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Wax On, Wax Off: Difference between revisions
Fixed italics in quote, rewrote some text
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"Before Enlightenment, carry water, chop wood.<br />
''After Enlightenment, carry water, chop wood."''|'''Buddhist Saying'''}}
An odd form of training passed off by an unorthodox master on a skeptical student. Sometimes comes disguised as a set of chores, but just as often is a general exercise that promotes a valuable physical or mental attribute in a strange way. Always dismissed as a waste of time early on, [[Chekhov's Skill|and appreciated later]]. Often this also serves as a lesson to the skeptical student to trust the master and do all the crazy things the master asks without questioning, by demonstrating that the master really knows what he's doing and is in fact effectively teaching the student.
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Commonly subverted/parodied when a mildly [[Genre Savvy]] hero initially assumes he is receiving valuable training, only to realize that he is [[Fence Painting|just being made to do]] [[Mooching Master|his sensei's chores]]. [[Double Subversion|Double Subverted]] if the sensei tells him that this realization ''is'' the valuable lesson.
Named for the most famous example, Mr. Miyagi's training of Daniel-san in ''[[The Karate Kid (Film)|The Karate Kid]]''. Daniel was expecting some rigorous "This is how you punch, this is how you kick" training from the get-go, but instead Miyagi tells him to do various chores, and shows him the precise ways he wants those things done. After painting the house, painting the fence, sanding the decks and rubbing wax on
On the realistic end, this can be an effective training method in regards to strength and motion, but is no substitute for the real training to follow.
Compare [[Training From Hell]], [[Taught By Experience]], [[I Know Mortal Kombat]], [[Chekhov's Skill]]. May also double as a form of [[Physical Fitness Punishment]]. When the mundane task comes at the end of your training, it's [[When You Snatch the Pebble]]. The teacher is often a [[Magical Asian]].
{{examples|Examples}}
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