I have a couple students in my dojo who are notorious, unrepentant thieves. In other words, they have learned the key method used by sharp students to study martial arts.
There is an old admonition that students should steal their teacher’s techniques, and there’s another saying that “steal with your eyes.” Careful observation is everything. In the east, for the first several years, students are expected to observe and imitate. There is less emphasis on asking questions and receiving explanations, with students left to train their eyes to see everything they can. (Think Pai Mei in Kill Bill, Vol. 2.)
This emphasis is maddening for western students who tend to be less patient. All of our schooling is based on the idea of understanding information rather than simply imitating it. There’s a lot to be said for the independent thinking of the western model, but that mindset will frustrate learners stepping into the eastern pedagogy. In American educational institutions, everything will be put on the table as quickly as you can comprehend. It is given freely. But in the dojo, you aren’t given anything. You have to take it, reaching out with your eyes and snatching everything you can.
Sometimes my students ask me about something I did, and sometimes it’s something I didn’t even know that I did. Sometimes, I was doing something I told them not to do and I have to admit “sensei was wrong.” I love those moments. They tell me that I’m raising the next generation of master-level thieves! And, I have students who think enough of me to watch me closely. What a tremendous compliment. I do my best to deserve it.
Now who took my wristwatch? Seriously, guys, you know that’s not what I meant. This isn’t funny anymore…
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