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Old 02-20-2013, 04:22 PM   #13
mrlizard123
Dojo: Templegate Dojo
Location: Bristol
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 129
United Kingdom
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Re: The Harmlessness of Humor

Quote:
Mary Malmros wrote: View Post
Hi Matthew,

While in general I agree with you on the subject of humor, and also on the distinction between practice and deadly situations, and while I don't agree with statements like "this is deadly serious" (said in reference to martial arts practice) as literal truth, I do agree with what many I think instructors are trying to get at when they say that. It's shorthand; you can call it sloppy use of language, if you want, and I won't disagree, but "if you can put yourself in the mindset that this is a real situation, that you have one chance to get it right and fatal consequences if you don't, your practice will improve; if, on the other hand, you clown around and treat the weapon like a toy, your chances of getting to that point are pretty damn low" is a bit cumbersome, wouldn't you say?
Agreed.

The longer speech also cuts unnecessarily into instruction and training time.

Training as if you have one chance at living or dying in each technique is approximately how I would interpret it. I've heard variations of the phrase from various instructors and see it as simply an exhortation to apply oneself to the training with commitment.

Last edited by mrlizard123 : 02-20-2013 at 04:23 PM. Reason: italics

Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile
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