Where have you gained most of your Koi Knowledge?

[PapaBear]

All of the above.
Were it not for all of that "outdated" info put into print over the decades we would have no written record of how far we've come and how much we've learned over the years. Even those who penned those outdated ground up trees are happy to have learned more and moved beyond what they once "knew" to be true. Seeing where we and others have been and how that now outdated information has provoked us to move beyond it is part of the learning, even if poor ol' Luke thinks otherwise.
BTW Luke. If you wanna tell Waddy how dumb he was go ahead, but you'll be the only one dancing to that silly tune.

[luke frisbee]

Quote: Originally Posted by kingkong I still haven't learned anything yet. My koi all suck. So you can take all the books, mags, hours of threads and throw them in a box . The only time I got close to the promised land was visiting a breader in the states. At this point the only light in the tunnel would have to be a visit to Japan and work there for as long as it takes to figure this thing out..... from the horse's mouth sort of speak. No more second hand info and second hand fish.

"zen" was fleeting?

[kingkong]

So I was running naked in the ocean at Toba's Fire Festival....next time I will pay attention.

[ogawa only]

i lernt from books , internet . just so happen's i'm surrounded by koi dealer's and there morons !! only after 7 years , ive found a good honest dealer with very good knowledge , i was gonna say : but i have to travel 3 hours !! the trip down to worthing aquatic's in the uk is werth the trip . his knowlege is massive on all aspects and all breeder's , which is important to any koi keeper . and of course koi forums are the best place for any new koi keeper to visit , as there are years werth of experience all in one place !! and friendly people to boot
steve

[111whalen]

Luke
Shakespeare must be rolling over in his grave.

[luke frisbee]

Quote: Originally Posted by 111whalen Luke Shakespeare must be rolling over in his grave.

yeah "Shakespeare", he's older than Waddington, right?
i think he was a fictional writer, let him roll.

[dick benbow]

I was fortunate to spend some time with the Sakai's, both Isawa and hiroshima...and there were times when I was able to spend time with peter waddington on trips to Niigata. these one on one opportunities were most productive for me!

[Auntiesue]

I got started in the right direction through the internet, but after that it was shows and talking to other keepers and a few judges that I have met along the way. Some information from books and mags, but you can't beat seeing these fish first hand with someone that is willing to share knowledge standing right next to you pointing out skin, varieties, luster, etc.

Many thanks go to Steve C, Art, JR and our dealer for sharing what they know and listening to my never ending questions.

[powerman]

i like books, magazines, videos, koi shows, but most of what i learned was probably from the internet, however. i think the debate and interaction is good and as the knowledge of koi keeping evolves the internet is the best hope to keep up with it.........but that being said there is good and bad information on line so everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt.....some people are so knowledgeable and what they say always rings true.....that is why i really enjoy posts by the experienced people who are here that share what they have learned....keep it coming, please......................

[JasPR]

Now here's an ironic thought;
I sometimes get very embarrassed when a stranger comes up to me and tells me how much they have learned from me via the Internet- It is very humbling and very satisfying all at the same time.
But here's the thing, most of what I know, besides actual hands on experience of twenty three years of koi keeping, comes from books, dedicated koi magazines, comparing notes with senior members in ZNA and multiple trips to Japan ( breeders, general observation and nisai/sansai growing experiences). Honestly I couldn't have processed all that observation without already having a book learning data base in my head. As I've said many many times, the thing that fast tracked me to a higher level of understanding after plateau-ing for several years, was the aggressive seeking of common knowledge type information from Japan and reconciling that data within graduate level text books on fish physiology, genetics, Veterinary medicine and ichthyology.

Maybe we should call the koi learning curve a linear journey and the next level of understanding as a dimensional wisdom about all things 'koi'. - just some thoughts, JR