Looking for Your Post Black Belt Journey Stories

[dvcochran]

My school takes roughly the same approach to black belt as it does to color belts. The only difference is everything is dialed up to 11. Personally, I wish there was much less memorization at this stage, and more refinement of what we already know. In fact, I'm working on developing my own curriculum, and I want to focus less on memorization and more on understanding concepts and techniques.

We have discussed this and I totally not getting over dosed on rote memorization. But how does one not develop an understanding of concepts and techniques without the repetition? It doesn't have to be in a classical form style but it is still repetition is it not?

 

[isshinryuronin]

Punch combinations, kick combinations, self-defense. Some of the self-defense concepts are new, others are recycled in slightly different ways. The combinations are all just more complex versions of techniques we already know (more kicks, a lot more spinning and jumping).

Better than learning complex combinations for every situation is to learn how to adapt on the fly so you can flow here and there as the situation requires. If a speaker has full command of the facts and language, he doesn't need to memorize canned answers to questions (unless quoting statistics, etc.)

I think 6 or 7 kicks are plenty. Jumping takes too much energy and spinning makes me dizzy.

 

[skribs]

Better than learning complex combinations for every situation is to learn how to adapt on the fly so you can flow here and there as the situation requires. If a speaker has full command of the facts and language, he doesn't need to memorize canned answers to questions (unless quoting statistics, etc.)

I agree. Which is why I'm coming up with my own curriculum that takes the techniques I've learned from my Master and rearranges them into concepts that can be applied on the fly.

I think 6 or 7 kicks are plenty. Jumping takes too much energy and spinning makes me dizzy.

I disagree. Which is why I didn't click "agree".

 

[geezer]

In the words of the Dread Pirate Wesley...
"As you wish".

Are you calling me "Buttercup", bub? ....

 

[sddoherty]

My school takes roughly the same approach to black belt as it does to color belts. The only difference is everything is dialed up to 11. Personally, I wish there was much less memorization at this stage, and more refinement of what we already know. In fact, I'm working on developing my own curriculum, and I want to focus less on memorization and more on understanding concepts and techniques.

I agree. I think there is too much emphasis on learning so many new forms that you really don't have time to refine and perfect the ones you've learned.