Systems Theory(s)

[Guest]

Okay, for those of you who have been training for a long long time, or are a subject matter expert in your field; what have you done to create a formalized "system" of your approach?

I do strategic and tactical consulting for very complex clients, so I make "systems", or "approaches" for a living. But I am totally struggling to formalize a system for myself.

Here's the deal: I have been doing martial arts for 37 years. And I have training notes going all the way back to the early 90's. Some written, but as tech came along, electronic notes, photos, etc.

I am trying to codify everything. Maybe it's just going to take chipping away, and slowly cataloging and indexing everything, on a spreadsheet or a list.

So my question is: Do any of you have any formalized systems approaches to build and/or organize data. I think that my issue is that this is personalized training information and not business data, which would allow me to be a bit more clinical.

That said, at the moment, I am using mind maps to do this. Anyone have any other ideas?

Sorry if it's a vague question.

[Roughrydr]

I would begin by making categories and compiling info into broad categories. For example, exercises. Then break down to strength training, stretching, balance/coordination, kata's, etc. Then kicks. Maybe a break down of high vs. Low kicks. Pressure points for kicks or vital organ kick placement. Then strikes, a similar approach. You could even break then down into lethal or non lethal areas. Maybe a study of the human anatomy. Placement of vital organs, bones, pressure point areas that can be effective to kill or incapacitate.
Any way, you get the idea. Begin very broad. Then narrow down to beginners vs advanced techniques, throws, grips etc.
Don't know if I'm making any sense to you. Maybe it's a starting point?

[A1food4u]

I use a key point system... if you think hard each of part of a "system" should be unique, 3 master headings may all have similar sub sets but the info within may be totally different....

Example: My recipes are arranged first by when they are severed. very finite, lets say , salad, entrée, dessert with the first two both might include chicken...

If you can make definitive divisions this way then they cascade easily from there...

[Dawgpound_Hank]

Sounds like you may be overthinking it. Set goals - short term & long term - and work to achieve them.

[choke]

Yea, I have been totally overthinking it. That's been my main source of frustration. I do not have a problem doing strategic and tactical planning for work; but all this martial arts shit, that I've done for 37 years, has gotten overwhelming.

I've struggled with deciding on a starting point. I had a friend with me over the holidays, and it was a good thing because I was able to settle on a place to start. My buddy is an enigma in the military special operations community. He was an Army Special Forces guy, then he went to the Air Force Pararescue (aka PJ's: Equally as bad ass as Army SF), and then back over to Army Special Forces. He was an SF medic. Which if you know special operations, then you know that US Army special forces medics are for all intents and purposes fighting doctors.

He got hooked on opiods at the last end of his military career, self identified, and ended up getting chaptered out. He bottomed out hard, and has been building himself back up over the past few years by being in the phase of earning his doctorate.

So while we were doing some training, it really crystalized in my mind on where to start. And since I'm spending the time focusing on Brazilian Jiu-jitsu at this point, I was looking totally past the most overlooked part of BJJ. Takedowns.

So I'm starting the system map with Judo type takedowns that work on guys that come at you hunched over in the way BJJ guys do. Seems obvious right? It wasn't, simply because there is so much material to cover when it comes to BJJ. When you can spout off 20+ variations of an armbar off the top of your head, starting points get hard to spot.

So the map will travel as a flowchart to the outcome of your takedown attempt. Are you now in the guard, if so, flows on passing guard. If you failed in the takedown, are you in guard, half guard? Then sweep flows. Since in most competitive grappling events most of the time is spent passing guard and sweeping (and most of the submissions are armbars, triangles).

Now I have the flows down, and am creating a graphical map detailing a competitive system approach, and a self defense oriented system approach. And since I've been able to spend a lot of time training for so many years with a lot of coaches, I'll be able to do systems based upon aggressive game or more nuanced technical games.

I'd like to post here and get feedback on usability as it comes along.