omitting basics for advanced students !??

[patusai]

Bad idea IMHO. Basics are the cornerstone to good MA.

[bushido_man96]

I feel that advanced students should work on basics in a different way, like switching the drills up, or adding more advanced techniques into the basics. Our school has a set of basics that we do at the beginning of every class. Then for our black belt classes, we do some made up patterns, that present the basics in different ways.

Higher ranking students should be learning and practicing higher ranking material, but the basics should not be allowed to suffer.

Belive it or not, there is a happy medium.

[KarateK]

We will never stop practicing our basics, we usually have a few minutes before getting into the lesson where we go through all basic punches, kicks, blocks. Higher grades vary it by doing for example, two to a call or by blocking then punching.

With the analogy to driving or writing - if you don't do either for a while yes you will probably still be able to do them but not very well. I used to be an excellent (and modest!!!) rounders player at school, now when I play catch with my daughter I find myself dropping the stupid tennis ball every other time. (OO i like analogies hee hee.)