If you trust the source, you don’t need the argument. You just need the instructions.

As a white belt, you don’t really know if your instructor is a good instructor. It doesn’t take a good one to take you from zero to one.

But by the time you get to blue belt (and one or two stripes), you should know what you need from your teacher, and if your teacher is right for you.

You can find out by asking questions, specifically, “Why?”

Now, when I’m in student mode, I don’t tend to ask many questions. I trust my instructor, so I don’t need the argument. Plus, I try to answer my questions by myself and with my training partners first, and usually I figure it out.

When I’m in teacher mode, I get asked questions regularly, and I usually have the answer. When I don’t, I say so. I like when my students ask why, because it forces me to be better, and it keeps me honest.

When you have questions, know if you’re questioning the technique, or questioning the instructor. If you don’t trust your instructor, ask for the argument.