Kyu training

Just because the season has ended does not mean your training stops...

So I found myself drilling the material for my 10th kyu with my sensei and another student because we had agree to meet up for some additional practise. I arrived first, so I started doing all rolls and breakfalls after each other, again and again as a warming up. Apart from being thoroughly warmed up, I was also getting that 'drunk but without the fun' feeling you get when you roll continuously for 15 minutes.

By that time I was already getting thirsty. I should really drink more water on training days, and leave the coffee alone in the afternoon. Hydratation is very important. Especially if the training is intense. Drinking a couple of glasses before practise helps a bit, but not enough. Spicy food is also best avoided before intense training.

Anyway, this is where I discovered why endless rehearsal is so important. My sensei put us on the spot and started grilling us for details, demonstrations and explanations. The pressure of being 'on the spot' in such a situation gets the adrenalin flowing. So you become nervous, and for some reason, it becomes harder to remember things.

However, the things that are ingrained in muscle memory still come automatically and you can do them without needing to think. This is beneficial in 2 important ways:
a) you don't screw up, so that's always a good point.
b) because you notice that things come automatically, you are able to mentally relax, and you regain the mental focus that got hit by the adrenalin.
Conversely, lack of muscle memory means you will screw up, and this will feed uncertainty, making things worse again.

Over the next weeks, I will try to rehearse my 10th kyu material at least once per day several times, in order to really commit the forms to muscle memory.

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