Aptitude?

[ovine king]

i think the biggest difference between those who achieve and those who don't is the amount of effort they are willing to put in.

 

granted there are those who are not best suited for this sort of thing but true examples of those people are few and far between.

 

in most cases, we are all different grades of the same thing.

 

for those who have ranked and achieved in their arts, i bow to your peserverance....

 

 

 

and secretly curse you all for the fact that my school never had gradings.....

[karatekid1975]

I agree. I was never a natural athlete or anything. I never did any kind of sport, except a little soft ball in high school, and a little sprinting (that was for gym and I was "average" at it).

 

But I think in martial arts, I was somewhat of a natural. When I started, I couldn't even touch my toes or anything like that, but I was still able to pick up the 360's and fancy stuff only 6 months into training.

 

Now I can do splits (right side) and kick way above my head. BUT there is still stuff I stink at (sparring). But I know I can "rip" on forms and breaking (I was always good a forms .... not an ego ... well, maybe .... but I know some are better than me .... Heidi ).

[Kieran-Lilith]

Karate is my one sport I'm good at. The only sport I've ever been good at. Even this takes work, though. I have talent for it, but I'm also very stubborn, so when I don't get it right....I won't stop until Sensei says or I got it.

[1kickKO]

Everybody has their own learning pace/abilities...I love to see white belts come in though that are just natural talents.

[italian_guy]

When I started MA I was almost 42 and definitly not athletic at all. Now I'm almost 44 and I have somehow improved my abilities (maybe not too much but somehow I did).

 

My good point is that I always show great passion and respect for everyone and this helps to gain the attention to the teachers (... not always but usually it is).

[jarrettmeyer]

I have talent for it, but I'm also very stubborn, so when I don't get it right....I won't stop until Sensei says or I got it.

 

Man, I hear that. Perfectionism is a nasty trait to have when you're working on MA. I've sparred so long that I've fallen over - not from being hit, but finally running out of energy. My body said, "You will stop now." Apparently after a good, strong 1hr15min, I'm done.

 

Back to the post....

 

Everything is talent + skill + training. Some people are just talented at sports in general: baseball, basketball, running, waterpolo, etc. (Not me, though.) Some people have some key skills that make them better at MA: splits, good judge of distance, muscle memory, etc.

 

Then there's the time and quality training that you put into it. Since it's a summation, the lack of the prior two components can be overcome with latter.

[Harmony]

Natural aptitude may play a role in some cases depending on the test subject. Early on in my training, I was able to retain much of what I was taught rather quickly, including practical application. I have seen that personality can play a role, when combined with aptitude or ability. I have seen several students breeze through early on, only to become irritated or distraught when they reach an area of study that requires them to remain longer. Still there are others that become overly focused on rapid gain, but lack the depth to be effective in a real situation. Then there are those that struggle along with every technique, each class is a battle for them. The outcome for each of these types can rest wholly on their personalities. As a teacher I have as students that would fall in every category above. I try to approach each of them in regard to their personalities, to remain focused on their goals. Yes the journey is as important as the destination, but I try to remind them that the time it takes is different for everybody. As long as we get where we set out to we're doing ok. If we happen to pick up some wisdom and patience along the way thats a good thing.

[jarrettmeyer]

Natural aptitude may play a role in some cases depending on the test subject. Early on in my training, I was able to retain much of what I was taught rather quickly, including practical application. I have seen that personality can play a role, when combined with aptitude or ability. I have seen several students breeze through early on, only to become irritated or distraught when they reach an area of study that requires them to remain longer. Still there are others that become overly focused on rapid gain, but lack the depth to be effective in a real situation. Then there are those that struggle along with every technique, each class is a battle for them. The outcome for each of these types can rest wholly on their personalities. As a teacher I have as students that would fall in every category above. I try to approach each of them in regard to their personalities, to remain focused on their goals. Yes the journey is as important as the destination, but I try to remind them that the time it takes is different for everybody. As long as we get where we set out to we're doing ok. If we happen to pick up some wisdom and patience along the way thats a good thing.

 

That just teaching, regardless of the subject. I've taught both computer programming and physics, and the same rules apply: talent + skill + training. Some students are naturally talented with computers - they just get it. Most students have decent computer skills these days, but that wasn't the case when I started teaching in 1998. (Of course, most students don't know anything about UNIX, so that puts most of them on a level playing field really quick.) Then there's training. Some students have to work much harder to solve some very simple problems. The time limitation on the semester works against you, though. Some students have got it figured out by week 8. Some students have been working hard but seem 5 weeks behind.

 

The great thing about MA is that you have your whole life to get it. You don't have 16-week semesters. Good teachers recognize this and teach to each student's needs and level, regardless of what belt it around each student's waist.

 

This reminds me of a popular saying in fencing. "By the time your brain figures out fencing, your body is too old to be a good fencer."

[shotochem]

Master? Me? don't think so.

 

When I was younger I was that musician band geek kind of guy. (Iwonder if there is a correllation here? )

 

I was and still am not a natural athlete. I was never the strongest, fastest, or most talented. Every single thing I have come to do in MA was a long hard fought battle. I was 50lbs overweight and 30yrs old when I started. I couldn't even make it through the warmups and I haven't even seen yet touched my toes in years.

 

6 yrs later 50lbs lighter, an assortment of pulls, sprains, strains and broken digits, I am drawing nearer to finally grading for BB. I can't put it off much longer. I will grade by the end of the year.

 

For every one natrually skilled person out there there are most likely 100 who are not. I have seen many faces come and go at our dojo yet I'm still here training hard. 100% all the time. perserverence, dicipline and hard work will take you just as far or further than just natural talent alone.

 

This is what I believe the Martial arts are all about. Overcoming adversity and achieving ones goals.

 

Its not about the pretty belts, medals or trophys it's about who we are and what we have become.

[Myst]

Not a master, but a 3rd dan, and I'm probably the last person you would expect to be involved in MAs. I'm a 15 year old Broadway musical junkie who plays the trumpet, sings soprano, and acts in community theater. I took gymnastics and played soccer for a few years, but never really took to any of it. Tae Kwon Do has been the only physical thing that I've stuck with. After pleading and begging for months, my parents bought me a month of tkd for my b-day, thinking I'd get bored and drop out after awhile... How silly of them. One month has turned into 10 years! I think I had to have had at least a little natural talent for MAs to have gotten this far, but most of it came through training and time. It took me 3 months to learn how to do a figure-eight with nunchuku, for crying out loud!