The “ah-ha!!” moment
A student beginning martial arts is incredibly lucky, even if he or she doesn’t fully realize it! There is such a vast amount of knowledge and skill and experience to discover in every martial art, regardless of whether it‘s Muay Thai kickboxing, Kali, MMA mixed martial arts, Krav Maga, etc. As beginners start to learn techniques they may feel awkward and disjointed, but over time there are “jumps” that happen…suddenly all the pieces of a technique come together simultaneously and it just feels smooth and easy. Many times an instructor gives a small correction that has been the missing piece, and the kick or the armbar improves considerably from one repetition to the next. These moments are so rewarding, and beginners get to experience them often as they progress down their path in beginning martial arts.
While the transition from disjointed movements to smooth and effective techniques is largely the result of practice and repetition, it’s also facilitated by the instructor and even fellow students. Many of us are visual learners, and watching a technique performed properly over and over again enables us to do our best to mimic it. For the auditory learners, different instructors have different ways of explaining the same techniques, and what clicks for someone else may not work as well for you. This is why Elite has multiple instructors teaching classes, and it’s why we encourage students to attend the guest instructor seminars that we have at the school. You never know what will trigger that “ah-ha!!” moment when everything comes together!
At Elite Training Center, we have many students at different stages in their martial arts careers, with many just beginning martial arts (indeed, many individual students are at vastly different stages in several of the arts that we offer, including myself!). Our Basic programs are designed get beginners very comfortable and develop clean fundamental techniques in order to prepare them for the more advanced training. Be sure to enjoy the process and try not to get frustrated if techniques aren’t coming smoothly at first…time and repetition will solve that. And enjoy the “ah-ha” moments when they come!
~Katie Toney
Elite Training Center Redondo Beach
1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 598-1887
Elite Training Center Hermosa Beach
1601 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 170
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 597-4669
#elite, #elitetrainingcenter, #selfdefense
