Do You Want to Learn Quality or Do You Want to Learn Quickly?

martial arts forms May 28, 2008

I'm reading a great book -- American Shaolin by Matthew Polly. He went to China to study kung-fu at the Shaolin Temple. The book is a very interesting account of his adventure.

The Shaolin monk who "drew the short straw" and had to teach Matthew his first form didn't act as if teaching the American was a chore. It's funny to read about the monk going through ten moves of the form then stopping, trying to remember the next move. He sheepishly told Matthew that he hadn't taught the form in a while.

The monks at the Shaolin Temple don't think a lot of Americans. The monks spend 6 months to a year practicing basic moves over and over before they learn their first form. Americans, they believe, don't have the patience to become really good at a technique or a form before moving on.

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar. Anyone? Bueller?

There is a quote attributed to a Taijiquan master, who used to ask his students, "Do you want to learn quality or do you want to learn quickly?"

You can't have both. If you learn quickly, you lose quality.

Americans want to learn the next form before they become good at the form they just studied, according to the monks. And we know it's true, don't we? The monks also believe Americans are no good at kung-fu. Perhaps this is why.

We all need to slow it down, don't we? What good is knowing 5 tai chi forms, or 5 hsing-i forms, or 5 bagua forms if you can't do any of them properly?

This would take a radical shift in perspective and attitude for most Americans to adopt it. But it's a good idea, and it has given me a lot to think about.

Quality, not quantity is the key, Grasshopper.

I highly recommend "American Shaolin" by Matthew Polly to all martial artists.

--by Ken Gullette

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