Why invest your time studying if you don't enjoy it and probably won't become shodan anyway? Or why invest your time studying if you don't enjoy it, and don't want to become shodan anyway?
I wouldn't have disagreed with this until today. It just so happens I have just started reading a book by a Chinese martial arts grandmaster, and he addresses this problem. He says that it is normal for everyone to reach stages (plural, i.e. several times) when they feel practice is boring or is just not leading anywhere. The reason is that, especially in the early stages, you don't follow a straight path to your goal. You make mistakes and so make detours. Instead of going North you go roughly North-west or North-east, but sometimes you lose your bearings so much you go due West or East. He claims the trick then is to get a teacher to make a correction for you. This still won't guarantee you go true North, but you will at least resume a roughly northward path.
He says these detours, which can all be predicted accurately by an experienced teacher, are biggest at the beginning but reduce in amplitude as you improve. You gradually learn the art of self-correction.
He divides the path of learning a martial art up into five levels. What I found especially interesting is that once you move onto Level 4 you don't really need a teacher any more. I found this interesting because I've often wondered about go pros who reach 1-dan (which seems like having completed Level 3) and then are expected to do without a teacher, beyond the occasional Shuko Seminar or the like. This seems rather different from chess (especially the Soviet School style of chess) where even world champions have trainers (e.g. Carlsen hired Kasparov).
Following the martial arts model, it seems as if daal is still on Level 1 or 2. At Level 1 you would still be learning the form (the moves) and basics such as standing up straight. In Level 2 you would be able to move on to facing a partner and acquiring the first notions of self defence, while refining your posture.
From my experience it seems true that the scope your mistakes and lack of improvement is huge in Level 1. I have watched a lot of taiji beginners, and they certainly can't stand up straight. When the teacher says take a step to the right, the first thing most of them do is look down to where their foot is going to go. The head tilts (the brain is rather heavy) and they are straightaway off-balance and so the whole foot goes down in a flat thump, instead of heel first, with head erect. It also does seem true that people are generally incapable of correcting this for themselves, and do need a teacher.
I'm surmising that daal's call to the forum is tantamount to asking for the advice of a teacher, which he has now had and accepted, so he should (according to the model) start moving up again. But he needs to accept that he will detour again before too long. However, he should then know how to handle it (ask the forum again) but will be able to correct himself a little bit more each time, i.e. the detours will gradually get shorter.
). However, since I started to play more actively, I was finally progressing again and I was able to go up a rank or two. And I discovered after many years that I could enjoy fighting hard on the board and that I could progress again. I'm now playing as a 4k and right now I'm swinging into the more aggressive direction - a touch too much, maybe - and I hope to some day be able to balance my game more. This is kind of my most important goal at the moment and I guess it will keep me busy for many, many, many years to come since it isn't only a matter of technique but of thinking and self-control, too. ^^;
