Learning To Learn - Part 2: Don't Re-invent the Wheel!

They say “what’s old is new again”. I guess that is true in a way. More correctly though, what is consistently true remains so regardless of culture and time. The benefits of this principle are evident in almost all areas of life. Whether you are an engineer, writer, politician, or a martial artist, we all build on the shoulders of those who came before us. In order to do that well, we have to know what came before us and understand the motivations and means of those who created it. We don’t use wooden wheels on cars today. They worked well on carts and buggies when they were used, but now we have wheels and tires that are designed specifically for our needs. Is it still a wheel? Absolutely. Does it change with the needs of time and culture? Of course it does! The real question is, should we throw it away and start over?

Hold the phone, are we still talking about martial arts? YES! Many times, over the centuries, someone has come along who claims to have the “newest and best” martial art. Most recently, the revolution of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has been sweeping the world. However, if you look closely, you will find that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has its roots in Japanese Jiu Jitsu, Judo, catch wrestling, and pankration. There really isn’t anything new about it. The only difference is the way it is applied as a sport and with current clothing and technology. You see, none of us can really invent a new fighting art unless either the human body changes, or some particular type of technology (like personal shielding from Dune) is introduced. What that means is that we need to be prepared to look back at the old ways with an open mind.

So often we start to learn something, and then we decide that we can either “figure it out” or we believe that we have some special insight that will make us more effective than the previous practitioners. We need to be real with ourselves though. The people that came before us have spent years of their lives and probably significant amounts of their money investigating and practicing the martial arts. Let’s take Taekwondo for example. It is commonly known as a less combative style of martial arts. In fact, many people see it as more of a sport than a martial art. Does that make it invalid? That depends on what you are trying to learn from it. If you are wanting to work on flexibility, foot dexterity, and kicking speed, you’ve come to the right place! If, on the other hand, you are looking for self defense training, you may need to look carefully at which school you attend. Looking at the history of Taekwondo, it is founded in Shotokan Karate along with some more esoteric Korean skill sets. Because of the political ambitions of its founders, Taekwondo was pushed to become more sportive early on in the style’s history. However, if you read the original Taekwondo manuals, you will find a very different art from what is presented at the Olympics. If you find an instructor who knows and accepts this foundation, you will very likely learn good self-defense.

If you were to start from scratch and develop your own martial art, you would (after many years and many bruises) come up with something that looks very similar to Karate, Muay Thai, Judo, or Krav Maga. Which one would depend entirely on your experiences and the intentions behind your development. Instead, why not start by practicing the one (or two) that already align most closely with your goals? You could spend years of your life deciding that elbows and knees are an effective means of close quarters combat. Then you could spend more years figuring out just how to set those strikes up and how to make them most powerful and efficient. Or, you could put yourself under the instruction of an experienced practitioner of an established art form and learn much more quickly from them.

The question now becomes, are you willing to accept wisdom from those that have come before you? This is where an attitude of humility can put you miles ahead of others in your area of study. Unfortunately, many of us don’t learn how to remain humble until we reach middle age. Some never do learn. If, however, your goal is to become skilled in the martial arts, you must first learn to put aside your pride and listen to those with more experience than you. When you do so, you will find that they are willing to share with you and that you learn much more deeply than you thought possible. Does that mean that everyone who wants to teach you will be a good instructor? No, it doesn’t. But if you come to each instructor both humbly and with intentional practice, you will find that most of the “bad” skills can be tested and discarded while you get to keep a lot more of the good material in a shorter time period. I hope that you find the best instructor possible on your journey. Whoever you find, start by giving them the benefit of the doubt, stay humble and listen closely. You may learn more than you ever expected!