The Fullness Isn't Ours!!

[sensei8]

As much as I think I understand the point, the exchange of information in this fashion is commonplace and its how martial arts was perpetuated. More so to have someone as esteemed (not trying to inflate egos here) as a judan and chief instructor of a system, its safe to say something that they have something to impart.

If a known professional boxer wanted to give us a seminar on combinations, or a personal trainer, wanted to teach us better stretches to prevent injury, my teacher felt it appropriate and the price was right would may see value in it and let them do it. We don't say, "hahaha we have our junbi undo, we don't need you" or "hahaha we know how to throw a punch". Sometimes a visiting instructor highlights the differences in systems, demonstrates other theories. At the last gasshuku i attended a nidan in judo gave us a seminar on breakfalls and foot sweeps. Different instructors have different strengths.

Is the instructor done learning? Doesn't he want to grow too?

The bold above is exactly the point. We are lucky in that in this day and age we have easy access to so much material, in print or online, and that nowadays it is easier than ever to get in touch with people from different styles and backgrounds to share information. If you wanted a professional boxer to come do a seminar it's now much easier to find and get in touch with one. Lots of seminars are now open to anyone and widely advertised too so there's always choice. You don't have to just invite someone to your dojo because you know them through a friend of a friend or because they happened to turn up on your door asking. You now get the choice of what it is and who you think will benefit you and your students the most. Time is a commodity and with greater networks and knowledge we get to be more discerning customers. It's not "we don't need you", it's what are you going to teach me?

Maybe it's just my experience but it seems like there is a seminar or workshop on nearly every other weekend I could attend. And I have done so and have trained with boxers, other MA, police self defense courses and of course plenty of great TKDer's... But with so many things going on and easily accessed you have to make informed choices about what you want to spend your time doing.

That's why there's the question of what it is someone (like Bob) is bringing to the table when offering to conduct a seminar. Maybe it is because I have my work head on (I work in sales) but I see it as you are selling yourself as a product when offering to conduct a seminar for a school and in order to convince people to train under you they should know what your unique selling point is not just the fact that you want to do a seminar. Kusotare said earlier "In order for me to buy you as a service therefore, I would need to see you in action.". And you are selling a service as such. That's not to say you can't learn something from every instructor, you can, and I'm sure we would all learn a lot from Bob, but why is it wrong for the earlier TKD instructor to decline a seminar if he personally did not see a benefit?

Solid post, Danielle!!

To the underlined bold type above...

This TKD instructor and I have known each other off and on the floor for just over 5 years. We've exchanged with one another for almost all of the time that we've known each other; this TKD instructor has been over to my dojo to teach seminars to my students, and I've been over to this instructors dojang to teach seminars to that instructors students. We've exchanged methodologies/ideologies with great benefits for our respective student bodies. Neither of us charged the other; a nice exchange of knowledge across the great divide!!

But, for the love of trying to understand, I'm shot down each and every time that I approach this TKD instructor...with no explanation as to why? Not that I deserve one!!

I can only suppose that this TKD instructor doesn't want to be approached by my own initiative; "don't call me, I'll call you". However, I've been approached by this TKD instructor to conduct seminars at my dojo, yet, I didn't initiate the contact, nor have I ever refused the offer...ever!

[bushido_man96]

Maybe he's getting pressure from someone else in regards to it?

[sensei8]

Maybe he's getting pressure from someone else in regards to it?

Whoa...I hadn't considered that possibility. Thanks, Brian!!