Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Please Define "Advanced Tuite"




 What exactly is Advanced Tuite (supposed to be)?
   
  Having recently had this conversation with my teaching associate, I figured that I would ask my readership what they felt that it was. I continue to encounter this terminology when I'm seeing what manor of seminars are being offered (for general/public consumption).
     
 Seeing that I've done this stuff for a while now, I feel fairly confident that I've been exposed to a wider variety of applications (than the average individual has) that have claimed to be Tuite. More often than not, they tend to be rehashed ju-jutsu/aikido techniques.
        
 The only thing that prompts me (to ask the original question), is that I keep seeing advertizements for seminars that promote (or claim) that they are teaching “Advanced” tuite (oh, really?).
     
 Pray tell, what exactly constitutes “Advanced” tuite? I suppose (if you've been short-shifting your students) that you could demonstrate some tweaks, or enhancements to your presently taught techniques. But shouldn't those have been taught during a normal class anyhow?
      
 This subject is (very much) akin to the debate regarding “basic” and “advanced” kata (there are no such things). There is “kata” (only). It may be taught in incremental stages, There may even be variations, but there is only “the kata”.
    
 Tuite is the same, there is (only) the “technique”,....period. The only difference would be whether one knows how to perform it (correctly) or not. I can show you (maybe, LOL) 2 or 3 ways to accomplish the same result (as any particular technique), using different techniques. But that (certainly) doesn't make any of them Advanced.
     
 The whole concept of there being “basic” and “advanced” (anything) is done to provide marketing potential (“I'll teach you this, then I can sell you that, later”). It's as if your selling someone on how to perform a punch, then (for a fee) you say "I'll show you the advanced way to punch" (which is the same, but having paid more for it, you'll have greater regard for it,..LOL).
More often then not, these are only variations of the same thing. 
       
 As with any tuite technique, there are certain traits that qualify it to be considered a valid technique. Though the kata (generally) illustrate the tuite techniques, they don't graphically demonstrate all of them (nor every manor of performing them).  
  
 It is my own opinion, that the motions performed in the kata, are illustrations of general technique application. Thus, the motions being performed do not (always) illustrate (specific) techniques (only the application methods).
  
 Those who claim to teach "Advanced" tuite, are more commonly just demonstrating additional "tweaks" (if that).

 

No comments: