Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash. Photo is not directly related to writing. 

Patrícia Mattos Taveira do Amaral

Speech therapist with postgraduate degree in Neuropsychopedagogy

Affiliation: Judoquinhas

ubiweb2010@gmail.com

+55 (11) 97696-9273

ABSTRACT

This article aims to open the discussion about the importance of experience design in judo classes. In effect, the article proposes that the judo instructor can take on the role of an educator who creates an experience in which students develop skills for daily life and learn to apply judo values and philosophical principles for the benefit of society; and that the integral development of individuals through judo occurs through the learning process resulting from the experiences during training. In this way, the judo instructor can act as an experience designer to intentionally promote the most appropriate stimuli for a given group, solidify worked knowledge and develop a well-integrated brain so that students can use their physical, mental and socio-emotional resources to the maximum benefit of society. Then, the article summarizes some interventions from the field of experience design.

Keywords: martial arts, judo, experience design, learning experience, education

This article aims to open the discussion about the importance of experience design in judo classes. Although the object of this article is judo, insights are presented that can be useful and applied in the training of any martial art.

Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, stated that the objective of judo is the improvement of the individual to collaborate with the construction of a more prosperous world for everyone (Kano, 2008, p. 78). According to Kano (2011, p. 112), the value of judo lies in its usefulness as a means for the development of people and societies. In this sense, the judo instructor can takes on the role of an educator who creates an experience in which students develop skills for daily life and learn to apply judo values and philosophical principles for the benefit of society.

The integral development of individuals through judo occurs through the learning process resulting from the experiences during training. Training, as Siegel (2010) points out, involves the intentional harnessing of the power of experience to change the function and structure of the human brain—a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. In this sense, in the same line of thought as Siegel (2007), the judo instructor is a “neurosculptor”, since the experiences during training shape the neural circuits of the next generation.

In this way, the judo instructor can act as a experience designer to intentionally promote the most appropriate stimuli for a given group, solidify worked knowledge and develop a well-integrated brain so that students can use their physical, mental and socio-emotional resources to the maximum (Siegel & Bryson, 2012) benefit of society.

As Rossman & Duerden (2019) point out, although some great experiences occur spontaneously, knowledge and intentionality are desirable to optimize the consistent delivery of high-quality experiences. In this sense, the judo instructor can take into account (1) how learning takes place in the brain and what are the prerequisites for it to occur, as well as the development and maturation of the student; (2) the entire context of the teaching-learning process, which involves the practitioner, the family, environment, materials and all stages of the class; (3) the role of emotions, as they are prerequisites for motivation, attention, memorization and, consequently, for learning (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007); (4) the student at the center of the learning process; (5) how the elements that make up an experience are developed to optimize the moments in which there is greater concentration of practitioners.

In this sense, the judo instructor can optimize his pedagogical proposal based on three fundamental points of action: (1) creation of essential experiences; (2) elaboration of experience flowcharts; (3) intentional use of elements and moments of experience.

Creating essential experiences (Schell, 2019) is about listing the essential elements that define the experience you want to create and, in the case of the judo class, designing the class based on these elements. In judo, activities have the essence of moments and mental models of life off the mat, however, with reduced complexity. In other words, throughout the judo class, the student practices simpler mental models through specific situations and contexts that, because they are simpler, can be more easily stored, considered and manipulated than the complex mental models that present themselves in life off the mats. The judo instructor can take advantage of this to lead students to experiences that deliberately exercise mental models for the formation of individuals more competent in dealing and using mental models for more complex and required life in society.

Elaboration of experience flowcharts aims to guide individuals through a sequence of moments that create a particularly memorable experience (Disney Institute, 2011). In judo, it serves to guide the student through a sequence of experiences that aim to present the essential elements defined by the teacher for a given class and for a given group of students.

Intentional use of elements and moments of experience tend to increase the possibility of creating memorable experiences. Heath & Heath (2019) have shown that, over the course of an experience, some moments are much more significant than others and that people, in general, remember and keep the sensations of significantly positive moments that stand out a level above everyday life, for example, moments by surprise or that transcend the normal course of events, moments of insight that rebuild our understanding of ourselves and the world, moments of conquest and courage, moments of connection with others, decisive moments and endings, these are moments that require the attention of the instructor during preparation of the lesson.

The tatami, where the judo class takes place (or the dojo, more broadly), should be considered the access interface for the student's journey in their journey in judo. The idea is that the student, when facing the mat or standing in front of the door of the dojo, consider being in front of a portal that marks the boundary (Lowry, 2012) between the common world and its journey towards an exciting adventure path.

Through the creation of experiences, the instructor can expand and deepen the territory of this dojo, which can no longer be delimited by the physical space that houses the training, to become the judoka himself and transcend to the physical space of the entire planet. It is noteworthy that, despite the instructor's efforts to create memorable experiences, the experiences are lived in a unique way by each student. Finally, when thinking about education through judo, the design of experiences can increase the potential for success by considering the broader context of learning, the relevance of learning for the student and the formation of mentally and physically competent individuals, capable of applying the principles of judo in their lives and to collaborate to build a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

References

Disney Institute. (2011). O Jeito Disney de Encantar os Clientes. Benvirá.

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2019). O poder dos momentos: o porquê do impacto extraordinário de certas experiências. Alta Books.

Immordino-Yang, M. H., & Damasio, A. (2007). We Feel, Therefore We Learn: The Relevance of Affective and Social Neuroscience to Education. Mind, Brain, and Education, 1(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228x.2007.00004.x

Kano, J. (2008). Energia Mental e Física: Escritos do Fundador do Judô. Pensamento.

Lowry, D. (2012). O Dojo e Seus Significados: Um Guia Para os Rituais e Etiqueta das Artes Marciais Japonesas. Pensamento.

Rossman, J. R., & Duerden, M. D. (2019). Designing Experiences. Columbia Business School Publishing.

Schell, J. (2019). The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses (3rd ed.). CRC Press.

Siegel, D. J. (2007). The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being. W. W. Norton & Company.

Siegel, D. J. (2010). The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician’s Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration. W. W. Norton & Company.

Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2012). The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies To Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind. Bantam.

Watson, B. N. (2011). Memórias de Jigoro Kano: O Início da História do Judô. Cultrix.

 ※ Views in this writing are the author's own.