Learning From Very Limited Sources

[XtremeTrainer]

Previously, in this other thread, I talked about Frederick Douglass and how he ended up becoming such a tremendous writer when what he learned about reading and writing he learned from very limited sources. He did not have a formal education and so he used what he had and did what he could to learn how to read and write. Sometimes he would give his food to white children and go hungry in exchange for them to teach him what they learned in school. Despite having such limited sources Frederick Douglass went on to become in my opinion one of the best writers in the history of writing. Anyway, in that same thread I also talked about the possibility of learning martial arts from very limited sources much like Frederick Douglass learned how to read and write from very limited sources. Now, its been said here that the best way to learn is not from limited sources but from regular good instruction from a good instructor and I agree but the thing is, what if a person only has access to very limited instruction? Much like the fictional character Daniel Larusso who, before Mr Miyagi took him under his wing, was limited to just learning from a book and some lessons he had at a YMCA. The story of Daniel Larusso is obviously pretend but in real life its possible for somebody who wants to learn martial arts to be very limited in their sources and to not have the benefit of good regular training under a good instructor.

[bushido_man96]

Is it possible? Sure. Is it the most desirable path to take? No. It will definitely be the longer and harder road to hoe, for sure. Its also tough to get to the heart of the nuances of things without an instructor.

As I said; can it be done? Sure. Should it be done that way? Not if it can be helped.

[sensei8]

With learning from very limited sources comes very limited knowledge. How ever, that would depend greatly on just what are those limited sources. The great thing is that those limited sources are geared for you and by you and afforded to you from wherever they might be, near and/or far.

If I had not decided to cross train, would that mean that my limited source from just Soke and Dai-Soke would've been a determent of my acquiring effective knowledge. Maybe. Depends on the individual/practitioner.

With learning from very great source comes unlimited knowledge, even if the source is limited.

Who's to truly determine that which is limited and that which is not?? The practitioner, I suppose!! It's not what you do with it, it's what you do not do with it.

Edited August 31, 2018 by sensei8

[XtremeTrainer]

As I said; can it be done? Sure. Should it be done that way? Not if it can be helped.

Well that's the point. While its most desirable to have regular good instruction from a good instructor it isn't always possible for everybody, depending on the person and their situation. If you're not fortunate enough to have a good regular instructor than you've got to be resourceful and use what you've got to the best of your ability.

[bushido_man96]

As I said; can it be done? Sure. Should it be done that way? Not if it can be helped.

Well that's the point. While its most desirable to have regular good instruction from a good instructor it isn't always possible for everybody, depending on the person and their situation. If you're not fortunate enough to have a good regular instructor than you've got to be resourceful and use what you've got to the best of your ability.

Yes, true. But not all success stories are created equal. Its nice to hear the stories of guys who started their own business in their basement bedroom and went on to make millions, but they are few and far between compared to the vast majority of more generic success stories. They just aren't as much fun to listen to.