Sensei Dave Lowry of SMAA Tells Martial Arts Students to Ask Questions
Michimich.com/10300778

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michimich -- Do you think about the "why" of each move when you practice your art?

You may be worried that it's disrespectful to question your Sensei's teachings. However, asking questions about your art isn't disrespectful, and any Sensei worth the title will be happy to explain the how and why of your art!

In this article, Sensei Dave Lowry will tell us in his own words why it's important to ask questions when you study martial arts:

At seminars, while the group is working on some exercise I have given, I sometimes will go to a pair of practitioners, stop them, and ask "Why are you doing it that way?" The answer to this is critical.

"I'm doing it this way because my teacher told me to."

If you are a beginner, if you have perhaps six or seven years in training, this is absolutely an acceptable answer. Students at this level do not need to know all or even many of the whys of their art. Indeed, "knowing" too much of these whys can actually be an impediment to training at their level. Knowing something intellectually and "knowing" it with your body, at an instinctive, somatic level, are two very different things in the budo. This is consistent with the thoughts of the neo-Confucian philosopher Wang Yang-Ming (In Japanese, he's known as Oyomei), who said that "To know and not to act is not yet to know." Few dojo inhabitants are more irritating than the beginner budoka who "understands" all the theories and can explain them in detail, but who can't "do" squat.

More on Michimich.com

• Easton & Easton, LLP Files Suit Against The Dwelling Place Anaheim & Vineyard USA Over Abuse Allegations
• AI Visibility: The Key to Beating Google's AI Overviews and Regaining Traffic
• Stuck Doing Math or Figuring Out Life's Numbers? Calculator.now Makes It Stupidly Simple
• Colbert Packaging Announces WBENC Recognition
• DivX Empowers Media Enthusiasts with Free Expert Guides for Advanced MP4 Management

If, however, you are a more senior student, at perhaps fourth or fifth dan, with maybe fifteen or twenty years of experience, then the reply that "I'm doing it this way because my teacher told me to" is, frankly, not an adequate one. Your answer should not be the same answer as that of the beginners.

Read the full article on SMAA's website: https://www.smaa-hq.com/articles/article/the-im...

Join Like-Minded Artists at an International Martial Arts Association

If you're looking for an international martial arts association dedicated to preserving the authentic Japanese arts, you're in the right place!

SMAA offers certification in authentic aikido, iaido, judo, jujutsu, and karate-do. If you're interested in becoming a member, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here: https://www.smaa-hq.com/contact

More on Michimich.com

• Assent Expands Executive Team to Accelerate Global Growth & Innovation
• The World's Largest Green Economic Revolution Emerges as Nature, Tech, and Finance Converge
• Vinnetwork Unveils Decentralized AI Platform with Vinnetwork(VIN) Token to Challenge Tech Giants' Data Monopoly
• Centennial Flyers to Become Colorado's First Launch Customer for All-Electric B23 Energic Aircraft
• Pyro Marketing Opens New Digital Marketing Company in Saint Petersburg to Power Growth for Fitness and Ecommerce Brands

About Shudokan Martial Arts Association: SMAA was founded in January 1994 by a group of martial artists concerned with promoting and safeguarding Nihon budo and koryu bujutsu—the traditional martial arts and ways of Japan. For more information, visit https://www.smaa-hq.com/about