Quotes from our Fellows

[Rateh]

So I have mentioned in another thread how I have to keep a notebook as part of testing and training at my current school. It has all the kup requirements, information and details about specific techniques, forms, self defense, etc. Basically lots of stuff, and some stuff I plan on adding but haven't yet. I have decided to add a new section however. This section will be called "quotes from my fellows" and will include any specific piece of advice that matters to me, that I would benefit from remembering. I used the term "from my fellows" rather than "from my instructors" because really anyone at the dojang could give me advice, even without knowing it.

I figured I'd share some of the quotes I have so far, and others could add their own quotes from THEIR fellows, so that we may all learn from each others experiences. They do not have to be exact, just general from what you remember.

Here are some of my quotes so far

"You're trying too hard" - C. Tim

"Don't compare yourself to that 16 year old kid next to you who lives and breaths the weapon, if your going in slow motion but you have improved 200% then you should be proud of that achievement." - C. Tim

"Life is a series of habits" - K. Jenny

"Make sure to tell him he is awesome" - C. Randy

"Be creative when teaching" - S. Stan

"Your mood effects the tone of the class, if you are in a good mood you will teach a good class, if you are in a bad mood it will be reflected in your students" - S. Stan

[sensei8]

Keeping records in a notebook is an excellent way of mentally training as well as remembering what you've been through. Some of your notes might cause you to cry, laugh, and/or remember with a sigh/grimice/smile. Either way, it's an important tool of your training.

Look at what Paul Walker did. Paul Walker related and shared his experiences of living and training in Japan at Master Hirokazu Kanazawa’s Headquarters Dojo in Tokyo from August 1996 to July 1999 where he took an extensive diary of 279 lessons during his stay. What happened? His notes where turned into a book!

Nothing ventured is nothing gained!

[tallgeese]

On the less encouraging side of quotes that stand out in memory:

"anything worth hitting is worth hitting hard"

and

"just because you're curled up in a ball on the ground, doesn't mean they're going to stop kicking you in the head"

[Wa-No-Michi]

Keeping records in a notebook is an excellent way of mentally training as well as remembering what you've been through. Some of your notes might cause you to cry, laugh, and/or remember with a sigh/grimice/smile. Either way, it's an important tool of your training.

Look at what Paul Walker did. Paul Walker related and shared his experiences of living and training in Japan at Master Hirokazu Kanazawa’s Headquarters Dojo in Tokyo from August 1996 to July 1999 where he took an extensive diary of 279 lessons during his stay. What happened? His notes where turned into a book!

Nothing ventured is nothing gained!

I always go training with a note book, sad I know, but that's me.

I scribble down as many notes as poss. (particularly if I am training with someone I don't train with regularly), and when I get home I try to give myself a quiet hour to write my note out long hand.

It a very cathartic experience, and if you think about it, it’s the only way us old fellas had to record our lessons back then before the age of digital media and the internet.

Nothing wrong with digital media and the internet of course, just different maybe?

WNM

[Throwdown0850]

One thing my instructor used to say about MA training.

"Nothing is better than the real thing"

by that I guess he meant that the only way to get better at fighting is to fight.

[tallgeese]

It's not the only way, but it does function to test and distill what you're working on. As long as your training is suited to what you're wanting to accomplish, and based realistically on what outcomes you're expecting, it too will make one better.

As to the note book, it's a good idea. I have a big 3-ring binder that's the accumulation of all sorts of stuff I've done or experimented with over the years. I wish I had broken down each learning session I'd ever gone thru, but I can't say I was that diligent.

Oh yeah, quotes:

"takedowns are good and all, but I figure if I hit 'em in the head enough they'll fall down on their own"

[bushido_man96]

I'm a hardcopy kind of guy myself, and one of the best things about finding something on the internet is printing it out!

I've got a 3-ring binder myself, that has my more focused content in it. I also have my Combat Hapkido curriculum packet that has become littered with notes in the columns, so much so that I have began to write things out in a more organized and formal format. Maybe someday, I'll get to teach my own class for it.

A good quote my dad used:

"There's two ways to do things; right, and again."

[tallgeese]

Another good one I ran into today:

"if you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics are bad"

[JoiH]

"takedowns are good and all, but I figure if I hit 'em in the head enough they'll fall down on their own"

Love it!!

[Espina]

Shihan Ramon Lono Ancho used to say:

"If problems are here, try always to be in the opposite direction"

"I don't teach you to be fighters, but Martial Artists".

"If you must get in a fight, make sure the other one goes to the hospital and eats with a straw for a few months".

"Stop hitting when you are sure the other guy won't stand up again"

"If a fight longs more than 1 minute, it's a real trouble".

Once I heard Master Demura taliking to my sensei:

Merinoi: but master, Demura, my dojo is little...

Demura:"A Dojo doesn't need to be big. It needs to be full"