Very cool thoughts...

I think its about what is in our conscious and the subconscious does come out and a big way is to consciously become more and more consciously aware. That said we can also add, delete, or modify subconscious programming. Learning to punch is programming the mind and body and we can later choose to focus conscious awareness somewhere else as the punch is good enough for now.

I think ideally there is both happening. Over all conscious awareness is increasing AND in the meantime we are changing programming we don't want and adding what we do want (Matrix - obvious loading of programs - less obvious changing and or deleting program through letting go... seems to parallel how easy it is to learn things and how much harder it can be to let go of old shit - I suspect that almost all limits to learning come from old programming - we are programmed to learn and grow and how I think society raises children to an very large degree, tells them not to learn, grow and explore even when we consciously want them to and think they are.

Teaching is a big problem I think!!! Guiding (not prefect word but better I think) foster learning how to learn and do for self. teaching teaches one to look to an outside source.

I see this with kids huge and it is very hard at times, depending how aware I am in the moment, to recall that (my programming runs deep, with my almost 2 yr old daughter.

I see it at fights too...

It would seem to me that to a degree if someone is ready to fight then they are ready to go through a right or passage as such and enter the ring ALONE! That doesn't mean he won't seek guidance but it is now his fight, he is a fighter and it is him and him alone in the ring.

The first fight especially, but any and all, it is the opportunity for the fighter to stand alone and many of us trainers are conditioned and programmed to hold their hand by teaching an hour before the fight (that doesn't install confidence to the subconscious I think) and also influences the fighter to look to the trainer instead of inside.

(often parents bring the child's focus onto themselves - I suspect subconscious insecurities and needing to feel needed/important etc - I do to at times and work towards less and less.. example - child is playing with the dog and calling it - parent "helps" by telling the dog to go to the child - this directs the dogs attention to the parent and the dog likely goes there, it also likely directs the childs attention to the parent when telling the dog and if not for sure when the dog goes to parent... Anyway - child is learning to interact with dog and parent redirects attention to self.)

I see the same in many changing rooms - trainers teaching, coaching, talking, preparing, taking care of, trying to help with mental or nerves etc etc with the fighter. The fighter is being taught to look outside as I see it and the right of passage is a journey alone. I think a first fight, set up with ritual (just any action you put meaning to) can be a huge "coming of age" experience which in our culture we do not recognize and meet (I strongly believe that these rituals that ancients all did held powerfully positive results.

I am not suggesting the fighter sit in a room alone (not that i think that would be bad either lol) but that the opportunity, hell the intention and focus, to be the fighter stepping out alone. Sometime alone leading to fight is huge I think.

Learning minutes before a fight is a little silly I think. If you prepared for the fight then its all done. You are ready to step in the ring and your focus now is that task, not so much your moves and training... I think this way of thinking and acting also helps the fighter translate the learning of moves into fighting... the better the fighter gets will be related (strongly suspect) how much he is fighting relative to how much he is doing his moves and training.

The more a fighter can adapt/change with the fight the better he will be. For he is fighting (with his training backing supporting him) as opposed to doing what he learned and his training and fighting second... Not sure if explaining well what I'm thinking/feeling.

Watch a guy with a fight or two and someone like Ali, Samart.. Extremes to make it easy but I think you can see degrees everywhere once you see it big... The new guy is doing his moves to fight and the the greats are fighting...

This is kind of what I'm trying to put in words with being more animal like...

I think observation and experience is better than books - but we have been so conditioned to look externally for knowledge that books can be a big help. I think there is also a shadow side to book learning. Balance - more aware of cause and effect... learn from experience...

hmmmm thanks again - I'm ina good space for thoughts flowing - thank you for some stimulus