Enlightenment
Though it has been about a week since the seminar with Brett Varnum, I did want to post some thoughts on my experience. It has been years since I last trained with a senior instructor of any kind. What I do remember was that a lot of these seminars were conducted by individuals who didn't really care about the individual student. What they cared about was how much money and brown nosing they were getting from those of ranks lower than themselves. God forbid they actually actively associate themselves with those common kyu ranks or first couple degree black belts. Now, people who know me understand that I appreciate the capitalistic side of any venture, and I certainly believe a senior instructor's seminar is worth top dollar, but if that is the only reason they are even teaching anymore, they have lost sight of the point in teaching.
Mark Twain said it best when he said that true happiness comes from finding something you would do for free, then find someone to pay you for it. When a person takes on the role of a martial arts instructor, their mind should be more on the teaching. If they are good at it, the money will follow.
The feeling of clear separation of instructor and student has been my experience with some (not all) of my seniors within the Bujinkan. For the last few months, I have been assured the opposite of the top practicioners of To-Shin Do (again, this is a system that comes from the Bujinkan) care about each person who cares enough to get involved in the art. When Mr. Varnum walked into the room Friday night, he either introduced himself to those of us who have not yet met him, or he greeted those he had met by name. By the end of the first night, he knew all of our names, and this really made us feel important.
Oh, but it gets better. Saturday night after the day's sessions we all met at Red Robin for dinner. When he arrived, he sat at a seat on the other side of the table from Mr. Stinson. I testify unto all who are reading this that this never, ever would have happened in the Bujinkan. In fact, the dinner itself would not have happened. As we dined, he entertained all of our questions. He was legitimately pleased by our hunger for the art. He is devoid of the pretentious behavior that plagues many martial arts organizations.
One of the many things I took away from the seminar was the overwhelming sensation that this man cares very much about how we as individuals progress through this system. He truly sees the Phoenix Quest Center is a part of his lineage. With Mr. Stinson as his personal student, we benefit from Mr. Varnum's attitude and teachings every day.
Another thing I took from this experience was a ninety minute dead arm. It turns out, when an arm doesn't want to bend a certain way and it is held at the threshold of breaking for more than three minutes straight, the nerves turn off. Then you get pins and needles for hours afterward. Totally worth it. It kinda looked like this (it's not me underneath, but I was in a very similar position):
Mark Twain said it best when he said that true happiness comes from finding something you would do for free, then find someone to pay you for it. When a person takes on the role of a martial arts instructor, their mind should be more on the teaching. If they are good at it, the money will follow.
The feeling of clear separation of instructor and student has been my experience with some (not all) of my seniors within the Bujinkan. For the last few months, I have been assured the opposite of the top practicioners of To-Shin Do (again, this is a system that comes from the Bujinkan) care about each person who cares enough to get involved in the art. When Mr. Varnum walked into the room Friday night, he either introduced himself to those of us who have not yet met him, or he greeted those he had met by name. By the end of the first night, he knew all of our names, and this really made us feel important.
Oh, but it gets better. Saturday night after the day's sessions we all met at Red Robin for dinner. When he arrived, he sat at a seat on the other side of the table from Mr. Stinson. I testify unto all who are reading this that this never, ever would have happened in the Bujinkan. In fact, the dinner itself would not have happened. As we dined, he entertained all of our questions. He was legitimately pleased by our hunger for the art. He is devoid of the pretentious behavior that plagues many martial arts organizations.
One of the many things I took away from the seminar was the overwhelming sensation that this man cares very much about how we as individuals progress through this system. He truly sees the Phoenix Quest Center is a part of his lineage. With Mr. Stinson as his personal student, we benefit from Mr. Varnum's attitude and teachings every day.
Another thing I took from this experience was a ninety minute dead arm. It turns out, when an arm doesn't want to bend a certain way and it is held at the threshold of breaking for more than three minutes straight, the nerves turn off. Then you get pins and needles for hours afterward. Totally worth it. It kinda looked like this (it's not me underneath, but I was in a very similar position):
posted by Aaron \m/ at 10:14 PM
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