In the end, your goal will be to have developed a natural reaction in combat. But for what
To get to this level of response, we must first train repetitively on the skills we learn early.
on – to switch from short-term to long-term memory. For the sake of this exercise, please do the following:

Imagine that your shoe is stretched into two pieces and then these pieces are thrown at a martial artist who drops into the splits to avoid the shoes.

In the duration of a class, an instructor can teach up to 10 new techniques,
some even more. If we are going to practice these newly learned skills (outside of class) and
come back so that we can grow – we must remember the techniques taught first.

The process we use to learn a technique works as follows:

1. Learn the technique

2. Mentally review the technique

3. Practice the technique

The first step is usually in class under the guidance of the instructor, while the other two are
it is usually done within the period AFTER training until the time you return to classes. In
To properly review up to 10 techniques, we need to remember what it was that
learned. The average student remembers only 2 to 5 of 10 techniques the next
day or often only about 20% (80% of new information is usually lost within 24-48 hours).

After a few more days, you may only remember 1-3. Using a simple memory technique, you will be able to remember exactly what techniques were taught.

However, the goal here is not just to memorize techniques, but also to get them into our heads so we can mentally review them wherever we are. This will help the information reach sink into and it really put us on the fast track to developing a new skill.

Since our goal is to master the martial arts, we want to take some time to apply all of our best strategies for getting information from short-term memory into long-term memory. In this example we want to apply Mnemonics. A mnemonic (pronounced (NEW – Monic) is a memory aid.

Let’s say we need to remember 10 techniques. Just as you would take traditional notes and make a list of ten items, you’ll need to do the same thing in your mind. Only instead of writing things down on paper, it will write (or store) them in what I call the MLaptop. In a notebook, you have reserved lines to put information. Mental Notebook offers the same, only in your head. It offers a place to put each of the 10 techniques or pieces of information you learn. We call these places or areas reserved for information MENTAL PEGS or HANGERS. They are the lines of your mental notebook.

There are many metaphors to explain how the mind works: I’ll skip over the how and why and
Get straight to the techniques. If you need to know why this works or more on how, then
check out my other articles on memory.

So, what will be our Mental Notebook, what will be the peg, hanger or hooks that we will be able to LINK
each technique to? Well, any item out of 10 that is in your long-term memory will work as a good peg or coat hanger. Remember, the Mental Notepad is a place to store information: each place should have a specific hanger, peg, or hook. This peg, hook, or hanger can be anything you can IMAGINE and have stored in your long-term memory. We will use the list of rhymes in order to learn to memorize.

Ok, so we need a list of 10 mental images (pegs) from our long-term memory (something we already know) for our mental notebook. Unless you have an image for the number one, you won’t really have a good association. would you stay with belch memory and boring repetitions that “this is technique number one”. So we’ll use the Rhyme List to create our numbers and give the images to associate them with. Well, take a minute to memorize the following list:

List of rhymes:

1. one is a gun
2. two is shoe
3. three is tree
4. four is door
5. five is hive
6. six are sticks
7. seven is heaven
8. Eight is Skate
9. nine is wine
10. ten is chicken

Since we are focusing on learning 10 techniques, we also want to know which technique was associated with which number. For example, what was the first, second and third technique or lesson taught. To do this, we also need to make sure that our peg is associated with a number. This may all sound a bit confusing at first, but hang in there and keep going; before you know it, you will realize what is happening.

We use the rhyming list because it’s pretty easy to remember which number goes with which picture. If you think of 1, you only need to think of what rhymes with one and you will think of weapon. So we associate weapon to our technique and before you know it, 1 = technique.

Go through the above list several times until you memorize the image associated with each number. Once you do, go through the list and get a very CLEAR picture of each item. For example, what type of weapon it is: pistol, shotgun, laser pistol, water pistol, etc. Then try to make this gun unique by asking what color your gun is, how it feels, tastes, or smells (the more unique, the more memorable), and ask yourself what the gun is made of. A gun made of cheese is more memorable than a real image of a real gun.

The normal is easily forgotten, this is the same in life as in memory, remember it.

Maybe you want to memorize (in order) the structure of a good martial arts class. So, for example: look at the following list:

1. Heating
2. Stretch
3. postures
4. rolls
5. falls
6. strikes
7. kicks
8. body movement
9. Self defense
10. consume

Is that how it works. Your instructor asks you (or your mental coach) “What is the technique
for the number 2?” Your immediate mental response would be to think “2 is shoe”. Once you have

Shoe in your mind, you need to remember the associations you made with the Shoe and the Technique – in this case it would be Stretch. to remember that 2=Stretch uses a key image (much like a key word that triggers insight) which would be the image of something stretching. So you simply associate an image of something stretching with a shoe.

Can you imagine your shoe being stretched into two pieces and then these pieces are thrown at a martial artist who falls into the divisions to avoid shoes. Now follow the steps:

1. You think about two and what rhymes with two

2. You should think about Shoe and then you say to yourself “What happened to the Shoe?”

3. Oh yes it was stretched into 2 pieces and then thrown to a person who used the splits…

To make this work, you need to use your imagination. Memorizing your techniques in this way will help improve your overall mental abilities and dramatically slow down the learning process.

Let’s try another. Think of 3 that should give you a tree. Now imagine your unique tree making poses. Imagine the tree as a person doing horse pose, power pose, cat pose, etc.

Now ask yourself what the technique was for number 3. Your mind should follow this pattern:

3 = Tree = Posture or Postures

If you forget what is associated with a number or a picture that is associated with a number, it means you don’t have enough mental glue to make the memory card. So just go back to your visualization and add more glue by being more specific about your images. Really hear the crack of the tree as it falls into horse pose, see the bark fall off as you move from pose to pose. Images of images that are exaggerated, include senses and action.

With practice, you will begin to acquire a new skill that can be very helpful in memorizing new information. And YES, this mind notebook can be used over and over again. Your brain is powerful enough to simply erase old information and put new information on its pegs.

This memory information is just the tip of the iceberg. there are many more advanced
skills and if you find this information interesting then you might be interested in learning more about what you can do.

When I teach memory courses, some of the participants state that it seems to expend energy and time to make or use a memory system. This is the natural course of learning. At first, it may seem more challenging. It only gets easy once you learn the skills and start applying them.

Good luck in Training.