How to Learn Martial Arts Effectively: 3 Methods to Memorize Your Moves AFTER Class

In the last 2 articles, I wrote about what to do BEFORE and DURING class to learn and perform like a champ. Now I’m going to share with you what to do to take what you recently did in class and embed that knowledge into your long-term memory. This is all in keeping with your ultimate learning goal: You are learning so that you can use it when you most need it. These tips will boost your confidence and ensure you perform at your best level.

Before we cover what to do AFTER your class, here’s a quick recap of what to do BEFORE and DURING class:

1. BEFORE:
   1. Adopt a champion ATTITUDE.
   2. Set a realistic GOAL (for the class and for your overall training).
   3. Timeliness i.e. get to class EARLY.
   4. REVIEW your notes before class starts.
   5. RELAX after reviewing.
   6. REHEARSE mentally after relaxing.
   7. After calming and tuning your mind, PREPARE the rest of your body with a good warm-up.
2. DURING:
   1. Only KEEP 5-9 NEW things in your short-term memory.
   2. COUNT the moves EVERY single time the instructor demonstrates them.
   3. ANCHOR what you learn with VIVID imagery.
   4. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Smartie)
   5. PRACTICE the learning hacks to get better at them

Now let’s talk about what to do AFTER class.

Consider this scenario: your class has finished and now everyone starts drifting away to the locker room to change. Some people hang around and ask the teacher questions or chat amongst themselves. What are you doing? You’re either leaving immediately or hanging around. And that’s fine. The real question is, what are you doing to make sure you remember as much of what you learned as possible? If you do the following, you will be surprised at how much you can remember and retain.

1. Write it Down

If you recall from my previous article, your brain will only be able to keep about 5-9 NEW things in your short-term memory. Furthermore, during class your goal should be to remember as much of those pieces of information as possible so that you can write it down. Ideally, the sooner you begin writing it down the better. However, it’s ok if you write it down later in the day. The point is that the sooner you do it, the more it will jog your memory and help you remember. Especially, if you used vivid imagery, you will find that multiple details of the techniques will flood your brain. Keep in mind that you will have covered more than what you can remember so don’t beat yourself up if you can’t remember everything. Write down what you can remember so that next time you come across that technique, you can remember the rest. For your note-taking, you can use any kind of notebook, notepad, app, or even this training journal I designed for martial artists. Once you write them down, mentally rehearse from your notes, practice them on your own or with other people, and follow-up with your instructors at a later date.

2. Assess Your Pros / Cons

Aside from writing down your techniques for reviewing, another benefit of taking notes is that you can then assess how you performed in class. Since your goal is consistent growth, you want to know what you need to improve and also what your strengths are. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is crucial for your fight game (whether in sparring, the ring, the mat, or the streets). It will also motivate you and give your training direction. Ask yourself questions like: How was my form? Did I do the moves faster or more accurately? When I sparred, how effective was my game plan? Don’t just focus on where you did greatly or where you did poorly. Focus on both. There is no right or wrong way to do this and you don’t need to write a long entry in your journal. I know some people who simply do a mental check of their pros and cons. Personally, I like writing it down, but I keep it short and sweet. My ultimate goal is that, over time, I have a measure of improvement I can refer to.

3. Review

Writing down what you learned is only the first part of learning martial arts effectively. The second and most important part is reviewing what you wrote down. If you train at your school or gym regularly then you should have plenty of opportunities to review what you learned. But the reality is that many times, the instructor will be teaching new things or variations on what you have already learned. Still, it will be your responsibility to know what was taught and perform it. A great way to do that is to review and visualize (i.e. do mental rehearsals of the techniques). Here’s how to do it:

1. For the next 7 days after that class, review your class notes daily for 5-9 minutes and visualize yourself doing the moves for 5-9 minutes. After the 7^th day, you can pause the daily review of those notes.
2. Then 10 days after pausing, review and visualize for 5-9 minutes that day.
3. Then 1 month later, review and visualize for 5-9 minutes that day.
4. Then 3 months later, review and visualize for 5-9 minutes that day.
5. Then 6 months later, review and visualize for 5-9 minutes that day.
6. Then a year later, review and visualize for 5-9 minutes that day.*
7. *At this point, between constant practice and consistent review, the technique should be well-engrained in your long-term memory.

Although this is a neat formula, I understand that in real life, since you will be training regularly, your reviews and visualizations will overlap. That’s fine. Remember the goal is to burn this information into your brain so that you can use it. The more you do so, the better you will get at using it. Once you are doing the moves smoothly, you can focus on other moves. Therefore, feel free to make the modifications you need to make it work for you. One time-saving tip is to do your 5-9 minute review right before class starts. No matter how you do it, the key goal is to review consistently so that the knowledge sinks in.

Constant Effort = Consistent Progress

Once you are done with class and you have your notes, you must review them regularly and practice, practice, practice. The practice will be a combination of what you do in school with instructors or peers and solo training. This series of tips to do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER a class are part of the Master Your Moves Method and are designed to give you a roadmap to proficiency and performance at your highest level. The success of your journey will depend on your goals and your discipline. Until then, Make Moves or Meditate.

• About
• Latest Posts

Hit Me Up!

Danny Indio M.B.

Hi, I’m Danny Indio M.B. and I am a Jeet Kune Do instructor and the author of Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Techniques. While I was in the USMC, I became an official instructor in MCMAP aka the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. I credit my success in learning, teaching, and fighting to the different scientific and traditional studies, tools, methods and notebooks I discovered and used over the years. Everything I've learned and practiced to this point, have led to my development of the The Master Your Moves (MYM) Method and the J.I.M.I. (Journal of Instant Memorization Input) Notebook.

And I'm still learning all the time... 😉

Hit Me Up!

Latest posts by Danny Indio M.B. (see all)

• 7 Ways A Training Notebook Can Help You Achieve Your Goals AND Surpass Your Best Performance - November 8, 2022
• How Mental Rehearsals Can Help You In Your Training - August 1, 2022
• Strengthen Your Brain to Master Your Art - July 7, 2022