Visiting Other Schools

I don't know whether it's unique or not -- but I've been a one-dojo-girl during my entire time in the martial arts. I've never felt the need to look elsewhere for training -- as I've always trusted in my instructor's teachings, otherwise I wouldn't be his student. Being still a student, I never felt it was up to me to decide where my training should and/or shouldn't go -- I don't know enough nor have trained long enough to make those decisions -- which is why I have to trust in my instructor's guidance. What ever my instructor felt I should be working on -- is what I felt I should be working on. No question.

That's why it's strange to me, very uncomfortable really, when my fellow dojo mates talk about wanting to go and train at other dojos with other instructors -- as if they're missing out on some new secret technique or magical way of moving. I have a few issues with this...

1. You are not an individual. I don't believe in visting other dojo's or training with other instructors without the permission of your instructor. Why? When you become a student of someone -- you are no longer operating as an individual. You represent your school and your instructor. If your instructor is highly ranked at all and well known -- you run the serious risk of tarnishing their reputation if you approach another dojo or instructor incorrectly. Also -- what does it say about the amount of respect you carry for your own instructor's teaching if you approach another instructor on your own for training.
2. There are no secret techniques -- and if there were, you wouldn't be shown them as a casual student who shows up every once in awhile. The concepts in the martial arts are very similar to eachother regardless of the art you are studying. Study your art. Look deeply, everything you need to know is there. Trust in your instructor's guidance. If you are the kind of student that is impatient and is always looking to learn a "new" technique or "something new" --- chances are your technique isn't very good to begin with. Nothing is really new -- it's all variations on fundamental concepts that you should be working at.
3. Loyalty. I have difficulty writing about this one -- because you either have it or you don't. If you don't feel loyalty towards your instructor who shows up every class, rain or shine, sick or healthy, injured or not -- just to pass on their knowledge to you -- then I cannot help you. You may be this kind of person, and you may be nice and my friend and my training partner -- but you will never have my respect nor my trust.

So, in short -- if you feel the need to take over your own training (and qualified to do so) -- you either haven't found a good Sensei or you're the kind of person that I don't want to know -- not because you're not a good person. But because your techniques probably aren't at the level they should be -- and you're not patient enough to walk the real path of training. This leads to injury and a disrespect for your teachers and your training partners -- and frankly I don't feel safe training with you.