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Old 10-18-2006, 04:27 PM   #21
ChrisMoses
Dojo: TNBBC (Icho Ryu Aiki Budo), Shinto Ryu IaiBattojutsu
Location: Seattle, WA
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 927
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Re: Where is the line drawn?

Quote:
Luc Saroufim wrote:
then what about kata? we share our mat space with a TKD school, and it's all about the kata. if your knowledge of kata is based on memorization and physical ability, then it is absolute and finite, is it not? out of principle, a Sensei will never admit this, but it makes you wonder.

if you tell someone that he/she will never truly, ever learn this art, would it motivate them? would it hurt their ego? we're told that this is how we should think, but i'm wondering how many people are actually willing to humble themselves to that point...
As someone who studies a kata based art, I'd say that there are certainly shades of 'knowing' a kata. There's knowing the footwork and basic movments, there's being able to visualize the opposite side (if solo waza), there's the ability to explain uchi and soto meanings of the waza, then there's just the depth of 'knowing' that comes from working the same kata thousands of times over the course of decades. Same thing is true for aikido waza. I think some people get too into showing how incredibly humble they are, to the point that it comes back around to a kind of arrogance. Best to just be honest with yourself about what you know and how deeply you know it. There's no such thing as a truely empty cup, best just to make sure there's room enough for more.
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