Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Accentuate the Positive

I attended a martial arts seminar a while back. It was fun and informative. I've decided to put into words some of my experiences and resulting thoughts and feelings on things learned there.

One presenter at the seminar, who was a fellow firearms enthusiast, made a great point. If, as instructors, we coach our students by saying: "don't do XYZ!" over and over, we are putting the thought into their head. As a matter of how the human subconscious works, if the mind is thinking of something, the positive and negative commands  are easily confused. By saying "don't do XYZ," you actually imprint the thought of "XYZ" into their mind.

When the time comes, the student will do XYZ, because they are thinking about it.

Example:
A friend is climbing a ladder and expresses a fear of heights. You say "don't look down" a lot, and what is the first thing they will do? Yup... look down.

Instead, coach to the positive: "do ABC!" This way, you are reinforcing the correct behavior. Also, help the student to do the movement correctly if possible.


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