In my life, I have had the wonderful good fortune to meet and train with senior budo-ka the world over. In my work travels, I regularly pack a gi and two obi (one white, and my black belt) in hopes that I may find myself on the floor with a senior teacher willing to share a morsel of knowledge with a visitor.
If I am not fortunate enough to meet and train with a senior while traveling, I will train in my hotel. Several of my closest friends and I refer to this training as "Ramada kata," but I digress.
Most often, when I visit a new dojo, there is a feeling out period. This is the time the teacher spends watching me from the corner of his/her eye to see if my skill level is up to their standard. Following his/her lead, I do the same--I watch their movements and technique, and pay careful attention to not only what they teach, but how they teach.
I am rarely interested in learning a new kata (a pre-arranged fighting form); on the contrary, I focus much more intently on kata application, effectiveness of technique, position of the teacher relative to his opponent, and finally the efficiency by which the technique is executed.
If you remain focused on the aforementioned, one thing should and will become clear: the instructor's learned or understood strategy will pervade his techniques. Whether or not he can articulate his strategy is an altogether different matter, but an astute student will consciously or subconsciously come to understand how his teacher thinks and trains.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the instructor with no foresight or cogency when it comes to martial applications and the martial sciences. Many instructors will merely regurgitate what they learned from their own teachers without thought about what combat means to themselves or their students.
This is an unfortunate fact prevalent in the arts and often rears its head by way of trophies earned in tournaments. Don't get me wrong--there's nothing wrong with a competitive spirit and a desire to engage in sport, but one should NEVER presume that tournament wins translate to victory in combat without rules. The former requires sport oriented strategy while the latter requires a strategy to remain alive.
I will close with this question: If you teach an art, do you understand and spend time focusing on the strategy of the art?
