Never Stop Learning

Somebody once sent me a link to a forum post where I'd been mentioned. Though I like the idea of forums i.e. an arena in which to share knowledge and ideas, they unfortunately tend to be inhabited by opinionated individuals, who like to make unsubstantiated declarations about instructors, techniques and systems (that they've never experienced or practiced). The post I'd been informed about was actually fairly accurate and well measured, and contained a strange criticism; that I'd trained with a lot of different Israeli instructors and trainers. I guess the writer was making the argument, that I should have found one teacher/instructor and set myself on the course of learning all they had to offer, before looking at other approaches and systems. It's a fair comment, and a valid point. However I disagree with it.  

Many martial arts instructors try and preach the message, that they are the only person that their students should train with and listen to (don't reda books, don't watch DVD's, don't train with anyone else ever etc), and it comes not from a desire to see their students progress but from a fear of losing them to somebody else or opening up the possibility of their students questioning them about their approach, and the solutions they suggest/provide. Self-Defense is a creative process. I believe this wholeheartedly, and to be creative you need to be exposed to new ideas and ways of doing things. These will help you gain new perspectives on the things you already know, and allow you to see other ways to deal with situations/problems. There is nothing wrong in disagreeing with another instructors approach or techniques etc. however this should be the result of questioning and testing your own approach. 

I have trained with many different Israeli Martial Artists and Krav Maga Instructors, and am glad that I did so; some of my instructors encouraged me to do so. Every instructor had an approach that they emphasized, whether it was to disengage, control or finish the aggressor etc. and each one of these angles and perspectives allowed me to understand the benefits and risks of these different approaches. Although many would say that you should always do this, and were quite dogmatic about whatever it was they were instructing me to do, I was always able to caveat always to be restricted to certain types of scenarios, where certain situational components were at play. being exposed to different ideas, gave me the ability to be more flexible in determining effective solutions to problems. 

Experience by it's own nature, is restricted to that of the individual. One instructor can tell you about their experiences however that doesn't mean that by default they apply to you. If your instructor is a 220 lb phenomenal athlete, and you are not, you need to judge whether their experiences of violence are directly applicable to you, and/or what they teach you is appropriate for you. If you can place their experiences in a landscape of others, you will be better able to understand where and how what they're teaching is appropriate for you. As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and the same is true of dealing with violence - nobody has the monopoly on either experiences and/or ideas (forums should be one area, where these can be discussed in a non-partisan way). 

This is one of the reasons I continue to bring some of the world's best martial artists, self defense and security experts to conduct seminars at my school. Just as I went out and trained with a variety of instructors, I believe in giving the same opportunity to my students. This approach I believe helps them become individuals who have a better understanding of violence, and allows them to have a variety of appropriate solutions to a lot of different situations. Training with other instructors will only increase your perspectives on violence, and allow you to see the solutions you already know, in their correct contexts and introduce you to others you may never have though about. The one thing we all have in common, whether we teach martial arts and/or practice martial arts is that we never stop being students and learning.