Drawn Out Explanation!!

[sensei8]

I think it depends on your audience and how much or little they know of the subject. Some things come down to common sense and others need to be explained with more detail.

It also depends on the reactions and expressions of those that you are speaking to. Deer in the head lights looks probably means you need to go a bit deeper. If they are yawning and looking everywhere except at you, you're probably beating a dead horse and need to cut it short.

Solid post!!

[MatsuShinshii]

I think it depends on your audience and how much or little they know of the subject. Some things come down to common sense and others need to be explained with more detail.

It also depends on the reactions and expressions of those that you are speaking to. Deer in the head lights looks probably means you need to go a bit deeper. If they are yawning and looking everywhere except at you, you're probably beating a dead horse and need to cut it short.

Solid post!!

And I wrote it without a long novel. Who knew I had it in me?

[sensei8]

I think it depends on your audience and how much or little they know of the subject. Some things come down to common sense and others need to be explained with more detail.

It also depends on the reactions and expressions of those that you are speaking to. Deer in the head lights looks probably means you need to go a bit deeper. If they are yawning and looking everywhere except at you, you're probably beating a dead horse and need to cut it short.

Solid post!!

And I wrote it without a long novel. Who knew I had it in me?

Again, we, you and I, share many of the same traits...novel writing is just one of the many!!

[Spartacus Maximus]

Adjusting explanations to the level of the listener is one of the things an instructor can only learn from experience and it is very often easier said than done. What might seem obvious and straightforward to and intermediate level, might be completely over the heads of novices or those with no prior knowledge.

Some instructors have a tendency to explain a little to much in minute details. It is too easy to forget that it is acceptable to leave out certain details and explain them later when the students reach a level which allows them to understand the finer points. Early on, one simplified or simplistic explanation is sufficient.

[singularity6]

Adjusting explanations to the level of the listener is one of the things an instructor can only learn from experience and it is very often easier said than done. What might seem obvious and straightforward to and intermediate level, might be completely over the heads of novices or those with no prior knowledge.

Some instructors have a tendency to explain a little to much in minute details. It is too easy to forget that it is acceptable to leave out certain details and explain them later when the students reach a level which allows them to understand the finer points. Early on, one simplified or simplistic explanation is sufficient.

I can definitely vouch for this!

[OneKickWonder]

Adjusting explanations to the level of the listener is one of the things an instructor can only learn from experience and it is very often easier said than done. What might seem obvious and straightforward to and intermediate level, might be completely over the heads of novices or those with no prior knowledge.

Some instructors have a tendency to explain a little to much in minute details. It is too easy to forget that it is acceptable to leave out certain details and explain them later when the students reach a level which allows them to understand the finer points. Early on, one simplified or simplistic explanation is sufficient.

I think it's a difficult one.

I think sometimes instructors oversimplify to the point of actually lying. An example be in explaining the simple low block. Fist comes to opposite shoulder before driving down and across. Oh and we twist at the hips too. And our other hand comes across the body in counter motion. Because this generates power. And of course you can do all of this in less than the length of time it takes for a front snap kick to arrive.

All rubbish. I believe instructors explain it like this partly for simplicity and partly to encourage the development of many principles. Our lowly basic low block is so many things, but unless our attacker is delivering the world's slowest front kick, it is not a block.

[sensei8]

Adjusting explanations to the level of the listener is one of the things an instructor can only learn from experience and it is very often easier said than done. What might seem obvious and straightforward to and intermediate level, might be completely over the heads of novices or those with no prior knowledge.

Some instructors have a tendency to explain a little to much in minute details. It is too easy to forget that it is acceptable to leave out certain details and explain them later when the students reach a level which allows them to understand the finer points. Early on, one simplified or simplistic explanation is sufficient.

I think it's a difficult one.

I think sometimes instructors oversimplify to the point of actually lying. An example be in explaining the simple low block. Fist comes to opposite shoulder before driving down and across. Oh and we twist at the hips too. And our other hand comes across the body in counter motion. Because this generates power. And of course you can do all of this in less than the length of time it takes for a front snap kick to arrive.

All rubbish. I believe instructors explain it like this partly for simplicity and partly to encourage the development of many principles. Our lowly basic low block is so many things, but unless our attacker is delivering the world's slowest front kick, it is not a block.

How you've described a "simple low block", is that how your instructor teaches it?? If not, how does your instructor teach it?? And is how he teaches it, dependent on the student level??

[OneKickWonder]

Adjusting explanations to the level of the listener is one of the things an instructor can only learn from experience and it is very often easier said than done. What might seem obvious and straightforward to and intermediate level, might be completely over the heads of novices or those with no prior knowledge.

Some instructors have a tendency to explain a little to much in minute details. It is too easy to forget that it is acceptable to leave out certain details and explain them later when the students reach a level which allows them to understand the finer points. Early on, one simplified or simplistic explanation is sufficient.

I think it's a difficult one.

I think sometimes instructors oversimplify to the point of actually lying. An example be in explaining the simple low block. Fist comes to opposite shoulder before driving down and across. Oh and we twist at the hips too. And our other hand comes across the body in counter motion. Because this generates power. And of course you can do all of this in less than the length of time it takes for a front snap kick to arrive.

All rubbish. I believe instructors explain it like this partly for simplicity and partly to encourage the development of many principles. Our lowly basic low block is so many things, but unless our attacker is delivering the world's slowest front kick, it is not a block.

How you've described a "simple low block", is that how your instructor teaches it?? If not, how does your instructor teach it?? And is how he teaches it, dependent on the student level??

Kind of. As you reach higher grades, gradually more truth is revealed. But what is sometimes frustrating is that the student realises they're being lied to before the truth is revealed. For example, some of the more mature students have actual life experience to draw from, even if they have no martial arts experience. That's kind of the worst case, because those folks will realise that the blocks they are being taught can't possibly work in the application they've been told, but don't have the martial arts knowledge to see alternative applications yet, so they conclude they're being taught rubbish. I suspect this is probably why many don't stick around that long. Those that make it a couple of grades in generally stay the long haul, because they're either patient enough or because they spot things. Or perhaps just because they're having fun.

[MatsuShinshii]

I think it depends on your audience and how much or little they know of the subject. Some things come down to common sense and others need to be explained with more detail.

It also depends on the reactions and expressions of those that you are speaking to. Deer in the head lights looks probably means you need to go a bit deeper. If they are yawning and looking everywhere except at you, you're probably beating a dead horse and need to cut it short.

Solid post!!

And I wrote it without a long novel. Who knew I had it in me?

Again, we, you and I, share many of the same traits...novel writing is just one of the many!!

Well I feel it's because you can not convey your thoughts as clearly on a post without details. It's far different when speaking in person. Body language, facial expressions, physical demonstrations and examples are all tools when in person. When on the forums you can not use these tools so you have to go further in your details to get your point across.

[sensei8]

Adjusting explanations to the level of the listener is one of the things an instructor can only learn from experience and it is very often easier said than done. What might seem obvious and straightforward to and intermediate level, might be completely over the heads of novices or those with no prior knowledge.

Some instructors have a tendency to explain a little to much in minute details. It is too easy to forget that it is acceptable to leave out certain details and explain them later when the students reach a level which allows them to understand the finer points. Early on, one simplified or simplistic explanation is sufficient.

I think it's a difficult one.

I think sometimes instructors oversimplify to the point of actually lying. An example be in explaining the simple low block. Fist comes to opposite shoulder before driving down and across. Oh and we twist at the hips too. And our other hand comes across the body in counter motion. Because this generates power. And of course you can do all of this in less than the length of time it takes for a front snap kick to arrive.

All rubbish. I believe instructors explain it like this partly for simplicity and partly to encourage the development of many principles. Our lowly basic low block is so many things, but unless our attacker is delivering the world's slowest front kick, it is not a block.

How you've described a "simple low block", is that how your instructor teaches it?? If not, how does your instructor teach it?? And is how he teaches it, dependent on the student level??

Kind of. As you reach higher grades, gradually more truth is revealed. But what is sometimes frustrating is that the student realizes they're being lied to before the truth is revealed. For example, some of the more mature students have actual life experience to draw from, even if they have no martial arts experience. That's kind of the worst case, because those folks will realize that the blocks they are being taught can't possibly work in the application they've been told, but don't have the martial arts knowledge to see alternative applications yet, so they conclude they're being taught rubbish. I suspect this is probably why many don't stick around that long. Those that make it a couple of grades in generally stay the long haul, because they're either patient enough or because they spot things. Or perhaps just because they're having fun.

"lied to" are pretty strong words!!

The lower block doesn't work!?! Then why have it in the curriculum?? Why teach it, or something similar??

Shindokan doesn't teach any blocks...not one; we receive/deflect said attack!! However, we've, in our curriculum, a "downward block", nonetheless, we don't teach it as a "block"; to do so would be very alien to us. Even in many of our Kata's that execute a "downward block", that technique quickly dies with our Bunkai's, in so much, that we never use the word "block".

The mechanics are what they are, as in the sense of direction, that movement is or/and can travel in a downward plane. What that movement is particularly doing, will vary from style to style and CI to CI.