The mind makes order from chaos - that's it's job.

Fi oyu acn raed this, you mya begin ot urstnaned hwo srmat you rlleay aer! Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Our minds do a great job of piecing stuff together without a lot of detailed explanation. In fact, this is how a lot of my early martial arts learning was done overseas when I was first starting out. Although I couldn’t understand a word the instructor was saying, I usually pieced together the gist of what he was asking by looking at how other people responded. In fact, I became very proficient at ‘glimpse analysis’. I would sneak a quick glance at the best technician in the class and do a rapid comparison between the way he executed the given technique and how the rest of the class executed it. This is a skill that can be learned and refined; in fact, it became my most potent model of learning in places where I couldn’t speak the language. I am now quite dependant on this thing I call ‘Glimpse analysis’; and it has become a powerful tool in my coaching arsenal. Provided everyone is facing the same direction on the mat, I can cast an eye over the room and in a second or two, pick out the two or three most common mistakes that people are making and put them in an order of importance. Our minds, once presented with a problem, are quick to seek out solutions. We make order from chaos – it’s simply what we do.
JBW

Comments

dynoyeti said…
Hi John. I'm reading a book right now titled BLINK, by Malcolm Galdwell. It's about our first impression of things and how our minds and subconscious work behinds the scene. Definately related to your post. I'm enjoying the book and think you might too, if you haven't read it already.

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