Karen Sullivan78 said:Exactly.
One more thing: any basic technique in martial arts needs to work IMMEDIATELY. Obviously, that’s relative to how fast you move and your experience level. If it doesn't click right away, it won't click five years from now either. If a move feels "off," then yeah, it’s worth putting in the hours to fix it. You need years of practice to stitch those raw techniques together into actual skill and build that muscle memory. Also, if an instructor can't explain a move in one or two sessions so that the student actually gets it—and more importantly, can spot their own mistakes—then something definitely smells fishy, especially if the whole class is struggling to follow along.
Sayings like "just keep at it, it'll come to you eventually" or "you'll see how it works once you learn to move fast" are just classic examples of mystification.
I mean, I basically agree with you, though I guess the way you put it—saying it "has to work immediately"—might not be the best way to frame it.
But, like, what does "work" even mean?
And what does "immediately" mean? Like, right after the very first training session where you tried it?
And against whom? An inexperienced guy, some average dude, just anyone?😁
We’re pretty much on the same page here, really. I just think the most important part is breaking techniques down piece by piece.
For example, I could show you three different setups for a triangle choke and talk through how to finish it... but honestly, if you try to do it all at once, it just isn't going to work right (and I've seen plenty of guys try that and totally fail miserably).
Instead, you really need to get those hip and leg movements down first. You should probably drill that for a few sessions before you even attempt triangles, and honestly, everyone should be drilling that. At the same time, you have to actually understand the point of the move. I guess it's better to drill the movement that needs to become automatic first, and then maybe a session or two later, move on to the next step—otherwise, people tend to focus too much on the actual choking mechanics rather than drilling the essential movement that makes the whole thing happen (which, you know, includes a good chunk of the mechanics anyway).
Then, you have to learn the specific timing of when you can actually go for the triangle, and *then* you learn the setup and the full technique. Only then will a basic triangle (without getting bogged down in counters and counter-counters) actually work for you.
Of course, that’s all assuming you want a triangle so solid that even a pro wrestler couldn't escape the choke.
If you don't care about that, hey, just squeeze and tighten up.😁
But I don't think that's even what you meant with your paragraph, so I guess we're basically agreeing. And all that talk about things not working for ten years and then suddenly—abracadabra!—well, to be honest, that sounds a little hard to believe to me.
- briskjackal5 -