Formal, tradition, art, system – respect or no

[little-looper]

Re:

quote \”SexyBaldMan\:

You bow in and out of KM class? Interesting!

I see I am not alone in feeling the same way about TMA. I think back now and realize that it almost was cult like to be in a TMA. Bow upon enterein, bow before leaving and shouting Sayanora (SP). I do believe that my TMA training has helped give me an excellent base for my techniques.

We bow before class begins and at the end of the class just like they do at the NTC in Los Angeles. The only thing we don’t do like LA is bow to Imi.

[kravmdjeff]

Nick-great articulation of the difference between respect, formality, and tradition.

As a history major I came to realize that tradition plays a major role in forming how people view what they’re involved in. Very few things are truly original. From what little I’ve been able to read, Imi Lichtenfeld set a precedent for all Krav Maga practitioners to follow-a tradition. It’s a tradition of adaptability, problem-solving, commitment to the protection of those who can’t protect themselves, and integrity as practitioners and teachers.

Respect, from a student’s perspective, should be an assumption from the get-go. Any student who does not show respect to the learning environment, and the people within, are not really there to learn. Respect from the instructor’s perspective, should be seen as something derived from one’s actions and expertise, not a positional title or inherited ancestry.

As an aside, I think that the formality and the \”yes-sir\” is good for kids. Any adult who needs to call me sir to learn respect is already way off the beaten path.

[kravjeff]

Well put.

While synonymous, I find deference to be a better word than respect. To me it better articulates \”to hold in high esteem\” which should be applied to all instructors, at least initially. From there, either respect devleops based on actions and expertise as KravMDJeff said, or you move on to another instructor …

$0.02
8)

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