I Can Tell Where You Come From by the Way That You Move

The more and more I watch other martial arts practitioners -- the more I realize that one can tell where someone comes from by the way that they move. When you're a dedicated student to one Sensei -- you tend to move like them. All the students under that instructor will tend to have the same approach to movement -- the students will look like they were cut from the same cloth. I don't mean an exact replica -- but there will be an underlying "sameness" a feeling, an approach in everything they do. Even those students that return after decades -- will have the same movement. Their bodies remember being cut from the same cloth.

I don't believe that the students realize it most of the time, but it's apparent to an outside observer.

If you ever go to seminars/clinics with other schools, often times other instructors will be able to tell which instructor you are a student of -- which lineage you belong to. If your instructor is well respected, you will be treated differently.

So what happens when you begin studying under multiple instructors? I don't mean taking clinics here or there. I mean active study under more than one teacher. Well, it affects the way you move. It kind of muddies everything together. Ever heard of the phrase "jack of all trades -- master of none"? You may end up learning more and knowing more techniques, but they won't be attached to anyone or anything -- there won't be a clean, clear, observable trace back to your Sensei. People won't be able to tell where you come from.

Is this bad? That's not for me to judge. Everyone is on their own path and makes their own choices. For me, I don't like it. For me it's a question of breadth versus depth. If you follow my posts at all, you should already know that I think the same fundamental principles are taught in all well rounded martial arts. So I don't think you need to go elsewhere to learn them -- it's just a matter of how much emphasis and time is placed on each in your own particular style. Nothing is new.

Back to my point -- when you are part of a dojo and then study outside of the dojo under multiple teachers -- others can tell. We can tell. When you come work out -- you move differently than the others. You stand out. You look  like you haven't found a Sensei to respect enough to follow, that you're forging your own path. That speaks volumes.

You probably don't mean to do it. You probably don't even realize that you are moving differently. For you -- you are excited about learning as much as you can from as many people as you can -- following the path your teacher laid out -- well just isn't that important.

Exposing students to other things is not bad -- at the right time, when they're able to tell the difference. If you're a higher rank, the lower ranks will copy you -- not knowing that you're creating a separate cloth than the one of your Sensei.