Sometimes Things Are Not What They Seem.
Here's a little story that shows that things are not always as they outwardly appear. This situation arose recently while I was teaching an aikido class . I was generally keeping an eye on the room while I conferred with my co-instructor. I noticed Andy and Raul were looking towards me, not practicing. I walked over. "What's up?" Andy: "We're having some trouble with the shomenuchi attack." (Shomenuchi is a strike to the top of the head, based on a traditional sword strike.) Me: "What do you mean? You don't know how to attack shomenuchi?" Andy: "Apparently not..." Suddenly I realized: Andy wears a white belt; he has practiced regularly for several years, but in another style of aikido. Raul is a blue belt who was wearing street clothes because he had just returned after a year away and didn't have his uniform. Each one thought the other was the beginner. Each one was asserting his point of view as correct. After a l