So, we've all seen this headline throughout the year announcing seminars with instructors that have just returned home from their trips. Here's my question for everyone: Thinking back on your previous training trip to Japan. If you were scheduled to teach a seminar upon your return what would you teach? How would you teach it? What would you consider key points distilled from the week or two of training that would need to be taught/shown?
Personally I think one should refrain from doing "too many" seminars because of a trip or two to Japan. Better to study what one learnt for a good while and do a seminar whence it has settled into ones structure so to speak. Even then, only holding seminars if one has something new and meaningful to share. In short, I would teach those things I believe I have a good feeling for (OMG I used the "f"-word) regardless of if I practised it on my last trip or not. The expectation might be high for the "latest" stuff but I think one would only be fooling everyone, including oneself. Best Regards / Skuggvarg
I have to agree with Mr Skuggvarg here. Too many people will immediately hold seminars upon returning from Japan. Often these are advertised as "get all the latest information on this year's theme" etc. Seriously though, these people must be uber-prodigies. The vast majority return from Japan trips scratching their heads and trying to understand what they saw. It's usually a long time later before the lessons start to seep through. So how can these people be teaching what they just learned? I mean, when I have come back from my trips, I've usually just put on a slightly extended normal session for my own group and any locals to review some rough ideas of what we saw or to pass on some of the stories and anecdotes etc. And it's a normal session cost. Call me Mr Cynic but I think that a high percentage of them do this purely to recoup the costs of the trip. /me hunkers down and prepares for incoming fire
Ok...Ok... I mean what would YOU teach. It's booked, you're on...What do you teach? Maybe you agree with trying to regurgitate what you've just 'learned'. Ok. You still have a seminar to do...What do you teach. How do you do it?
Ok, so on your last trip what were those ideas? How did you try to pass them on? Did you try to recreate the techniques done while training or did you create something new to teach it?
not for me, i am going just to learn, might share a bit of info but its to make me better not to profit off others (did i just say that?? ) I think there are too many seminars at the moment, every man and his dog wants to do them, soon as someone gets a 10th Dan they start doing seminars why? we have enough high ranking people in the UK. Its about the money, thats all, money grabbing greedy profiteerers. just my 2p
From my post in the Chocolate Chip Kuki's thread. I'd therefore teach Sanshin no Kata, Kihon Happo etc. But maybe I'd use them to bring up points that were raised in Japan? EDIT - This probably answers your separate question too from above?
Keikai said:- Let's look at that from the opposite perspective. Maybe it's about the high-ranking people wanting to maintain their monopoly on teaching seminars and being seen as the emissary or the profit...sorry, prophet... to bring back the teachings? I'm not saying that everybody does this, not by a long shot. But I do know a few people who think this way.
I dont see it that way, people like Sven just do seminars when they are asked to, like Andy Young, he's always around if you want him, its the ones who find the need to do 3 - 4 huge seminars a year, in 4 years i have done a 1 day with Norm and a 2 day with Sven and i think thats enough, i prefer my guys to experience other places and people not just me and Norm. Definately.
I can everyone's point of view, but what I have enjoyed so much is that until the end of last year I had had the choice of about 4 seminars a year, all with the same teacher (Brian McCarthy), whereas now I can go and train with lots of great people, from Lowdans to Highdans, which is how I have met some of you this year. As long as seminars don't clash with each other too often I am all for the more the merrier, but I agree that they should not be for money or ego or networking to form alliances that are unhealthy to the Bujinkan Organisation in one particular country or region. Is there that much difference between teaching what you've just learned in Japan to your regular students than teaching it to a larger group?
I think that's a good question Elfie. For example, when I come back, I'm at a loss to work out most of what I've seen as are the students who came with me. So we really just get together and show a few scraps in an almost-standard training session. What we don't do however is claim to have gone out into the wilderness and brought back the teachings (which we probably don't really get anyway), charging a fortune in the process. But you're right on your other point too. I think it's brilliant that we have the choice of so many seminars that we could attend.
this thread makes me wonder .... are these annual 2 week trips to Japan really a good idea? are they worth it? seems to me like two weeks is way too short to gain much ........ (in any martial art, not just ours) ......... and how do you know that when you come back you really know what you are doing? How can you be sure you're not just bringing back half-complete ideas and then practicing bad habits .... and your own "innovations" to fill in the gaps? wouldn't it be better to find a teacher who has done SERIOUS time in Japan .... like 5 years at least, preferably 10 years ..... and then become that person's full time student????
Elftengu, You seem like a nice bloke, but there is something that people aren't telling you......Brian McCarthy is NOT in the Bujinkan. Nor has he been for I think 8 years or more now. He still calls himself BBD (Bujinkan Brian Dojo) but has nothing to do with the Bujinkan. You really need to do some seminar's with people who are actually in the Bujinkan!!! You really need to check this out dude as I think someone has been telling you porkies.
George, he knows mate, he's been back with the Bujinkan since July and he knows all about McCarthy's llama, that's why he left. Watch the language Norm and pay attention to the ToS. I did, that's why i put stars in place of letters, are we not allowed to do that either??, getting more PC every day!!!!
Sorry Irish, what I should have said was that until December 2006 I was a member of the BBD (4 years) although I have been involved with the mainstream Bujinkan on and off since 1986. I knew when I joined the BBD that it wasn't Bujinkan but there was nothing else in Brighton except Genbukan which I couldn't afford at three times the price of a BBD class, so I stuck with the BBD until I found a Bujinkan dojo 25 miles up the road which I couldn't have joined until 3 years ago anyway as I only passed my bike test then and wouldn't have been able to get there. As Norm says, there is b******* in the BBD but they do toughen you up and get you fit which I did need when I first joined. Now I'm in the Bujinkan I can keep my 'let's have it' attitude but at least learn the real deal from people close to the source, and my taijutsu has been 'unlocked' as my teacher puts it, which I wanted all along. So basically I was limited to Brian McCarthy Seminars because they're pretty much all there are in the BBD, but now I can go where I like because I'm a card carrying institutionalised Boojer! At least I didn't find out like a certain Maltese chap!
I've been back since last December, it was my 'mystery guest' at your birthday bash who has been a more recent convert.
