I practice a great deal- but home is where the heart is right? So I practice when ever and where ever I can which includes the forests of the white mountains.
Some of my own thoughts/opinions:
Couple things I'd like to offer that my own Sensei teaches is that-
If you practice a move 1000000 etc. times and it is completely wrong- you then go and get said correction- and work from there on- you will have a punch/ick/ whatever that has been practiced said however many times-
so when you practice- if you practice incorrectly- it only is incorrect until you fix it (obviously) but then that doesn't take away all that practice that you already did. So practice at home anyway- because the practice is never in vain- Plus too- you can practice the partner stuff as well- just do one side then the other- that's what I do anyway-
Also in regards to the kata vrs. kumite? Sanchin is all you will ever need-(my slightly educated opinion) when done correctly- keeping in mind the body isometric practice type thing- go to class for the partner stuff- and have fun- but to practice sanchin is the best way to become a good warrior-
When I am at home it is usualy because I'm not teaching- or taking class-
So breaks are always good too- but yeah- we have an area at home we consider to be our dojo - home style
If you're trying to learn a particular technique or aspect of the training, you might have a certain way of "visualizing" or "internalizing" it or some other way of making it sink in. Some folks will pretend they're explaining it to someone else, for example.
It's all part of "assimilating" the ability or knowlege.
I was always taught (in music) "here is the right way to do an F Major Chromatic scale." for example.You learn the "secret", the fingerings, then you simply do it a million times over your life until you can do it without thinking.
This is mastery of the mechanics, allowing freedom in the performance or expression. One never consciously uses any thought of technique in performance. Technique facilitates performance.
However, I discovered I could not apply this process to Martial Arts, and it was a great stumbling block and source of frustration to me, because I had no "new learning paradigm" to take its place.
Now, I do.
I now understand the temporary nature rather than the foundational nature of martial arts learning.
A teacher cannot take a Grade 1 student in UechiRyu and tell them "here is the right way to do a Wauke Block -- now do it a million times to perfect it."
The teacher has to intoduce it first this way, then show it that way, then try it this other way, then yet another new way, until 5 versions later and probably five or more years later, the student finally has a grasp of it.
My problem was that at every stage along the way I tried to embed the training as if "THIS" was the way to do it. Forever, always.
I devoted a great deal of effort, personal practice and thought to trying to make it sink in and become a permanent imprint.
And then I would be shown the "next" stage in the learning process.
Start all over again.
This is the "precarious" stage I alluded to, because at this transitional point one has no confidence in the technique -- being "between concepts" and trying to learn the "new way." You would be very vulnerable trying to apply any such technique in real life because you are now "between versions", not yet letting go of the old, not yet proficient with the new.
So this is why I don't fixate on training at home as far as techniques are concerned. I know they will be changed later, and the more I practice them now the harder it will be to change them later.
I practice basic kata sequences and memory material for my rank, but I try not to "burn in " any techniques too deeply, for the above reasons.
Tonight for example I hit upon what I thought was a great idea for training the Bushiken sequence in Seisan. I will pursue it, but I'm prepared to abandon it in favor of a new directive.
These techniques are counter-intuitive because they are thrown down and out/up rather than straight out...I tried to visualize and train a practice for them....
Probably a lot of this is just naivety on my part -- I'm sure lots of kyus struggle with this stuff.
Don't take my whining too seriously.
My problem was that at every stage along the way I tried to embed the training as if "THIS" was the way to do it. Forever, always.
I devoted a great deal of effort, personal practice and thought to trying to make it sink in and become a permanent imprint.
And then I would be shown the "next" stage in the learning process.
Start all over again.
I really like this part, and you know Neil the "next" stage in the learning process will continue without being shown if we keep an open mind. I personally enjoy that starting all over again feeling.
