Advice for a slow learner

[tshadowchaser]

The journal/diary is one of the best ways to keep track of what you have been shown, It also gives you a reference months or years from now on how something was taught . It also reminds you of the friends that where with you in those days.

Trying to hard is a problem many beginners have so as ArmorOfGod has said relax a little and time and experience will do much of the rest

 

[Paul B]

I wouldn't consider myself to be too quick on the uptake as well..so what I would suggest is relatively simple..keep training.

A lot of frustration that I hear from people is them expecting to pick something up on their first or second try. MA just doesn't work like that..remember that it is an acquired skill.

Also remember that while you mught not be the quickest study..you can be one of the most thorough..so pay extra close attention in class and ask questions about any problems with technique you might be having. I'm sure your instructor(s) would be happy to help out someone who showed a little motivation to actually learn the technique.

But regardless,you eventually have to learn by doing..so keep on training.

 

[thewhitemikevick]

It's all about persistance. To keep trying to do something, even when it seems like you CAN'T do it. Because the fact is, you CAN. Solong as you keep trying and don't give up. It may seem as though you are doing poorly in the undertaking of a new martial art, when in fact you are soon to blossom. Keep at it. Things will come together with just a little time. You'll be surprised. I know I was.

 

[mijemi]

Thanks all. It hasn't been long since I posted this original thread but already I'm seeing the results of putting your advice into practice. Sensei has noticed great improvement in the last three months. Woohoo! Thanks for the support.

 

[exile]

Thanks all. It hasn't been long since I posted this original thread but already I'm seeing the results of putting your advice into practice. Sensei has noticed great improvement in the last three months. Woohoo! Thanks for the support.

Good to hear that! Something I've found repeatedly is that things aren't as hard as you think they are, and as they seem at first. Remember your experiences now if, later on, you find yourself getting frustrated with a plateau problem at an advanced level of training... that too can be overcome just as this can be. Progress seems to go in steps, regardless of the activity---I've found it in alpine skiing, weight training and the MAs, and in all kinds of other things...

 

[Grenadier]

Don't worry about having that unease when improvising. You'll get over it with time, experience, and patience. It may not come in a day, a week, a month, or even several months, but with dedication and persistence, it will.

Ask your instructor to break things down, step-by-step. While this is more common for basic techniques, there's absolutely no reason why it can't be applied to more advanced ones as well. Many of your instructors have probably gone through the same thing at one time or another.

If anything, it's those same instructors who had a hard time as students, that can become excellent teachers, since they can relate to someone who has been struggling with various things.

 

[empty cup]

Give your self a break--Martial arts are hard to learn. As has already been said at 4-5 months you are really just scratching the surface. You are learning a whole new physical vocabulary. Let go of the fact that there will always be somebody that learns the technique faster than you--so what!. This is your journy not theirs. It takes as long as it takes.

As corny as it sounds it really is the journey not the destination.


ps. As far as the getting nervous and tensing up goes I always find that it helps if I can make sure I am breathing from my lower belly as opposed to up in my chest--trust me it works.


pps. I am also a slow learner (really slow!!). I have also frozen up - In front of masters from China who are the lineage holders for our style who wanted me to demonstrate our first form. I knew it but instantly foregot it and froze up. So don't feel bad.

 

[shrek]

I may get toasted for this but...watch a few karate or Chuck Norris movies. You will recognize the moves that you are learning in class and see implementation in a graphic nature of what you are learning through kata.

I can remember seeng Jackie Chan do a particular move and thinking "AH, so THAT'S how that works!"

 

[Tez3]

I may get toasted for this but...watch a few karate or Chuck Norris movies. You will recognize the moves that you are learning in class and see implementation in a graphic nature of what you are learning through kata.

I can remember seeng Jackie Chan do a particular move and thinking "AH, so THAT'S how that works!"

I was reading recently that when martial artists or dancers are watching moves that they know their brain activity reads as if they were doing the moves themselves! Watching unfamiliar moves didn't cause the same brain activity.
I agree with watching Jackie Chan etc films. I think because the fights are cheorographed to look good on screen they perform the techniques so that they can be seen easily which gives you a good chance to see what they are. In a real fight/training situation, it's fast and furious sometimes and you can't see the moves properly. Besides the films are great entertainment!

 

[Trent]

All great advice above, and I'll chime in as well with the only thing I know to offer in addition-- don't quit no matter how awkward you think you are, or feel. Just keep at it and it will melt away with each training session; barely noticeable at first, but eventually you will find yourself more and more coordinated and dextrous.

 

[kidswarrior]

ArmorOfGod[/b];668213]I have two tips:
First, start a journal/diary. I have kept extensive notes since day one of my training back in 1991. This helped me a lot. I can only learn what I can read or visualize. My notes made this possible.
AoG

Excellent advice, as tshadowchaser also seconded.

If I had to pick one thing that I have some measure of expertise in, it would be helping those (professionally: teens) who have not been able to learn in traditional settings (read: don't learn the same way as the majority of those around them). I could write a whole book on this--oh wait, I did :wink2:. But then discovered that not many people care about those of us who are different kinds of learners (witness my $239.00 or so in total royalties:ultracool). So, given all that, what I'm saying is I agree that AoG is on to something.

Here is how I would encourage you to proceed.

Ask yourself, 'Do I mostly remember things by seeing them written, hearing them, or by doing them myself.'

A couple of quick ancedotes: for years (decades, really) my wife would give me a short list of things to pick up at the store--but not on paper, she'd just tell me because after all, what fool can't remember a list of 5-7 things, especially when she had me repeat it back to her? Well, this fool. Time after time I'd come home without something, or with the wrong brand. I felt totally humiliated. I was an educated man! Finally, I worked up the courage to ask her to write it down. Immediately, no matter how obscure the item, or how dificult to locate (and for some of us guys, a supermarket can be intimidating!), I was flawless (applause here is OK :boing2: ).

The point: I remember almost nothing anyone says, but almost everything someone writes, and even more if I rewrite it. And if I really want to picture the whole list, or page of notes or whatever in my head later, I'll use highlighters (my wife says I color all my books--as in coloring books... well, you see what she means). So, as AoG said, I have shelves full of notebooks with MA notes I took after classes, watching others doing MA, from seminars, tapes, whatever. And when I go to search for some old piece of info, I first remember the color and place on the page it's on. Can then just scan the likely notebooks (or books) to quickly locate the info.

Second anecdote: When I was 15, got my first job at a service station (no, not a gas station, a service station--we cleaned the windows, checked under the hood, would even check the air in all the tires--Hah! most of you thought that was just something in the movies, didn't you? Admit it). One thing we kids did in the full service bay (most service stations had full time mechanics, too) was change tires. OK, here's my point: over the course of my first few weeks the owner changed three or four tires while I watched. Then one day, he pushed me to the changing rack and said, 'You do it.' I had no clue. Not being a nice man, he said some not nice things, pushed me to the side, and did it himself. The point: I don't learn by watching someone else do things. I have to do it along with them, then try it, and not just once, either.

So what do I now know about how I learn? I need visual and kinesthetic input to remember things (and we all need repetition).

Others are extremely aural learners. I remember a pair of students I had years ago who were deemed 'thowaways' (yes, there was some fancy educationese for it, but same result) because they couldn't read the textbooks. Well, one day I got busy with someone else and turned to the oppostie side of the room for a couple of minutes. And in that time, when I turned back to that side of the room they were huddled in a corner, sitting on the floor together, taking turns reading the book out loud to each other. Suddenly they could not only read, they could read at grade level and retain content in the various subjects! Totally aural. And I was a genius--well, at least a legend in my own mind.

I'll stop now before some wit scoffs that this is really an attempt at another book (some of you already did, didn't you :goop. But this is all with the best intent: everyone can learn, if we can just learn how they/we learn best. Then, as so many here have said, give it time. It's not a race. Enjoy the process.

Best wishes in your journey. Please keep us posted (promise I'll never write this much again ). Feel free to PM me anytime, too.

KW

 

[xTNVx NirVana]

Hi,
I've only been studying karate for about 4-5 months and really enjoy it most of the time. The problem is I often am slow to grasp new techniques especially when dealing with a partner. I can learn a kata or set techniques but cringe everytime we're asked to improvise with a counter attack or something like that. I don't know if it's being over cautious or scared but I was hoping maybe someone out there had some advice on what to do to help or whether it will just come in time?
Thanks,
Shell.

Just keep practicing. By the time your a green belt, you'll be a little Jackie Chan *Your results may vary :highfive:*