The Generation Gap

During weapons class, I always like to go around class to practice with every student so that I get to examine closely how well they are doing, and that they get to feel my moves being my partner.

I was about to start a paired exercise with a student.  The moment we crossed our jos (wooden staffs) in the center, I felt a forceful sideway push from the student's jo.  

"Relax.  Don't push on me.  Just point your jo at me through the center." I reminded the student.

She did ease off a little, but she was still pushing.  

"You are still pushing.  You don't need to push me.  Just focus on your own jo.  Don't push." I repeated.  Yet, the pressure remained.

"I am not pushing.  I really am not pushing!" the student pleaded.  

"Okay.  Let's try again.  Bring your jo up."  As the jos crossed, I removed my jo suddenly.  Without me countering her force, the student's jo flew way off.  

"You see what happened?  This is what I meant by you pushing against me."  I pointed at the position of her jo.  "It might appear to you that you were at the center, but, actually, you were never there.  Instead, you had always been off center."

"I swear: I really was really not pushing . . . "   

"We all have been there: I understand that you think you were no pushing.  But you were.  I can sympathize with you because I have done the same thing before, and I could feel your push just now.  I am telling you this so that you get to learn that: even though you thought you were not pushing, what you did already constituted a push.  That push can lead you to a place you really do not want to be.

Arguing with me does you no good.  As an instructor, I better know things that you do not know.  And this is one of those things.  What I am telling you is new information.  You may choose to ignore me and defend your position.  But what does that give you?  On the other hand, if you choose to take this new information in and think about how to modify your movement, you may eventually learn to stay in the center without pushing.  That is how you make progress."

I am grateful that we have students who are open-minded and have good attitude.  Having said that, this kind of conversations really makes me feel old . . .