Thread: underestimated
View Single Post
Old 11-16-2005, 01:17 PM   #11
MaryKaye
Dojo: Seattle Ki Society
Location: Seattle
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 522
Offline
Re: underestimated

My other word of advice: if you are willing to learn from your juniors and peers, and your rank-mates are not, it's very likely you will eventually surpass them. As you say, there is a lot to be learned from lower-ranked students, so you are getting a better "education" than they are. It may help to think of this when they are annoying you.

I learned a ton about the kneeling pin from kotagaeshi from an eight-year-old green belt, because I was so impressed that a tiny child (he is really small for his age) could nail me to the mat that I had to find out how he did it. So I just have access to more good teachers than the people who think that kids are beneath their notice. It's the same for you.

Mary Kaye
  Reply With Quote