After having flown for a number of years it was interesting to recently fly with an instructor who had done very little else. he seemed to be quite a capable instructor however there was perhaps a lack of understanding of the practicle application of what he was teaching and therefor a certain inflexibility to the lessons he was trying to impart.
I would say that anytime you are trying to pass on a skill or lesson learned from someone else without ever having actually used that skill yourself in a practical situation there is a very real danger that some of the original message gets distorted or left behind.