The Importance of Fundamentals
Publicado: 25 Mar 2010 21:43
http://www.salvatorfabris.com/Importanc ... tals.shtml
El articulito es de esgrima, pero creo que le puede servir a cualquiera
Me quedo con "The bad news: in this type of skill, there’s no perfection, only a higher level. The good news: higher levels are attainable. The even better news: it takes one thing and one thing only to attain them: practice of the fundamentals. "
I know many rapierists who understand the most important fundamentals theoretically, but can’t incorporate them in their fencing--often even in their drilling. Why is this? Because they are as important as they are seen as unglamorous. One of the drawbacks of the adult mind is that as grownups we tend to dismiss what we grasp with our brain as “easy” and therefore we choose not to practice it, spending time instead with the sexier actions that also challenge our minds. Children, instead, relish repetition of the simple things, and use it spontaneously as a path to acquiring an ability. That’s the main reason why, in many cases, kids make better learners.
Let’s go back to the lunge, as the perfect example of this theory. We all know that the lunge has to be initiated with an extension of the arm, followed by an explosive action of the body and legs and ended with a swift recovery out of measure. Yes, all this is easy to understand. And yes, the action is simple. But it’s not easy to perform well. And it can be refined ad infinitum. A circle is a simple shape, but it’s darn-near impossible to draw one free-hand without an immense amount of practice. And there’s always a better one you can draw--pending more practice. Similarly, a lunge is a simple action and its tenets are easy to understand, but performing it with the necessary accuracy, violence and speed requires constant practice. And there’s always a faster, more violent and more accurate way to do it.
El articulito es de esgrima, pero creo que le puede servir a cualquiera
Me quedo con "The bad news: in this type of skill, there’s no perfection, only a higher level. The good news: higher levels are attainable. The even better news: it takes one thing and one thing only to attain them: practice of the fundamentals. "
I know many rapierists who understand the most important fundamentals theoretically, but can’t incorporate them in their fencing--often even in their drilling. Why is this? Because they are as important as they are seen as unglamorous. One of the drawbacks of the adult mind is that as grownups we tend to dismiss what we grasp with our brain as “easy” and therefore we choose not to practice it, spending time instead with the sexier actions that also challenge our minds. Children, instead, relish repetition of the simple things, and use it spontaneously as a path to acquiring an ability. That’s the main reason why, in many cases, kids make better learners.
Let’s go back to the lunge, as the perfect example of this theory. We all know that the lunge has to be initiated with an extension of the arm, followed by an explosive action of the body and legs and ended with a swift recovery out of measure. Yes, all this is easy to understand. And yes, the action is simple. But it’s not easy to perform well. And it can be refined ad infinitum. A circle is a simple shape, but it’s darn-near impossible to draw one free-hand without an immense amount of practice. And there’s always a better one you can draw--pending more practice. Similarly, a lunge is a simple action and its tenets are easy to understand, but performing it with the necessary accuracy, violence and speed requires constant practice. And there’s always a faster, more violent and more accurate way to do it.
