While working on a technique sequence designed to fortify their fundamentals, students may occasionally ask to do material that is beyond their skill level.

I’ll often answer them in two ways. Either I will demur and tell them that their fundamentals aren’t where they need to be yet. Or I will use their hunger for advanced material to polish their fundamentals. Either way, I will continue to focus on their fundamentals. The fundamentals can cover anything from footwork, body structure, balance and basic techniques. In the Filipino Martial Arts, the fundamentals can also include the 12 angles of attack, disarms, basic double stick and single stick techniques.

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While I counsel patience to some grasshoppers, I’ve had to learn patience as an instructor as well. I used to insist on a strict linear progression for students. A student had to go from A to B, then to C, and so on. My approach has changed over the years, becoming more flexible.

Now I am apt to go from A to D, so as long as I maintain focus on the fundamentals, no matter what I am teaching. So let’s say a student has learned the tapi tapi block. They may not have the most solid tapi tapi block on the planet. But they are eager to learn more advanced material.

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The days of mindless rote repetition of a technique are a thing of the past. An instructor has to adapt to the era and find ways to teach the fundamentals that capture the student’s fancy. Don’t get me wrong; I love endless repetitions of a technique as I come from a different era. It may be the “McDonaldification” of today’s society. Or it could be that students question their instructors much more than in the past. I often find that it’s the latter.

So when a student asks to move to advanced material before they are ready, I will select material that looks advanced but has “hidden basics” in it. As in the case of the student who has learned the tapi tapi block but isn’t quite there, I will teach Flow Drill #1.

Me: Let’s go over Flow Drill 1. We will practice each section of the drill 25 times.

Student (excitedly): Okay. Let’s do it!

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Side note: Holy cow, that video was made so long ago. My hair is nearly white now. Time flies by too quickly!

Flow Drill #1 is a great drill, not only for the student but for me to stress the fundamentals of every aspect of the drill. I will often stress test the student’s tapi tapi block. Most students know they need more practice when the block cracks like an egg under stress. Some get it immediately. Others take longer.

Often, a student consistently messes up one technique in Flow Drill #1. It could be the slap off, or the sweep stroke or the pull off. You just never know. In any case, I will isolate the problematic section of the drill and focus on it. For example, a common problem with the pull off is reaching for the pull off instead of bringing your training partner’s hand to your center line. You get the idea.

What I am saying here is that while I counselled my students to be patient as they progressed through the material, I’ve learned to be more patient with their requests and to focus on the fundamentals, no matter what I was teaching.

Please tell me your thoughts! Do you prefer endless repetitions of the basics? Or do you like to explore advanced material with “hidden basics?”