Dyslexia and Martial Arts

Did you know that I was dyslexic? There are many aspects of dyslexia and each person will exhibit different symptoms. The most common that you hear about is the difficulty in reading but there are many other aspects to it as well. One of mine is math. I have always had difficulty with math. The greatest software invention ever was Microsoft’s Excel. It allowed me to see math computations visually. Spelling and grammar is another weakness. I will often write something several times before I think it is correct. Dictionary.com is definitely one of my favorite websites as well as spell checkers due to my inability to spell.

However, one negative that is visual in martial arts is my lack of sense of direction. The joke in my house is that Mom would get lost in a square box. Although, it sounds funny, it is actually true. I have no sense of direction at all. I was never a cheer leader in high school because I could not learn the sequences of moves fast enough to keep up.

If you watch me in class you will often see me wiggle my fingers on my left hand. This is my way of determining which hand, foot, or direction is left. Learning the forms has been a huge challenge for me. Not only am I remembering a sequence of movements, I also have to remember which direction to turn and which hand or foot to use. Many times I get the left and right confused. My kids laugh at me when I jump up and down in frustration at myself.

I have learned that I have to learn a few steps at a time. I repeat those couple of steps until I have it memorized then add one or two more. I continue repeating the steps from the beginning and slowly adding until I have all of them. The interesting thing in learning form 2 was, because I wasn’t still practicing form 1, I forgot it. Now, that I’m learning form 3, I have realized that I must practice form 1 and 2 while learning it so that I don’t forget them. Thankfully my kids know them well and they are helping me.

It just takes practice and working on it outside of class. If you need someone to help you outside of class, just ask someone. Everyone in class that I have asked to help me has been very happy to and I know they will be for you as well.

Another aspect of dyslexia that affects me is coordination. I was the kid that tripped over my own two feet. The first time I ever rode a bicycle I literally ran into a tree. I could not get my hands and feet to work at the same time. Martial arts is actually helping me with this. However, right now I have to mentally focus on the small details of remembering my foot placement, posture, keeping my hands up and my elbows in with everything that we do. I hope eventually that I will have the muscle memory so that I can think of the big picture of what we are doing rather than the exact detail. This will allow me to think of combinations the way Soke tells us to in the intermediate level.

I’m not there yet, but I am practicing. It takes extra practice for me to get this but I think it’s worth it.

So, if you think that you are clumsy or could never do this, let me encourage you to try. You can do it too. For some people it may take a little extra work but desire is key. Sifu Allen told me that 90% of learning anything new is having the desire to learn it. 10% is actually doing it.

I’m proving this to be true. You will often hear me say if I can do it anyone can do it. Now you know why!

If you would like more information about dyslexia there are several websites with great information. Two of my favorites are:

http://www.dyslexiamylife.org
http://www.allkindsofminds.org


One of my favorites quotes:

I have to do it differently, the way that works best for me. Learning is like a tailored suit; it takes a while and is unique to everyone.- Girard j. Sagmiller