The Unfairness Of It All!!

[sensei8]

On three different occasions, my Dai-Soke has tested my mettle. First time was when I was a JBB. The second time was when I was a Godan. The third time was when I had just earned my Hachidan.

He drove me to unthinkable depths of my training. He was, an unmerciful taskmaster on the floor. Never once informing me as to the "why's" about the entire ordeals. And whenever I would reach my limits physically and mentally and emotionally, he'd stop it as quick as it began.

However, just after I had earned my Hachidan, Dai-Soke put through the excruciating pain once again, just as he had done to me two times before. However, this time I had truly reached my limits, a person can only take so much before they're broken. I was broken! And I finally did the unthinkable. I yelled at him, on his floor! I insisted to know the "why's" about its purpose. He refused to speak about the "why's", and demanded that I continue. I refused to continue until he explained himself to me.

"What's wrong??" he asks of me.

"This isn't the first time that you've commited me to this type of training. WHY?" I demanded.

"It's a test!" was his only simple reply.

"It's a test? Well, it's an unfair test!" I retorted.

"You've passed!" was his only response.

"I've passed. Passed what? What test? This has always been a test? You're out of your mind!" I said.

"Yes. You've passed. It had always been a test. To say that the test was unfair takes courage. Yes. It was unfair, but you never had the courage to tell me that it was unfair until now" he explained.

I'm either dense in the head or I'm just willing to endure untold pain to please myself and my Dai-Soke all these many years.

So...

Has your MA instructor ever had you perform something that YOU felt was impossible, therefore, quite unfair?? If so, what how did you resolve it, if at all.

[Harkon72]

My Sensei tests us beyond what we think is possible quite often, but he is a good reader of his students and would never ask us to do anything he would not be willing to do himself.

[Nidan Melbourne]

my sensei (and sometimes his sensei when he comes to teach) to our absolute max. And both push all students in different ways.

As each of us a lacking in one thing or another in life and they push us harder and harder until we realize what it is and we either break and tell them off or they can see that we have improved.

9 times out of 10 we break and crack it at our sensei. But we always have the same conversation that you had with yours.

We all are greatful that they do it for us, as we come out as better people for it

[FullPotentialMA]

Our Sensei likes to say: "the diamond is there in the rock, all I am doing is helping polish off the excess".

There is a black belt inside every student. The instructor's job is simply to help the student bring the best in his or her out.

[Harkon72]

I think Bruce Lee said; "A Sculptor does not add clay to his piece of art, he cuts away at what he has to reveal the masterpiece." Each of us is a raw piece of clay, we are molded and tempered in the fires of our will. (I think that was Mr. Han, man Lol)

[Hawkmoon]

..huh!

in another thread I talk about the 'extra focus and attention' I receive, at the moment and that the guys do point out when they see I am looking down or low that it is due to the ability and potential I show when I train, especially after such a long period of absence.

I take it as a positive, a compliment, as to speaking out, once I did this and that was once to many for me.

There are members of the dojo that feel they should respond to things, some do so in a manner I feel is right, they show humility, yet a few do so as an argument, which to me is wrong, it shows no respect!

What you talk about here suggest a particular mind set, as in this is the way he was taught so it is the way he teaches you.

Maybe a step back to see if you teach this way is in order?

Maybe the student body your Ryu attracts fit that mind set and so it has been since the beginning.

(Another item to add to the list of why we have so many different ryu...the teachings suit this or that person, as the art suits this or that body shape)

[FighterForLife]

On three different occasions, my Dai-Soke has tested my mettle. First time was when I was a JBB. The second time was when I was a Godan. The third time was when I had just earned my Hachidan.

He drove me to unthinkable depths of my training. He was, an unmerciful taskmaster on the floor. Never once informing me as to the "why's" about the entire ordeals. And whenever I would reach my limits physically and mentally and emotionally, he'd stop it as quick as it began.

However, just after I had earned my Hachidan, Dai-Soke put through the excruciating pain once again, just as he had done to me two times before. However, this time I had truly reached my limits, a person can only take so much before they're broken. I was broken! And I finally did the unthinkable. I yelled at him, on his floor! I insisted to know the "why's" about its purpose. He refused to speak about the "why's", and demanded that I continue. I refused to continue until he explained himself to me.

"What's wrong??" he asks of me.

"This isn't the first time that you've commited me to this type of training. WHY?" I demanded.

"It's a test!" was his only simple reply.

"It's a test? Well, it's an unfair test!" I retorted.

"You've passed!" was his only response.

"I've passed. Passed what? What test? This has always been a test? You're out of your mind!" I said.

"Yes. You've passed. It had always been a test. To say that the test was unfair takes courage. Yes. It was unfair, but you never had the courage to tell me that it was unfair until now" he explained.

I'm either dense in the head or I'm just willing to endure untold pain to please myself and my Dai-Soke all these many years.

So...

Has your MA instructor ever had you perform something that YOU felt was impossible, therefore, quite unfair?? If so, what how did you resolve it, if at all.

Thankfully I never have had someone pull that kind of nonsense on me during a test (passing a Kyokushin test is pretty straight forward: you fail if you quit)

For someone to make it a requirement to break social etiquette in a martial culture that STRONGLY adheres to social etiquette seems like a bunch of crap to me.

[kensei]

Im with fight for life here, however I am trying to figure out how he go the C word pas the word filter.

Truth is that some instructors are so tied to some kind of old fantasy about the training that they abuse students for some unexplainable reason and the students take it.

The fact that you finally stood up and said why is great, but maybe a bit late in the game. With all due respect, I would have left and found a sain instructor long ago!

[FighterForLife]

Im with fight for life here, however I am trying to figure out how he go the C word pas the word filter.

Truth is that some instructors are so tied to some kind of old fantasy about the training that they abuse students for some unexplainable reason and the students take it.

The fact that you finally stood up and said why is great, but maybe a bit late in the game. With all due respect, I would have left and found a sain instructor long ago!

Apparently there is a different "C" word in Canada than there is in the US, lol.

The more I think about it the worse this whole experience sounds. I mean, what was the purpose of this "test"? What gain is there to making him shout at his instructor?

The only thing I can imagine is that he WANTED him to stop looking at him like an instructor and more of an equal (of course, I can think of several reasons why that couldn't be the case, too).

[bushido_man96]

I've never had any kind of test like that put on me before. I've been pushed physically from time to time, though. Its exhausting, but quite rewarding in the end.