Forgetting Forms...

[Makalakumu]

I've been having an interesting experience. I learned a Tai Chi Sword form a while ago and I've been practicing it for years. Lately, however, I've somehow screwed up a move and ended up forgetting about half of it. When I get a chance, I'll go back to my teacher and get it all straightened out, but here is the weird thing. After, I've been practicing the form and getting stuck for about a week, I suddenly found myself at the end of the form doing the final salute. Somehow, my mind blanked and BANG the form came out...AND I STILL CAN'T CONSCIOUSLY REMEMBER THE DANG THING!!!

It's frustrating because I know its still up in my head, but for some reason I can't access the information. Any tips?

 

[HKphooey]

Try taping all your forms and store them on DVD or keep a training journal. But if you are not longer with the instuctor adn do not have access to "refresher" lesson...

Some other things i will do when forgetting a part, I will stop working on it and try writing it out on paper. If that does not work, I will wait until I first wake up and try doing the kata full force to a kick @ss song. Sometimes just banging out the kata brings it all back to me.

 

[stone_dragone]

Currently, when I learn a new form I write it down step by step for my reference in the future...I know that this doesn't help now, but it could help in the future.


I concur with the vidotaping it as well, its easier to read

 

[Fluffy]

I know all the ITF, WTF and ATA forms. What use to happen is I would mix them all up.....embaresing when you want to teach. What I do is the forms that I am current on, ITF and black belt WTF - I walk through daily, the color belt WTF and all the ATA forms I walk through weekly. That way I keep the grove, bot mix or forget. By the way when I say walk through I mean with minimum power and sloppy technique....the one foot form, just to for memorization.

 

[IcemanSK]

I would be lost without DvD & video, myself. But recently, I did some forms & hadn't done in 20 years. I thought I'd try em before I looked at the DvD. I seemed to know all the turns & the next move automatically. But I couldn't have told you the next move if you've have asked me. I guess that's the same long term memory that stays with Altzimer's (sp?) patients when they remember songs from their childhood they haven't heard in 35 years.

The brain is amazing.

 

[Makalakumu]

In my dojang, one of the things we try to do is acheive "sung" the "mind of no mind" when doing technique. I've gotten the form to that level and suddenly it has disappeared from my conscious awareness. I tried meditating and doing yoga to clear my mind today and I still could get it back.

Also, I'm working on DVDs of all my forms. This one is long, however, and I just haven't gotten around to it yet, unfortunely.

 

[searcher]

Isn't that what Bruce Lee was trying to get people to do? Move without thinking. Just like Mushin, for all the Okinawan/Japanese students). it can be a wonderful thing.

Next time you should definately video yourself for future referance.

 

[Flying Crane]

This sometimes happens to me. Usually it is a form that I have known for several years, and I practice on a regular basis. Sometimes, even right after I just did it, I try to do it again and suddenly halfway thru my mind gets in the way and I forget what comes next. Sometimes it takes a few days or a week to come back, but it always does.

I notice that this happens most often when I am actively thinking about what comes next. Too much mental activity, when the body knows what to do. Seems like this active thinking gets in the way.

I usually get the form back when I let my mind go, and just let the body do what it knows. Suddenly its back and I get thru it without any problems again.

 

[Makalakumu]

I think that, because the form is so long, I may by putting myself in some sort of trance when I perform it. My mind is usually disengaged and I just do without thinking. You are absolutely correct though about thinking about the moves and then messing up. That is how the problem started. I was attempting to break the form down. Now I just want to get back to the place where my body just does it, but for some reason, its just not coming.

 

[Gemini]

Happens to me all the time. I used to get upset about it, but now I just forget it. It'll come back on its own. Next month when I move, I'll be putting my Taeguek and Palgwe forms on DVD. I find having the reference library helpful.

 

[MJS]

Try taping all your forms and store them on DVD or keep a training journal. But if you are not longer with the instuctor adn do not have access to "refresher" lesson...

Some other things i will do when forgetting a part, I will stop working on it and try writing it out on paper.

Great points! I've taped a few forms to fall back on as a reference and I was glad that I did. Writing them out is good also, as it makes you think about each move as you're writing it.

Mike

 

[ChrisWTK]

I haven't been having trouble with remembering forms yet since I really only have 5 of them being only halfway to a black belt. But I did have problems with remembering moves. I'd confuse them really badly and blank on tests. So I wrote a program that you can choose which belts you want to practice and which kind of moves and the program will randomly tell you one to do. It's a simple program, but effective.
http://goaliejedi35.bravehost.com/kempoTest.html

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

It's really all about practice, and repitition, practice, and repitition, practice, and repitition, practice, and repitition. Keep training hard... :asian:

 

[Shaolinwind]

I've been having an interesting experience. I learned a Tai Chi Sword form a while ago and I've been practicing it for years. Lately, however, I've somehow screwed up a move and ended up forgetting about half of it. When I get a chance, I'll go back to my teacher and get it all straightened out, but here is the weird thing. After, I've been practicing the form and getting stuck for about a week, I suddenly found myself at the end of the form doing the final salute. Somehow, my mind blanked and BANG the form came out...AND I STILL CAN'T CONSCIOUSLY REMEMBER THE DANG THING!!!

It's frustrating because I know its still up in my head, but for some reason I can't access the information. Any tips?

I noticed that screwing up just one move can jack up an entire form for me.. Consider the possibility of that and try and find the move that confounds you and subsequently messes up the rest. Muscle memory! Isn't it beautiful and frustrating?

 

[Fluffy]

It's really all about practice, and repitition, practice, and repitition, practice, and repitition, practice, and repitition. Keep training hard... :asian:

Hmm....you must have spoken with my instructor.......:whip:

 

[Brandon Fisher]

That happened to me in 1994 on my brown belt test I ran Sakugawa No Kon ran it hard and very well. But right after that I completely forgot it and have never been able to relearn it because I left my instructor who taught it to me in Indiana less then a year later to move back to Cleveland.