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Old 07-03-2009, 12:17 PM   #14
Linda Eskin
 
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Dojo: Aikido of San Diego, San Diego, California
Location: San Diego County, California
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 335
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Re: New Member

Quote:
Jawaid Sikander wrote: View Post
I am forty years old. I have been going to Aikido lessons on and of for about an year. It's not just Aikido. I have having problems most of my life. ...
Well, there are learning disabilities. Maybe you have one. In any case, whether your way of learning is "officially" a disability or not, the important thing is to figure out what works for you, and do that.

I, for instance, cannot grasp things by just hearing about them. If I were to sit through a lecture or presentation, I would remember virtually none of it. I have to take notes, draw diagrams, make outlines, underline the major points, etc. Taking notes helps me focus. I remember writing the things down - I don't remember hearing them.

There are also a lot of things about learning that (for some reason I cannot comprehend) don't get taught in school. When I switched to being a psych major in college I had to take Principles of Learning and Perception. I learned a few (8-10?) simple concepts I could apply to the way I studied. I had been a poor student, grade wise, before that, and have gotten all As since then.

Here are a few ideas that might help with learning Aikido:

- Sometimes learning one thing, and then doing something different right afterward kind of wipes out the memory of the first thing. Like it doesn't really settle into long term memory. When you are done with class, do not hop in the car and turn on the news radio, or call your friends. Instead, pick a couple of points that you still remember from class (I was trying to get irimi straight in my head last Tuesday), and go over and over them. Even just sitting quietly is better than jumping right into another mental activity.

- Review things periodically in your mind (or on paper, or physically). More frequently at first, and then decreasing over time. So maybe at first try to repeat a few new words ("ikkyo, nikkyo, sankyo, yonkyo, gokyo") 10 times every so often (say, every time you go to the restroom). Then maybe once or twice a day. And then maybe review them every week. This week I am doing Irimi all over the place. I'll probably screw it up next week in class anyway, but I'm starting to grasp it. (It's pretty amazing that my brain has chosen to cramp up on the simplest possible technique. D'oh!)

It's like memories are slippery eels that have to be kept in a bucket (long term memory), but they keep trying to get out.

Also, try to narrow down exactly what you mean by "I have trouble focusing" and then address that. When you aren't focusing, what are you doing? Thinking about work? Trying to figure out what those Japanese letters on the wall say? Watching what others are doing? Is there something you can do to eliminate a distraction? Does it help to close your eyes and listen? You can't take notes in Aikido classes (alas!), but you might pick one technique and imagine that you are going to be called on to demonstrate it to the class next week - what would you need to notice or say to teach it to someone else?

Don't be too hard on yourself. This stuff is difficult (although why it's so darned difficult is something I haven't figured out). I watch hands, feet, etc. when Sensei is demonstrating something, and when I try it, it's like it evaporates from my brain. I regularly assimilate tons of information, quickly, for client projects, but I can't remember whether the technique I just saw 5 times started with a cross-hand grab or same side.

Just keep practicing... I dunno... I hope that helps.

Linda

Linda Eskin - Facebook | My Aikido blog: Grab My Wrist

"Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train." - Morihei Ueshiba
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