Joseph Madden

Training with an inexperienced student can be trying at times and even impossible. Some students don't care a wit about how you are supposed to perform a technique and will never grasp or want to grasp the technique. For these students some seniors choose to ignore them completely. This can be dangerous for the next junior unfortunate enough to train with this particular noob. The "technique" the noob feels they have grasped can be doubly dangerous for the next junior. These types of students quickly learn to leave the dojo before they get hurt by a senior not willing to put up with their level of training. Some people you just can't teach. This may be completely indicative of Western sensibilities although I'm sure it occurs in the East as well. Working with some senior students can be terrific if the senior student is not ego centric. If they are, learning from them can be a chore if you cannot place your own ego aside. My rule is work with anybody committed to building a relationship with you in the dojo who truly wants to learn. Learning how to tell the difference between those merely there to look cool and not caring about learning anything and those committed students is an art in itself, although you can usually tell the noobs from the boons.