Have you ever stopped to think why, in all of our classes, we have multiple ranks mixed together?
Trust your instructors over the internet
Can I learn karate from videos/photos/some other online source?
It’s a question that comes up from time to time, especially as folks get excited about their next kata. The question is meant well, but the short answer is no.
The longer answer can be broken down into three main reasons.
- Courtesy. You’re meant to learn from your instructors. They’ve put in the work to learn the material and how to teach it, and bypassing them is discourteous of their efforts. You’re also conveying that you think you know better, or that you don’t trust them — neither of which fosters a positive dojo atmosphere.
But what if you think you might be ready to move on? Don’t demand to start the next kata — see above about trusting your instructors. You are, however, welcome to check in with an instructor about your progress.
(Remember, too, that learning a kata isn’t just about memorizing the moves; your instructors will work with you on polishing techniques before moving on to the next kata.) - Source. Where is that video/manual/photo from? Is it a reputable source that is within our style? Dojos vary in techniques, even within Shorin-ryu Karate, and you may not be able to tell if you’ve got the right variant of a kata. For example, there are a lot of videos out there called passai (one of our black belt kata), but many of them are quite different than ours. If you learn the wrong version? Awkward.
- Interpretation. There are a lot of videos with different perspectives on how and why certain things are done. They aren’t necessarily wrong, but you may not yet be equipped to assess and analyze which ones are a good fit for our dojo. In short, there’s a chance you will learn something you’ll only have to unlearn.
