjust what we have embodied because we've embodied the principle of it.
00;02;50;15 - 00;03;03;06
Unknown
Then we're able to adjust. Normally we take this big of a step. Today I need to take only that big of a step. It's not conscious thought. Of course it's embodied. So it it just happens.
00;03;03;06 - 00;03;08;19
Unknown
The body knows what to do. We allow the body to be smart. Another thing
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Unknown
is how the training changes structurally. So repetition stops being about getting it right and knowing which foot should be forward.
00;03;18;29 - 00;03;34;04
Unknown
And it starts to be about going deeper, having a deeper understanding so that you can eventually embody the principles. So advanced students are often practicing what they already know
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Unknown
deliberately and by choice.
00;03;36;21 - 00;03;44;28
Unknown
Which brings us to beginner's mind. Right. So beginner's mind, it's not just this nice sounding metaphor.
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Unknown
It's critically important that we practice beginner's mind.
00;03;50;01 - 00;04;21;18
Unknown
So it's a technical description of what high level training requires. We must practice beginner's mind. You build something, you tear it down, and then you build it better, and you tear it down and you build it better, and you tear it down if you decide, oh, shihonage I know this one. Danger that's so dangerous. Because then you don't tear it down.
00;04;21;20 - 00;04;37;02
Unknown
You've got to destroy the neural pathways if you want to improve it and rebuild better neural pathways. So each time you rebuild it, you're utilizing fewer and fewer neurons. So it's got to be torn down.
00;04;37;02 - 00;04;58;13
Unknown
In any endeavor, the learning curve curve changes as you continue. But that's because we think we know something. So if we can tear down what we know and rebuild it and tear it down and rebuild it and tear it down and rebuild it, then we're going to continue progressing as soon as we think, oh, yeah, I know this one.
00;04;58;16 - 00;05;25;28
Unknown
That's when we stop. So it's it's not even really about humility. It does keep you humble. Hopefully if you're practicing this. But it's not even the main point. It's a side benefit. Oh, this stuff that's keeping me humble. Practicing beginner's mind. Great side benefit. And by the way, before I go on, if you want to go deeper into some of these topics, I send out a training video once a week.
00;05;25;28 - 00;06;01;13
Unknown
It's a free program that you can sign up for, so look look for the link in the description below if you're interested. Moving on. The trap that keeps intermediate practitioners stuck is they overestimate their understanding quite often. They now know something, and they haven't learned the importance of beginner's mind. And they want to keep other people from having to go through the struggle that they went through.
00;06;01;13 - 00;06;17;13
Unknown
So they want to explain it to them or the awkwardness. Right? Oh, don't worry, don't be nervous. I'll tell you all about it. It's supposed to be your right foot and it's this and it's that. But what they don't realize is the disservice they're doing to their dojo mate by explaining it all.
00;06;17;13 - 00;06;22;19
Unknown
So yeah, if somebody starts to get uncomfortable, give them one tip.
00;06;22;21 - 00;06;51;26
Unknown
Yeah. Put your foot over there, but let them struggle with it and build it themselves. So how much do you really learn when you when you jump online and you get AI to spit out a report for you, and you read through it and you hand it in and take credit, you plagiarize, you know, as opposed to like really searching for the answers, doing your research and coming up with your own thoughts based on that research.
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Unknown
That's a whole different thing.
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Unknown
you retain that more deeply.
00;06;55;04 - 00;07;14;00
Unknown
So don't rob your beginner training partners of this wonderful opportunity. Yeah, they'll be nervous. They'll feel it. Oh, I'm not getting anything right. It's okay. You know, and you could tell them. Yeah, yeah. I'm lost on this one too. I don't know what she's doing
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Unknown
about referring to your teacher.
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Unknown
in the intermediate level, it's very easy to to overestimate your understanding.
00;07;24;07 - 00;07;51;22
Unknown
Oh, I know this one is the most expensive mistake or misunderstanding in Aikido. If you ever feel, oh, I know this one, let alone say I know this one, rein yourself. Back in another story, I was at a special class one time. I want to say it was like 1990, 1992, something like that.
00;07;51;23 - 00;08;13;27
Unknown
Yamaguchi sensei was teaching it was at a university, I want to say Keio University, maybe, but I don't know. It was from sandan and above and I was sandan, so I was just amazed. Oh my gosh, there's fifth and sixth and seventh dawns here. And at one point he started yelling. He was so angry.
00;08;13;29 - 00;08;24;10
Unknown
He said, all of you think that, you know Shihonage, none of you know shihonage. And then he said a bunch of other stuff that I didn't understand.
00;08;24;10 - 00;08;32;18
Unknown
But I heard that loud and clear, and he was presenting Shihonage in a very different way that day.
00;08;32;20 - 00;08;58;19
Unknown
My impression of it was he was accepted. It was just he was accepting the attack into his center and doing sort of like kiri-age That was my feeling. But I don't know, I was just sandan it and all the other sixth on seventh on, you know. So but he was very angry because we were all approaching it like, oh yeah, okay.
00;08;58;21 - 00;09;02;19
Unknown
Got it. Shihonage.
00;09;02;21 - 00;09;28;26
Unknown
And he really let us have it and basically told us you've got an exercise, beginner's mind. In conclusion, the gap between intermediate and advanced is not more techniques. It's a different relationship with the techniques that you already have. The training doesn't get easier. You get more willing to go deeper.
00;09;28;26 - 00;09;55;16
Unknown
Just a reminder, please jump on the waitlist to join me for my Germany tour. It'll be a Germany Aikido training tour. I'm teaching in four different cities and it'll be from September 14th to to the 27th. It's a small curated group, so once you join the waitlist, we will have a zoom meeting or in person if you're nearby
00;09;55;16 - 00;10;00;23
Unknown
and decide if this is the right tour for you and whether it's a good fit.
00;10;00;23 - 00;10;08;19
Unknown
So look for the link in the description below and I look forward to training together very soon. Thanks so much for joining by.
