How many of you have run into martial artists who acted as though they knew it all? The hell with them, right? While that may be a justifiable reaction, many of us have gone through a period where we knew it all.

This terrific podcast touches on this phenomenon.

If you are not able to view this podcast video, click here.

True story: In the spring of 2001, my Modern Arnis instructor in Ohio decided to host a joint seminar with himself and Master Ken Smith. The seminar aimed to raise funds for Professor Presas’ medical expenses.

Master Dan McConnell received an email from a martial artist wishing to attend the seminar. The martial artist indicated he had 50 years of experience and wanted to participate in the seminar. He attached a martial arts resume to the email to Master Dan. The resume was quite impressive. My reaction? “WOW.”

He came to the seminar. Unfortunately, his performance left a decidedly different impression on us. It’s one thing for someone to try something unfamiliar (a different martial art, for example). It’s another thing when a person demonstrates unbelievably poor eye-hand coordination. Unfortunately, this guy suffered from a version of the “I know it all” syndrome. One attendee said, “That guy vastly overestimated his skill level. Pretty sad.”

Another true story: a martial arts buddy of mine once approached a high-ranking black belt at a seminar. He asked him if he wanted to partner up on a technique. The black belt responded, “No, thanks. I already know that stuff. I don’t need to train that much anyway.”

Wut?

Contrast that with the late Professor Remy Presas or GM Wally Jay. Those two were always training. Neither of them could get enough training. Professor Presas told us, “The day I stop learning is when I’m dead.” Wow, I love that. Unfortunately, not everyone is like Professor Remy or GM Wally. Even though their knowledge base was, in my estimation, equivalent to Ph. Ds, they never stopped thirsting for knowledge.

I can say most martial artists I know are not as ignorant as the bank robber described in the video. Most that I have known do not suffer from the Dunning-Krueger effect. On the other hand, many of us have been pretty sure about our knowledge at some point in our martial arts careers. Maybe even smug about our knowledge base.

I was more cocksure about my knowledge base in my younger days than I am today. The more I train, the more I realize there is much more knowledge to be tapped. I would go far as to say that it’s impossible to know an entire style. I now understand why Professor Presas kept training as much as he did. His curiosity and thirst for learning are what made him an all-time great. Is it any wonder he kept telling us: “You must practice!” so many times?

Speaking for myself, though, the more I train, the less sure I am about my knowledge. Even after 34 years in martial arts, I feel like I am just scratching the surface. “Man, what do I know?” I am awed by how much I do not know. In any case, I highly recommend the above video podcast.

Astronomers like to say they peer into the telescope, looking for answers. Instead, they come away with more questions. I feel the same way many times.

Do you?

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