How to express thanks to the sensei,while still feeling the acquired learning you just experienced

Discussion in 'Aikido' started by Greetings!, Dec 1, 2017.

  1. Greetings!

    Greetings! Valued Member

    How to express thanks to the sensei, while still maintaining your kinesthetic knowledge that the sensei has just imparted to you at that moment? That is, how to bow to the teacher without losing your “in the zone” learning experience?


    Greetings everyone!

    Some of you maybe recall my name. It was about 3 years ago, I started studying the wonderful martial art of Aikido. The first two years I took Aikido with our local Parks and Recreation department. It was during this time that I would occasionally post questions on Aikido on MAP, and some of you very kindly informatively responded to me. Although the instructor of this Parks and Recreation Aikido class seemed to be a proficient Aikido teacher, because we only met one time per week, I don’t think that I progressed as much as I would have liked to. That particular teacher discontinued teaching for the Parks and Recreation Center exactly 1 year ago. I then immediately afterward joined another dojo in my area that is highly revered. This dojo actually holds classes every day of the week (different instructor for each class), which I make a point to attend at least a few classes a week. I realize now that I am progressing much more so in the last year by going to more than one class per week, as compared to what I previously did with the Parks and Recreation Aikido class (only one class per week). Therefore, I really only consider myself as studying Aikido for only one year’s time now, albeit, just for the last year. That being said, …

    Our head Sensei for our dojo that I now attend is a wonderful, cordial Japanese man, who teaches 3 classes per week, which I try to attend all of his classes. This man is obviously very skilled and fluid in Aikido. Sensei treats all of we students very cordially on, as well as off, the mat. We, likewise, treat him with kindness and respect, just as we should. Thus, I am very personable to sensei on, as well as off the mat, just as I should be. It is also reciprocated by my warm Sensei.

    As you are aware, if a Sensei helps you in class, you are then supposed to bow to, or somehow thank, the Sensei immediately afterward.

    Sensei will often times come over to each of we students, as we are practicing with each other, and make helpful corrections to our technique. Or, he may from time to time, if we do not have a partner, lightly grab us to work with us one-on-one, for us to do the technique to him. Afterward, he either gives great feedback to us, or demonstrates further, or gives us some kind of wonderful advice.

    It is at that moment that I am then absorbing the wonderful advice or feedback that Sensei has just given to me. Thus, I am “in the zone”, taking in, or digesting what he has just shared with me at that moment. However, if I, instead, think inside my head that I am to "Thank Sensei.”, I then need to step out of my learning experience (which unfortunately has not yet completed itself yet), and thank Sensei. Sensei, likewise, warmly bows back to me as well. As he is walking away I try to get back into that wonderful learning experience he had just parted to me moments before, and I realize that I have lost it. I can’t get back into what I was feeling moments before I had decided to step out of the experience and thank or bow to Sensei.

    Thus, if it was otherwise deemed OK, in regard to when Sensei works with me one-on-one, and I am then absorbing what he has said or done to me, I would have preferred that immediately afterward not to speak or bow to him, but to instead, just be quiet and stay with my new, learning experience, and continue to absorb it for the next minute or so before I then finally allowed myself to become social.

    Otherwise, to say it again, immediately after Sensei has helped me, by me following the protocol of immediately thanking Sensei afterward, I then step out of my “quiet zone” to, instead, cerebrally express to him thank you, to then find that I have unfortunately drifted away from my otherwise helpful kinesthetic learning experience that I was previously absorbing.

    Does anyone have any suggestions to me?

    Thank you very much, everyone.

    Take good care,
    Greetings!
     
  2. Thomas

    Thomas Combat Hapkido/Taekwondo

    My advice would be to speak with your instructor. Let him know how you feel and tell him that you are not being 'disrespectful' by turning immediately to work (instead of giving a quick bow) but that you are trying to practice it immediately. I would also make sure to express my thanks at the end of class.

    That said, sometimes you have to follow the norms of the class... is giving a quick bow and 'thank you' really interrupting your training that much? Or, does the instructor really mind and is he OK with a general 'thank you' at the end of class? Best bet - speak to your instructor.

    For me, as a student, I have no problem with a quick bow and thank you before practicing. As an instructor, I really don't see it as necessary and would prefer the student to get to work instead... so again... depends on your instructor! :)
     
  3. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Firstly, you're instructor is a person, not a benevolent god. Nice though they probably are. Really freaks me out when people talk about others like they are Jesus Christ incarnate. :p

    Secondly, if taking half a second out of your life to say "thank you" throws you off that much, you may have ADHD. I can't imagine that taking the time to say thank you would put you at such a mental imbalance that you couldn't remember what was said or done seconds before.
     
  4. Knee Rider

    Knee Rider Valued Member Supporter

    God. Mate. Your post made me laugh my nuts off.

    Dude just if you are losing the input that quickly I think your teacher needs to be spending a bit more time imparting his wisdom and exploring the technique with you as it's likely that - through no likely fault of your own - you haven't really got it. I'd say to make the most of the attention and ask questions and get reps in there and then. If your body is learning it then that's the key. No intellectual musing can replace that (although the mind has its time and place in driving the process).

    You make it sound like you are all floating about on mescaline, dressed in robes leaning adoringly on the philosophical koans of a wizened, diminutive, elder :D
     
    Thomas, Dead_pool and David Harrison like this.
  5. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    How do I get my students to revere me like that?

    Just getting them to refer to me as something other than "Oi!" would be nice :D
     
  6. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Oi? Oooh! Get you and your fancy students.....
     
  7. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    When I get direct feedback I have to think about a few seconds, I just do that and thank afterwards.
    I can only speak for my teachers, but by the way I look at that moment, they notice right away, that I am thinking about what they said and they usually wait a few seconds, until I have clear if there is a follow-up question or not.
    But I also don't need a minute for that, just a few seconds to repeat it again in my head and make sure, I understood the point and mechanics and not the look of it at best.

    Also: Usually my teachers stay at my side a moment to check, if I really a) understood and b) can implement what they just corrected or showed me. So I have to do whatever at least once more, with them looking at the details.
    I don't think any of my teachers or instructors I met only showed something and than just move on, without checking, if I did it at the very least better than before.


    Grab them, hurt them (more) and they also might call you "ouch" a lot.
    Or "Please, no" :rolleyes:
     
  8. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Long term, it's more important to say thanks to your sensei, then the difference it would make saving the five seconds it takes to say it/ bow etc.

    Budo starts and ends with respect, _ kip
     
    Travess and Giovanni like this.
  9. Giovanni

    Giovanni Well-Known Member Supporter

    it's an aikido thing. just bow and then go on with your practice.
     
    Dead_pool likes this.
  10. Greetings!

    Greetings! Valued Member

    Thomas, Pretty in Pink, Knee Rider, David Harrison, Hannibal, Latikos, Dead Pool, Giovanni,

    I greatly appreciate all of your input.

    I think that Latikos can somewhat relate to me in that he writes, if I can please re-post again,

    “When I get direct feedback I have to think about a few seconds, I just do that and thank afterwards.
    I can only speak for my teachers, but by the way I look at that moment, they notice right away, that I am thinking about what they said and they usually wait a few seconds, until I have clear if there is a follow-up question or not.
    But I also don't need a minute for that, just a few seconds to repeat it again in my head and make sure, I understood the point and mechanics and not the look of it at best.

    Also: Usually my teachers stay at my side a moment to check, if I really a) understood and b) can implement what they just corrected or showed me. So I have to do whatever at least once more, with them looking at the details.
    I don't think any of my teachers or instructors I met only showed something and than just move on, without checking, if I did it at the very least better than before.”



    Latikos, I agree with your first paragraph in the above, in that I don’t need a full minute either to be able to digest the new learning that was just kindly parted to me by Sensei. I guess that I was just using the phrase, “I need a minute …”, colloquially. Like yourself, I probably only need about, say, 5 seconds or so for the experience to sink into my brain and body. But, by that time, Sensei has already packed up and begun walking away from me, onward to help the next student, and, although as I have repeatedly stated that Sensei is a very cordial man, I am assuming that he is probably expecting a bow to come his way from me as he is at the same time walking away from me.

    As others have also stated, all of we class students, as well, also bow to our Sensei at the beginning of class, at the end of class, and after a group demonstration.

    Anyway, everyone’s comments above were helpful. So, please accept my gratitude and thanks to you now, so that I can now, right at this moment, spend much more than 5 seconds on further absorbing and digesting them, uninterrupted. :)

    The best to all. Take good care everyone,

    Greetings
     
  11. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Sounds like you have a fragile working memory - the information you are holding about what you are learning is being lost by the stress of switching from learning mode to formal respect mode in your head.

    - Personal I would concentrate on the learning rather than on the formal respect in the moment. your teacher is there to teach, you are there to learn. the greatest respect you can show is to pay attention and learn.

    There are other ways to show that you respect your teacher - always turn up 5 minutes early to class. help set up the class. help clear away the class. be engaged with the class and with other students. Thank the teacher after the session. all of this is as important if not more important than the formal motions of etiquette.
     

Share This Page