Quantity of Memorization

[Flying Crane]

In the curriculum I'm talking about, the steps are part of the memorized combo as well. For example, one combination is jab-reverse, step forward, reverse punch.

Fair enough, and I was just pulling an example out of the air, making it up on the spot because i don’t have existing examples of that type to point to. Perhaps “drill 1” is a combo of three strikes within a specific stepping pattern. But we don’t make it a formalized drill like that. I make up the combo on the spot, for the students that day. If I use that exact same combo again on another day, it is coincidence, not because it is formalized and they might be tested on it someday.

In truth, I tend to hit certain combos and patterns regularly because I find them useful. But they still are not formalized. They are simply my own personal “go-to” drills.

 

[skribs]

Fair enough, and I was just pulling an example out of the air, making it up on the spot because i don’t have existing examples of that type to point to. Perhaps “drill 1” is a combo of three strikes within a specific stepping pattern. But we don’t make it a formalized drill like that. I make up the combo on the spot, for the students that day. If I use that exact same combo again on another day, it is coincidence, not because it is formalized and they might be tested on it someday.

In truth, I tend to hit certain combos and patterns regularly because I find them useful. But they still are not formalized. They are simply my own personal “go-to” drills.

My plan is to have Drill 1-3 be more of "todays 1-3" instead of "next testing 1-3". I was just specifying where I came from, and what level of rote memorization I'm talking about.

Another example is our approach to Hapkido. His white belt curriculum features 27 memorized hand grab techniques. For example, four techniques in sequence might be:

1. Z-Lock from a cross grab
2. Z-Lock from a 2-on-1 grab
3. Z-Lock from a straight grab
4. Z-Lock from a double straight grab

In this case, instead of teaching "#1-4" I could teach "Z-lock". I could take 21 of the 27 techniques and drop them down to 5 by naming them instead of numbering them, leaving 6 odd techniques that could be picked up later in the curriculum.

His yellow and purple belt curriculum apply those techniques in new ways by adding #1-7 yellow and #1-4 purple. I could make the 5 basic techniques from cross grab as the white belt, expand to the other three grab types for yellow belt, and expand for other situations (other grab types, other positions, grabbed from behind) for purple belt, and I'd essentially be caught up.

This is the kind of approach I'd rather take. It's a lot easier to learn 5 techniques by name and learn how to apply them in different situations, than it is to memorize 38 techniques.

 

[Flying Crane]

This is the kind of approach I'd rather take. It's a lot easier to learn 5 techniques by name and learn how to apply them in different situations, than it is to memorize 38 techniques.

agreed, absolutely.