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Finding the rhythm of your training, and simply enjoying the process, are beautiful states to work toward in your martial endeavours. However, for most of us we also want to see progress. There’s a natural desire to be able to do a technique more deftly, swing a sword more powerfully, or defeat an opponent you…
Devon Boorman ·
Everyone has their own pace of learning. However, there are many strategies that can both help you to make the most of your capacity as well as enable you to learn faster and more effectively. Here are a few useful ideas. Fundamentals First Every advanced technique is made up of several fundamental ones. Many students…
Devon Boorman ·
Challenging yourself to be better is daunting, daring, and rewarding. On this road you must find the edges of your comfort, push beyond your physical limitations, and surmount many an emotional hurdle. And though much of this is truly hard, little of it is "hardcore".
Devon Boorman ·
Research has shown that we humans use a tremendous amount of our brains in spaces beyond our conscious awareness. Learning is a process that is far broader than simply the conscious practice of new skills. One Good Sleep I have found many situations in my personal experience where, after having worked on a problem extensively…
Devon Boorman ·
A good teacher doesn’t just impart information to their students, they empower their students to be excellent learners. In my classes I’m thinking not just about how I can increase my students ability with a given technique in that moment but what I can give them that will help them meaningfully practice, implement, and build from that technique after.
Devon Boorman ·
In many of our classes at Duello we have a section where students of all levels drill with one another, one-on-one. It’s a great opportunity for inexperienced students to gain from the physical knowledge of experienced partners, for members of the school to meet and connect with one another, and for technique to be tested…
Devon Boorman ·
I've entered into combat with an opponent expecting a particular type of response, only to have them defy my expectations. They may do something that is foolish, inefficient, or simply unorthodox and I find myself taken off-guard because I had not properly understood what I was facing and I left too many options open to consider. In the final part of this series on awareness, we look at the "understanding" side of awareness.
Devon Boorman ·
Within an environment that develops as quickly as a sword fight there is no time to actively reason your way out of it. You enter with a plan and then you have to leave it to your conditioning to execute appropriate tactical responses in the situation you encounter.
Devon Boorman ·
Awareness is an essential part of martial performance and learning. It allows you to know and understand your successes and failures—an important goal of good training. The sense of where your body is in space is at the heart of of bio-mechanical conditioning, and without sharp and broad perception in a fight, it's hard to adapt, respond, and take opportunity when required.
Devon Boorman ·
Objective measures can be compelling. They’re easy to inspect and they can allow you to see progress in a way you can graph. However, often people choose the wrong goals to measure and this has a detrimental effect on their development.
Devon Boorman ·
