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ProGamer's Cocoon #4 - Learning How To Learn SC2

Blogs > JoyfulSpirit
Post a Reply
JoyfulSpirit
Profile Blog Joined September 2011
Poland62 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-10-18 07:40:19
October 18 2011 07:39 GMT
#1
Yesterday I couldn't sleep so I stayed up, reading Michael Hall's book 'Games for Accelerating Learning'. It's about learning how to learn faster. Pretty darn important skill if I wanna learn to play Starcraft on the pro level. Here are 5 biggest insights I pulled out of my midnight read:

1. "The best learning is playfulness and losing oneself in the play. As children, we begin with this innate ability to lose ourselves in play. Later, it's beat out of us, and if we learn to recover it, we call it "the strategy of genius.""

Way too often I find myself getting frustrated after a loss, caring too much about the victory and stats. From now on I'm going to do my best to just "lose myself in the playfulness". I'll re-awaken thsi child-like curiosity and playfulness, and it'll be a huge burst to my learning curve.

I'll probably find myself losing more, as I test new strategies and builds. After a few weeks though I'll end up with way more effective strats and even higher win/loss ratio.

2. "Learning needs nurturing.
Although we have a learning brain and nervous system, it still needs to be treated kindly and gently to bring out it's natural powers. It is designed for learning, abstracting, map-making. Relax and let it do what it does best. Refuse to tolerate any and all harsh self-judgments. Nurture the health and optimal functioning of your brain and nervous system."

Again, no more frustration or self-judgement after a loss! It just slows me down. If my brain needs to lose in order to learn, so be it.

In the first game I played after this reading I got totally crushed by a Master zerg that played muta ling harass in ZvZ. I've never seen such a good execution of that style and was totally helpless against it. Normally I'd get rly frustrated and leave without gg. This time however, I was just curious how to implement it. I said "cool style" and asked him some questions. Now I'm experimenting Playfully!

3. "Balancing Uptime and Downtime States accelerates high quality learning.
While learning excellence begins with sensory awareness, it doesn't stay there. We come "up" to get more feedback data and go "in" (down) to construct a map. The quality of our learning flows from the quality of our registering of sensory based information and checking it out as we create everhigher abstractions.
"

This confirms my idea that short breaks between every game are very productive. For learning, my brain first gathers up the data by playing a game, and after that it analyzes that data WHEN I'M NOT PLAYING.

If I'd play 10 games in a row without taking breaks, my brain would have no downtime in order to analyze those games and integrate the experiences I gathered up. That's actually less efficient, than playing 5 games and taking 10 minute breaks between games.

During breaks I close my eyes and relax, do house chores, juggle 3 balls etc. Nothing brain-heavy. Relaxation is good. Movement is good. Playing several games back-to-back is bad.

What do you think about those 3 insights? Do they make as much sense to you, as they make to me?


*****
XxDefexX
Profile Joined February 2011
Denmark19 Posts
October 18 2011 08:39 GMT
#2
Very interesting. I think it's important not to focus too much on these though, but just "get lost in the playfulness" and play a lot of games.. Though, nr. 3 is important too, but I don't think you have to do it between every game but more likely when something new and interesting happens (e.g. your game against muta ling ZvZ - new style).
JoyfulSpirit
Profile Blog Joined September 2011
Poland62 Posts
October 18 2011 15:29 GMT
#3
Yea some games turn out obvious and there's nothing new about them. On my diamond level of play though about 90% of the games bring in something new, or show me an important adjustment I need to make in my play. Perhaps as I move into high masters, less new things will pop out.
fatum
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Spain83 Posts
October 19 2011 10:15 GMT
#4
Definitely gonna read this book.
ty for sharing
Aim to climb as high as you can dream.
JoyfulSpirit
Profile Blog Joined September 2011
Poland62 Posts
October 19 2011 12:26 GMT
#5
As a matter of fact its a manual for his video course so you're probably not gonna find it in bookstores...

However if you gave me your e-mail address...
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