Non linear pedagogy is an approach to teaching and coaching that sees learning as a messy, individual focused process instead of being step by step and uniform. Research has shown that non linear pedagogy works better for skills and sports that requires you to adapt to changing situations, make decisions. Linear pedagogy has its place for more repetitive technical refinement and simple tasks such as Kata in Judo and gymnastic routines.
The analogy I use for a traditional linear approach in judo (that many other instructors also use) is like building a structure, you want to build the foundations before adding more details, steps and advanced techniques on top. But for a non linear approach I would describe it as putting together a jigsaw puzzle. You start off with puzzle pieces everywhere, looking at them individually won’t make much sense, but over time you notice patterns and start piecing things together, you will also figure out that it’s probably easier to start from the corner pieces. Chunks and pieces from different parts of the whole picture starts forming, and overtime you will put together the whole picture. Treating learning and progression in Judo as a linear process is why most people feel like they have hit a plateau when in reality they are just putting together a different section of the puzzle that has yet to paint a meaningful picture or pattern. This is also one contributor to why some training days seem worse or better than others.
Here are five non linear pedagogy principles. For those who have read part 1 of the translating ecological approach post and are familiar with the ecological approach, you will notice the overlapping principles.
Representative Learning Design - Learning should happen in environments that replicate certain key aspects of performance environments.
Developing relevant information movement coupling - Perception action coupling that I briefly mentioned in this post. Practice tasks should contain relevant information and stimuli that help the students determine what movements to make. Dead drilling and uchikomis violate this principle
Manipulation of constraints - Learning design should use constraints to encourage exploration of movement solutions. Examples could be manipulating the size of the play area, or not allowing certain grips.
Exploratory learning leveraging functional variability - Use variability to enhance the students ability to adapt to various situations and come up with their own movement solutions. Could be switching partners often or use open ended tasks with many possible solutions such as focusing on destabilizing the opponent instead of prescribing specific techniques.
Reducing conscious control of movement through attentional focus - Using external focus of attention instead of internal
Here is a table comparing a linear approach to non linear approach
Linear Approach | Non-Linear Approach |
|---|---|
Demonstrate a technique with details and exact movements to use, expecting students to replicate it precisely without deviation. Correcting any footwork or hand placement that is not as shown in demonstration | Provide opportunities for to find their own way of achieving the same results as the technique demonstrated. |
Heavy focus on repetitive uchikomis and nagekomis against non resisting opponents. | Focus on situational sparring and games that replicate real world scenarios with stimuli and information that occurs in performance environment |
Have everyone do the same thing in class without considering individual abilities, environmental factors or specific task requirements | Adjust the task and what is being worked on in class to each individuals physical attributes, abilities and skill. |
Focus on repetitive tasks with fixed outcomes. This can be uchikomi, nagekomi or even yakusoku geiko and situational sparring that are over constrained. | Use tasks and challenges that have diverse outcomes. If you are going to use situational sparring then make sure that the students have the opportunity to make many different decisions to achieve the desired outcome. |
Internal focus of attention. Using cues such as bend your knees, lift your arm higher. | External focus of attention. Using cues such as imagine sitting in a chair, get your elbow to touch uke’s rib. |
Most people already know, and studies have shown that that trying to solve a problem before being taught the solution leads to better learning, even when errors are made in the attempt. This is called the generation effect. It is a much more difficult and uncomfortable process. The problem in Judo is both students and instructor expect knowledge and solutions to be passed down from instructor to student. It is a much more comfortable process for the student and feeds into the feeling of importance of the instructor’s role. Being spoon fed the solution also gives the student an illusion of acquiring knowledge and skill, when in reality they are acquiring knowledge about something instead of knowledge of something that they are able to understand through embodiment. There is a high cultural hurdle in Judo to shift learning towards a more student focused teaching style instead of a instructor focused one.