A lens helps you see things more clearly. A filter changes the nature of what you see.
I spoke with a gentleman last week who was adamant that his handhold for leading was the only way to lead in open position. I pointed out that his handhold (which he said he had learned from a ten-dance champion) made it very difficult for the average lady to follow, because it placed all the burden of establishing the frame and connection on her, and not on the leader. And then we danced, and because I am a pretty proficient follower, it went fine; but, tellingly, he commented that it was nice to dance with someone he didn't have to push around.
It's very important, in dancing and in fitness training, to try not to let the thing you learned first interfere with your ability or willingness to learn new things. In both areas, the science of movement is continually evolving. And, while every teacher or trainer has a different approach, at the top levels of dancing or fitness, the teachers/trainers are constantly improving their own skills and knowledge by studying the latest developments, taking coaching, and practicing.
Here's another example. If your first dance class was in a beginner's group, you may have been taught that, to lead an outside underarm turn, the leader should send his left arm far out to the side and push on the follower's back. If you decide that this is as much as you need to know about underarm turns, you will never (be willing to) "hear" different instructions for more subtle and advanced leads. You have established an ideology - a BELIEF - about leading that is based on limited information. This places a filter between you and your ability to improve as a dancer.
Here's another example. In the 1980s, when running really took off as a mainstream fitness activity, the conventional wisdom was that the runner should end his stride (land) on his heel, rolling through the whole foot and pushing off from the ball. A lot of people still run this way, and conventional running shoes accommodate this style by essentially immobilizing the foot. However, over the years a body of research has been done which finds greater speed and endurance, and lower incidence of injury, if the runner ends his stride at the mid-foot (the front of the arch), rolls through the ball, and pushes off from the toe. Modern running shoes have become more lightweight and flexible to accommodate this more natural stride.
A dedicated runner who wants to improve his performance will adapt to new information. A runner who is sure that he has learned all he needs to know will choose not to see or hear, much less experiment with, new techniques or equipment. Instead of allowing new information to clarify his fitness vision, he filters the information through his belief. Anything that doesn't "match" the ideology is discarded.
Of course, this happens with dancers too. That's one of the reasons that dancers should consider working with a variety of instructors. But it's really essential to have an open mind about what you are hearing and seeing. An instructor may indeed demonstrate something that is different from what you've seen before. You should try it and see if it improves your dancing before deciding that, just because it is different, it must be "wrong."
This is not the same issue as, for example, knowing what the good advice is and deciding not to follow it. We see that all the time with weight-loss clients. The ideology problem is that you can't always distinguish between good and bad information, because all that gets through the filter is what suits your preconceived notions.
The mind and body almost never, in practice, reach the true limits of their capacity; capacity is limited only by the practitioner's choice. Try to consciously choose to challenge your limits - in fitness, in dancing, or in general - instead of letting unconscious belief systems stop you from achieving your full potential. Always ask yourself, "Why do I think this won't work?" or "Why does this make me uncomfortable?" Sometimes it is the difficult path that leads to a breakthrough.
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