Art Form Responsibility - - Chief Instructor's Blog January 2013

In our Club there are two aspects of art form responsibility that are critical to growing in the art form and becoming a martial artist.

The first aspect of art form responsibility is taking ownership of learning the art form and the second aspect is the responsibility of the use of the art form.

Ownership of the Art Form

As a White Belt, the Instructor of that class takes primary responsibility to ensure you have the information to test.

Once you leave the Beginner’s Class and enter the Intermediates Class, the responsibility is primarily on the student. What we mean by that is if you miss classes where training was provided appropriate for you (based on your skill set and experience) it is your responsibly to seek that information out from a Certified Instructor, Senior Instructor, or the Chief Instructor. Appropriate also means you are ready to learn new information because you have gained appropriate proficiency in the techniques and forms you have been taught to date.

If you are not sure, or need extra guidance or clarity, it is your responsibly to ask the questions. Just note that, with limited class time, we may ask that you wait until after normal class times to further discuss any questions or to receive personal guidance.

Many of the Instructors, including myself, are available outside class hours. To schedule time with me, please contact me through email.

Use of the Art Form

Learning the art form takes discipline, focus, and perseverance. With learning the art form comes great responsibility in the usage of the art form. The skills you learn in the Club can cause bodily harm and severe damage. This skill should only be used when you feel threatened and you feel you have no other alternative.

In the moment it actually might be easier to use your skill to end a scenario where you are upset or irritated, but this is not the intent of martial arts. It takes more discipline and focus at times to not use it and be patient and in control of yourself as opposed to blasting someone that cut you off, got in your way, yelled at you, etc.

That same patience, focus and discipline you use to learn martial art techniques is the same patience, focus and discipline you need to ensure you use the skills taught to you only when absolutely necessary. .

Regards,
Kelly

"He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty." ~ Lao-Tzu (6th century BC), philosopher of ancient China, and best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching