Empty your cup

[Jointlock]

Many times after class we ask the students what they learned in that class. For the beginner students they usually respond with the new techniques practiced that day or a new bit of history that they learned.

But if we don't work on any new techniques that day they have to really think hard and search for those little tidbits of infromation that may have came to them during class. Sometimes it might be a different twist to a particular technique, sometimes it might be realizing a major theory in self defense.

For instance tonight we did a type of free sparring with evading certain techniques and making counters. One of the white belt students realized that things arn't always going to work like we practice and you must flow into another technique without hesitation.

But if a student gets to a point where they feel that he/she didn't learn anything that day then they need to empty their cup. The cup symbolizes the amount of knowledge that the student can take in. Each class the student should come to class with an empty cup and ready to learn. If there is no room in their cup and they feel that they have nothing to learn then they may miss an important subtle lesson that just might allow something to make more sense.

Even teachers need to empty their cups when they come to class. Just because they're teaching the class doesn't mean that they can't learn something too. I have learned more than I ever imagined since I have started teaching. I had to learn how to explain the same technique so many different people could understand depending on the way that they learn. I discovered little things about techniques that I was already doing and didn't even realize it. But once again if the instructor thinks that he/she knows everything already then they have no room to learn something new.

Any thoughts?

[John_IHF]

Thats almost exactly what we do after each class we gather in a circle and ask what we learned from the art and what the art taught you about yourself. The Number one answers are usually Patients and Relax. But before we begin class we sit down and breath a few times deep breaths in and out from your "Don Jun" (center) allowing you to forget the day and think of nothing then what you are training on now. Clearing your mind of what happened 5 minutes of what just happened before you came into class and what happed at school work anything of that nature. If your mind is not sharp and is wandering on other things from the day You can get hurt or you can hurt someone else. Every day you learn somthing new no matter what. Weither you are just laying in bed you can be thinking "man it sure is boring just laying here" you have learned that laying in bed doing nothing is really boring. You learn somthing new everyday.

[Jointlock]

Ah yes thankyou John. I had forgotten to mention that we practice meditation before and after class. Not just to relax and prepare our mind and body for the up coming workout. But to get focused on the training and empty the cup.

[Thomas]

Very often we do the same. We relax and slow our hearts and practice breathing. We then think about what we did in class and mentally run through the new techniques... very reinforcing and relaxing. (Improves my memory)