Your MA knowledge !

[Safroot]

What you have to remember is that the really knowledgeable members of the forum have decades of experience and have had decades to build up their knowledge base. Just as you would expect someone with a degree or PhD to know their chosen subject in great detail, people who have trained extensively will have great understanding of their chosen subject or style.

Knowledge will come with time. Read things. Watch videos. With the internet today there are so many resources freely available.

It's also important to train with as many people as possible as everyone you train with will give you a slightly different perspective on things.

Also don't be afraid to question things if it doesn't make sense. Curiosity is a great thing so if you don't fully understand something, ask questions and don't be afraid to disagree with your peers and seniors.

Anyway Safroot, it sounds like you are reaching the Conscious Incompetence stage of learning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence#The_four_stages_of_competence

Thanks DWx , I agree it takes decades to get such knowledge & that's why I asked the question, to put myself on the right track to start building my own.

I think you are right , I am getting into the Conscious Incompetence stage of learning

[sensei8]

Great topic, and thank you for starting it, Safroot!!

While I'm a proponent of Shindokan through our Soke, and then through our Dai-Soke, and then through my MA journey, I've held one thing constant and true, and that is...

Keeping an open mind!!

Shindokan is my core, this is for certain, and that Shindokan is an effective means of the MA, but I also quickly learned that Shindokan, as in any MA, has its limitations.

“Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.” ~Bruce Lee

By keeping an open mind, I'm able to train in other styles of the MA of my choosing without having the fear of contradiction and/or condemnation, and that's because, it's my given right to do so; I'm complete in my MA totality!!

Yet, with that open mind, I'm also allowed to entertain the many known and unknown possibilities, and that excites me to no end!!

Rank has its privileges, however, in this regard, rank isn't paramount, no, and what is tantamount is ones knowledge and experience. Those that were garnered by having that open mind all of my 52, so far, years of MA training. Rank means absolutely nothing in the scope of this topic, imho!!

In closing, for the moment, keeping an open mind, as well as the many things that have already been posted on this thread, are crucial for deepening those many things of importance for the MAist.

[Safroot]

Keeping an open mind!!

I will try to Keep an open mind. Thanks sensei8 for the solid advice as usual. I guess focusing on Kyokushin at this stage will be the best to do as I am still very beginner and later on I would look into different arts. I just want to go as deep as I can in Kyokushin

[Alan Armstrong]

Suggest building up your own martial art book and video library.

Learn the vocabulary and terminology of your chosen style.

Learn the theories and reasons why your MA style exists.

Investigate the culture, customs and history attached to your chosen style.

Learn some friendly phrases and gestures that are associated with the nationality of your chosen style.

I asked a teacher of mine "What is the difference between an educated MAist person and one that is not?" His answer was "An educated MAist always knows where to find the correct answers"

[Safroot]

Suggest building up your own martial art book and video library.

Learn the vocabulary and terminology of your chosen style.

Learn the theories and reasons why your MA style exists.

Investigate the culture, customs and history attached to your chosen style.

Learn some friendly phrases and gestures that are associated with the nationality of your chosen style.

I asked a teacher of mine "What is the difference between an educated MAist person and one that is not?" His answer was "An educated MAist always knows where to find the correct answers"

Good points, Thanks for sharing Alan.

the vocabulary & terminology was a big problem for me when I was training before, the instructor would say something in Japanese that I couldn't understand and then I will start looking at the higher grades students & copy them, you can imagine the mess I was doing with the combinations, if I had mirror in front of myself I wouldn't stop laughing at what I was doing.

regarding the theories & culture, I just have started reading Mas Oyama's book "Essential Karate" hopefully this would help.

[Alan Armstrong]

Domo arigato Safroot.

[Safroot]

Domo arigato Safroot.

どういたしまして

Dōitashimashite

Thanks Dr. Google

[bushido_man96]

There are already lots of good answers here, so there isn't much I can add.

I will say this; we've all been there before. It takes time to build it, like with anything else. Ask questions, to those you know, and possibly to others around the area, if you can seek them out. I love to read, and have quite a sizable library of MA books, so I've got some answers from there. Youtube videos are a great source, too, if you can sift through all the noise out there and find the good ones (there are some members here that have some great channels to check out).

Aside from all those options, this community has been greatly responsible for things I've learned about the MAs in general. Its easy to get stuck in an echo chamber where are you hear about is your own school, let alone your own style, especially in small areas without much else. Coming here helped me to look beyond what I would do, and see how others approach things, and then, I try to take that back to my training. Its a fantastic resource.

Don't worry. The longer you stick with it, the more you'll learn, and the more that you'll realize is out there to learn.

[Safroot]

Ask questions

That's actually the main thing I have been doing in this forum so I guess I am on the right track.

Honestly I got most of my "little" MA knowledge from here

[bushido_man96]

Ask questions

That's actually the main thing I have been doing in this forum so I guess I am on the right track.

Honestly I got most of my "little" MA knowledge from here

That's ok. Keep reading, learning, and once you do, go check what we say here against other sources. Another important step is to not overwhelm yourself with too many subjects at once. Research one thing for a while, and give it a good focus. Then branch out.