Are You Training in a Silo?
“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.” — Robert M. Pirsig (1928 - 2017), Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
That is one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite authors from one of my favourite books. As a Kung Fu instructor it resonates well with me.
I am blessed with many good, dedicated students. Discipline and effort are not a problem for them. However, every student, no matter who they are, struggles with perspective when it comes to their learning. That perspective problem is well-represented by the Robert Pirsig quote above in that often they are too busy trying to learn Kung Fu to actually learn Kung Fu. Often the lesson right in front of them is lost because they are too busy trying to learn.
With any course of study there is the core curriculum. That curriculum is the actual concepts that are being taught. At Silent River Kung Fu, that core curriculum consists of the following seven concepts: 6 Harmonies (how your body works together), Keystone Principles (core basics such as stances, kicks, blocks, and strikes), Vocabulary of Motion (how efficiently you move), Traditional Tenets (theory and understanding of purpose), Wude (character), Dynamic Control, and Wuxin (applicability of skill). A syllabus is used to help convey the ideals of an intended curriculum.
Where students (and instructors) can go astray is when they become so focused on the syllabus, they can lose sight of the curriculum. There is a big difference between learning a syllabus and learning a curriculum. Focusing on the curriculum gives intent to the lessons being taught with the tools of the syllabus. Without that intent, the lesson loses context when the student focuses solely on the syllabus. We refer to this as ‘silo training’. Silo training is training without intent and becomes a frantic dedication to learning specific techniques instead of synergetic concepts. In Kung Fu we must always strive to master our style, not a bunch of individual techniques.
When we are working to earn the curricular stripes for our rank, it is important that we understand that every drill and every concept an instructor teaches, applies to every stripe of the curriculum. Students who think 6 Harmony training is only happening when they practice their forms are silo training.
Recognize the value of every lesson and apply what you learn in each lesson to all your knowledge. Synergetic training is the only path to mastery.
Jeff Brinker
