Theme Training

For my test I’ve made some bold choices.

All are based on evidence that has slipped out of the powers-that-be, but they’ve never actually stated that these trends are actually the way things are.

The first is the belief that my Brown Belt exam will be based on the list of techniques required on the Black Belt exam. It’s somewhat bizarre that I have a pretty good idea what is on the more advanced test, but not on my own.

Anyhow, there are, if I recall correctly, 5 techniques taken directly from the beginner curriculum. The rest all comes from the Standing sections of the four levels of the advanced curriculum.

Not everything from those sections is included, but most is.

The general theme is Self-Defence, and the missing techniques are those that don’t quite match up with this.

Last week, during a test preparation session, we were working towards Shawn’s upcoming exam; training the highest level of the curriculum. We worked from the last technique on the test towards the first. We made it backwards through about 2/3 of that level. Every technique or two, Marc would say that the ones we’d just done are not needed for Brown Belt testing. Marc will be doing my test evaluation.

Every time he said that my brain shouted hurrah, and I mentally struck the technique off of my personal exam list. By the time the session ended, there were only 5 techniques left from that level that hadn’t been eliminated, as we hadn’t reached them.

I strongly suspect that even those ones are not going to be on my test, but that is more a hunch than based on what Marc actually said.

At its largest, my test will have 5 beginner curriculum techniques, and just possibly 5 from the highest level, and 28 from in between.

It is my belief that the beginner items are there to make sure that Gracie students from all over are closely following the curriculum at every level. I do this material all the time, and I do it the Gracie way. Therefore; I am focusing my attention on the more difficult material.

For now, I am working on the techniques taken from levels one, two, and three.

That doesn’t sound like much, but it is actually 72 separate variants. For example, when called on to do Guillotine Defence technique, the candidate will be required to respond to the same type of attack with four different, and unrelated counter moves.

So, 72 items. That’s a lot.

I was working away, but not really knowing what was going on, until I organized it. Instead of always going through level 1, then level 2, and finally level 3, I started going by themes

Each level starts with a variety for attacks that only relate to one another in that the attacker is coming from the front. Then it’s all rear attacks, followed by weapon defences, and finally whatever doesn’t fit neatly into the other categories.

I am now doing front attacks from all the levels, then going on to all the rear attacks, then weapons, and finally the remainder.

This is working much better for me.

Today, for example, I want to work weapons. By the time Rob and I are done, I fully expect to be able to perform any and all of them. They won’t be totally locked in, but we’ll have done them all. By sticking to the one topic, it is possible to see underlying themes that always apply.

I love it when that happens. In this section, you almost always go towards the weapon, or the weapon arm. Learn that single thing, and you’ve improved your response against all of them.

I am not one of those gifted individuals who can figure something out and then be able to do it. For me, getting it right is only the very beginning. I need repetition; lot’s of repetition.

They call it “muscle memory,” and it sure feels like it, but in reality, each repetition is actually brain work. Each time going through the movement demands that your mental pathways improve, and become more efficient.