Learning a New Skill

I recently started a class in fencing at the local junior college. I was talking to a colleague about the experience of learning a new skill and I realized it was very similar to the process that occurs when someone takes on a self-management program like the Headache Relief Training.

As I reviewed my experience with fencing class the first thing I noticed was how interesting it was to learn about something about which I knew very little. Now I am the kind of person who likes 'to know', consequently being a beginner at anything is difficult. (Beginnings are often fun and interesting. You don't "have" to know anything yet, BUT be careful if you relate to the information with the attitude of 'I already know about this' making taking in new information so difficult it can impede your progress). Some people think they already know how to relax or they have done various behavioral techniques and it didn't work. But there are professionals with different skill levels, so one has to be sure the attitude doesn't get in the way of checking out what could be very helpful.

When leg positions and footwork were introduced I felt very awkward in the unfamiliar stance and had to remind myself that everyone was in a similar situation. I knew practice was the key to getting better at this so now there was something I had to do to make it happen. (I had to actually go through all the stages of getting good at something. Practicing when I didn't feel like it; dealing with my mind saying 'you'll never get this' when practice didn't go particularly well; wondering how long it would take to actually get to 'fence'.)People in the headache course wonder 'How long before I notice a change' and if it is not forthcoming use that as an excuse not to practice!)

So, despite these musings, I kept practicing, refining my skills as I was corrected by the instructor. Trust in the instructor's knowledge was important too so that even after a couple of weeks when the instructor called out simple combinations of 'advance' and 'retreat' my body began to respond with some facility to what my mind was hearing.(What is needed to be successful in the Headache Relief Training is to keep doing the exercises even if you don't think it is 'doing anything').

Soon, we were fitted with the equipment we needed to fence safely. This was a good because I had some trepidation about how I would feel with a foil coming at me with the specific intent of hitting me!!! I initially felt relief at knowing there was now something tangible between me and the point of the foil but at the same time I had to deal with wearing unfamiliar garb. Having 'accommodated' to the footwork to some degree, my attention was now focused on how strange this 'costume' was. The mask was claustrophobic; the padded jacket was thick and cumbersome; the glove and grip of the foil unfamiliar; it was hot and sweaty inside of all this. But...I was protected! And if I wanted to 'play the game' and achieve the optimum outcome I had to stay with these new sensations long enough to get used to them.(An example of accommodation. The mind has a 'new thing' it must deal with that has come into its awareness. However, if done long enough the 'new thing' will start to feel familiar and the mind will stop paying special attention to it anymore. This is how a headache problem can start. The body accommodates to faulty behaviors that can trigger headaches if they happen often enough like tensing jaw muscles when upset. Then those triggers are outside of your awareness making them very difficult to change).

After several weeks in class I am feeling much more comfortable with the legwork, footwork, equipment and can now focus on learning new parries and combinations of moves and techniques. But I am very aware of the process and how easily it is to quit a new endeavor because we don't know the pitfalls of learning something new or we don't stay with the process long enough to experience the value of practicing until we 'get it'!

I am looking forward to my first bout!