http://www.harborkarate.com/2009/09/more-repetition/ Gig Harbor's Premier Martial Arts Facility Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:00:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://www.harborkarate.com/2009/09/more-repetition/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Craig Jackson Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:14:53 +0000 http://www.harborkarate.com/blog/?p=236#comment-4 I can attest to what Sensei Julian is saying. I was a student with him many years ago, and the lack of focus on belt advancement was very effective in making the training about the growth of character and ability as opposed to "getting that black belt". After spending a few years in class, I began not to care about getting the next belt. For my most recent orange belt my sensei had to actually insist I advance to the next belt because I showed no interest in testing. :) This is very different than most schools I have visited since and something that really separates art from sport in my opinion. Different people progress in different styles of learning but the excessive repetition is the only way I can feel like I have mastered something. If a technique or kata doesn't feel like a basic motor function without concentrating on the motion itself, then I haven't mastered it. I can attest to what Sensei Julian is saying. I was a student with him many years ago, and the lack of focus on belt advancement was very effective in making the training about the growth of character and ability as opposed to “getting that black belt”. After spending a few years in class, I began not to care about getting the next belt. For my most recent orange belt my sensei had to actually insist I advance to the next belt because I showed no interest in testing. This is very different than most schools I have visited since and something that really separates art from sport in my opinion. Different people progress in different styles of learning but the excessive repetition is the only way I can feel like I have mastered something. If a technique or kata doesn’t feel like a basic motor function without concentrating on the motion itself, then I haven’t mastered it.

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