(L) Throughout my time practicing karate, I've learned my fair share of life lessons, but one of the most significant one is this: observation.
(I) Observing goes beyond simply looking, its about truly internalizing what you see. In karate, as in any other thing in life, you can learn by observing. You can learn simply by watching other people practice.
(A) For example, if you see somebody make a mistake in a technique, you can see that maybe they swung out their arm too early, and know that if they waited a second longer to swing out their hook punch would be just right. By observing this you can then apply it to your own practices and understand that maybe you are making the same mistake and at this point you can apply what you learned and better your own technique. Another instance would be to watch a sensei perform a technique and pay attention to what they do in order to execute the technique right. This is pretty much the reason why when a teacher is teaching a new concept, they first show an example in the board while they explain it step by step. Observing is the first step in the learning process. First you must observe before you try something, which then you might later seek to perfect.
Quite frankly, I think I've learned far more on how to teach by watching students practice, than by actually teaching myself. This way, before I actually go in front of a class to teach, I actually know what students struggle with, and I then make sure to explain that part of the technique more clearly.
Honestly, in the end, everybody can learn by osmosis. By learning the art of observation, you can learn a lot more about everything that surrounds you. It doesn't hurt to step back every once in a while and just observe the world around you (aka people watching in a coffee shop).
Here is an article that goes into more depth why observations is such an important factor in teaching.
