Japgirl,

How does Roger judge who is worthy or not?
Sharon

Are you suggesting I throw my unworthy students out the window?
My dojo is 2 storeys up in a church hall.
I might have a little difficulty explaining that one.
The broken stained glass window, the bodies on the ground, some impaled on the railings below!!!


BTW, just how do the unworthy become the worthy?

There is a phrase that goes around in our dojo: "twice a week martial artist" some people only show up twice a week and don't bother to train at home and that's fine if they understand that this is all they will amount to: "a twice a week martial artist". But at the same time if they only show up once in awhile, and don't work hard or train at home and then they're arogant enough to complain that they aren't improveing, and can't win in sparring sessions and they ask why, that's not fair to the instuctors or the other students who barely miss a class and train at home as well.

No offense taken. What is Bf? I'm not familiar with that initial.

McSensei - your last post had me surpressing a burst of laughter at work that almost made my head pop.

back to serious:
I think there are 3 main philosophies...
- A Sensei looks at teaching as a job for money.
- A Sensei looks at teaching as the next level of their MA career.
- A Sensei does not distinguish teaching from their own training.

If someone can get sick of teaching but not get sick of training...perhaps they aren't ready to teach? I'm guessing.

Since teaching and learning are not restricted to the martial arts, if I may, I would like to add my pennies to the pot.

Related to work, you come to accept the idea of training, and retraining. You see it as investing in the person, but also something that strengthens/feeds into a larger entity. The workforce, the workplace, a community...the dojo? I very much enjoy training others...but they have to be receptive. It is a joy when you get that rare student who is quick, able, and becomes a dependable part of the whole. I enjoy giving and sharing, and the dynamic that is created and heightened energy that permeates a workplace when people are performing and happy.

Then you get the users. At some point, attrition/turn-over of workers/students and poor quality (bad attitudes) takes a toll on the trainer, and diminishes the larger group/entity.

I take one student at a time, and teach them everything I know. I have had great students, but after the past two, I have decided not to take on other students. 'Sick of teaching' really equates to 'sick at heart'...sick of being used.

bf=boyfriend
Sharon

YO its jpagirl. To answer the question ROger didn't learn in a class like most of us did. Roger's philosophy is that weapons should be used to protect people. Those that use weapons to harm are therefore are not worthy. His Master taught him that a weapon in any form to be used correctly, the user needs to be worthy. When one uses a weapon to harm not to protect, need to be stoped by any force nessecary. Don't throw people out windows unless your on the ground level.

16yr old guy who is sick of teaching kids and throws bald,fat ,middle aged,suburban guys out windows for not being worthy. Now I see what martial arts are all about.