You Think Learning Is Hard, Try Un-Learning!

Last week I decided to join a martial arts gym, after having a hiatus from most forms

of structured physical activity for around 9 months to help my body recover from adrenal fatigue.

I was so excited to find a gym close to home that does group fitness workouts, tai chi, and kung fu, so needless to say I signed up immediately! When I was in my 20s I spent many years studying various martial arts disciplines, mainly Japanese and Thai varieties, but had never tried Tai Chi or Kung Fu.

On my first night at my new gym, I was informed that the structure of class would always be the same: warm up, conditioning, revision, new skills and applications. I was then shown some beginner stances and hand striking techniques, and to my surprise my muscle memory kicked in and I reverted to my foundations in Japanese Karate with my foot work and hands (totally incongruent with Kung Fu). There I was thinking all of my past experience had evaporated and I was once again a TABULA RASA onto which new etchings could be carved.

Then it hit me. Unlearning is really difficult! In order to do this effectively, you have to enter the old to release it. You need to be shown a new way to do things and learn to accept that eventually the new way will reap rewards.

I am reminded too of one of my clients who has been working with me in my health coaching program on finding her voice and learning to communicate in new ways with people around her. One of the goals we have worked on together is being assertive, specifically learning to say ‘no’ and feeling comfortable making requests.

Without realising, I had implemented my sifu’s class plan by warming up (introducing the concept of assertiveness and talking through the various communication styles), conditioning (practicing the ‘I statement’* in response to some role-play situations), revision (exploring situations that arose for my client in between sessions with me), new skills (using the positive sandwich technique when saying “no”**) and applications (choosing some real life situations to apply these techniques to).

http://healthymesummits.com/you-think-learning-is-hard-try-un-learning/