One day I was reading a comment on the blog, and someone referred to Conan as “Our Sensei”. This phrase struck me as odd because we would never refer to any Sensei that way in Karate, as there are so many of them. But in Jiu-Jitsu it is appropriate, because he is the only one. That made me think about the awesome responsibility that lies on his shoulders. I don’t believe there is another Sensei at the dojo who regularly teaches more than two classes a week, but on a good week Conan teaches five. How many of us can even make it to the dojo that often, just as students? Now, it could be that he has no life, so he has plenty of free time to come and teach us, but I suspect that he sacrifices a lot. He does so not just because of his love for Jiu-Jitsu, but because of his desire to share his knowledge.At one convention Franco Sanguinetti-Sensei talked about truly appreciating your teachers. He said that you never really know all of the things that they had to go through to earn the knowledge that they are sharing with you. You don’t know all of the injuries that they have sustained, all of the time taken away from their families, all of the pain that they have endured. It’s easy to look at them and think that they were just born with the knowledge they are imparting to you, but their path was just as hard as yours is.
So, thank you to Conan for being “Our Sensei”. If not for him, there would be no Team Jiu-Jitsu Fighter, no blog, and most likely no Jiu-Jitsu class at Roseberry’s. He stepped up and has created a program that we can all thrive in, and be proud of. His only pay is the satisfaction of seeing all of us progress and learn the art that he so loves. He’s not seeking appreciation or respect, but we should give it to him anyway.
Gina Ethridge
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9 comments:
Excellent post. They do give a lot!!
Well said Gina, I couldn't agree more. Conan, you are truly "The Man!"
Thank you, Gina, Aaron and Allie. I am humbled.
Great post, Conan's dedication truly has made the jiu jitsu class what it is.
I'm more grateful for my teacher's willingness to share his knowledge and how he treats me than the years it took to acquire: if his experience is anything like mine it must have been a very fun and rewarding time so I highly doubt it was a sacrifice on his part. If you don't like JJ don't do it, if you don't like to teach then don't: you shouldn't expect anything beyond the satisfaction of learning and teaching others otherwise you're debasing the experience by looking at it as something that needs to yield. What I respect about my sensei is his character and his openmindedness about life and other arts, all the rest is secondary.
I don't really get this sentimentality about 'how hard the path was': truly there are a lot more dangerous, physically exhausting and painful activities out there than doing what you love and as far as injuries go there's always a certain risk in any type of sports involving contact so I don't really see how practicing a martial art is any different. It's part of the game, no more no less.
Anonymous, I think you are missing the point. I'm not saying learning a martial art is any more difficult or dangerous than anything else. You should be thankful to anyone who has taken time to teach you anything, whether it is even physical at all.
The Sensei at our school receive no monetary compensation for their teaching, so for them to spend so much of their time away from their families, or perhaps furthering their careers, is a sacrifice. Of course they don't do so for any other reason than that they love the art, and teaching it.
Speaking specifically about Conan, all of his students are grateful to him for the exact reasons you mention: his willingness to share his knowledge, his impeccable character, his open mindedness, and the way he treats everyone (whether they are his student or not).
I just think it's a good idea to let him know every once in awhile that we appreciate him.
"He said that you never really know all of the things that they had to go through to earn the knowledge that they are sharing with you. You don’t know all of the injuries that they have sustained, all of the time taken away from their families, all of the pain that they have endured."
I don't think I misunderstand: you're just being melodramatic. The above lines make it sound like the man survived a war while all he did was practice a hobby for christ's sake. I'm all for respect but too much is too much and the eastern concept of idolizing one's teacher is contrary to western notions of equality and mutual respect. Surely you would never speak about lets say a basketball coach that way, even if he did it for free.
I don't understand why you are so concerned with how we treat or refer to our teachers, we aren't asking you to do so. We are a traditional dojo, so we try to follow Eastern philosophies to a point.
Those weren't my words you quoted. Perhaps I was being melodramatic, but if you trained with us you would know that no "Sensei worship" takes place, which is what you seem to be implying. I don't idolize Conan at all. As a matter of fact, I frequently tell him what an old, boring, stupid, dork he is. That doesn't mean that I don't still greatly appreciate all he has gone through to learn the art that he is teaching me, and want to show him my appreciation. I never expected that would bother some Anonymous Person so much.
Well said, Gina.
Conan "The Dorky Guy"
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