The proper place of techniques

galantwhiteandblue

Does anyone ever feel like focusing too much on techniques actually backfires? It's like when in my voice lessons my teacher repeatedly scolds me for thinking too much about techniques and therefore not actually singing. I bet it's similar with sports, as in most of the time you just got to hit the damn ball, instead of lowering your right wrist to the side of your hip, moving your right ankle in front of your left, and with the support of your glutes... you get the idea.

I am recently getting the sense that when you have prepared for the test for a long while, you just gotta let go with the techniques. You turn to them when you encounter some troubles, but most of the time all the prep you've done has enabled you to read and think pretty effectively. And when you try to technique your way through the tests, it's actually not as efficient.

But of course maybe it's just me. After all I overuse techniques in a hell lot other places besides LSAT.

Jonathan Wang

Your mechanical skills are the foundation upon which your overall competence is built. To use your voice lesson example (I am a violinist, so I can semi-relate): you may get scolded for thinking too much of technique while trying to sing, but somehow I doubt that your teacher would ever tell you that those techniques are unnecessary to learn in the first place. Complete mastery of basic skills is the thing that allows you to stop thinking about it so much in the first place. You can't "just do it" if you have no clue what to do at all.

To the extent that you 'technique your way' through a test, you're doing it wrong - not because you're using the techniques, but rather because you're still having to think about them consciously instead of having them be second nature. The big issue is not to learn when to let it go (horrible idea), but rather to learn how to just execute that way to begin with. I spent ages learning bow technique, finger placement, proper posture, and so on, and I don't have to think about it when I pick up a violin - not because it's not important, but because if I do think about it that means I've already screwed up.

Alejandro

Yup! The whole point of learning those techniques is to practice them until they become second nature. Taking shortcuts will do you no good.

hlsat180

@gaoshunqi said:
Does anyone ever feel like focusing too much on techniques actually backfires?

Depends on your situation:

1. If relying on techniques in forfeit of actual understanding, then yes - absolutely.

2. If relying on techniques to discipline your thought process so as to "focus on the right things at the right time" (to paraphrase Mike Kim), then you are simply at the beginning of a learning curve - of unlearning previous habits and learning new ones relevant to the LSAT.

In either situation, the need to master techniques is unavoidable - for the reasons Jonathan outlined above. Work through the pain until it yields to your will.

Cant Get Right

@hlsat180 said:
Work through the pain until it yields to your will.

I want to put this on a motivational poster made out of iron and blood and fire.

Nicole Hopkins

@"Jonathan Wang" said:
To the extent that you 'technique your way' through a test, you're doing it wrong - not because you're using the techniques, but rather because you're still having to think about them consciously instead of having them be second nature.

@"Jonathan Wang", this is one of your greatest-hits posts.

In my process, early on it was a lot of "WTH is this" style learning. Then when I got into the PT's, I found that I still kinda sucked. So I looked all around for a technique to save me. There is no such technique. So I practiced a lot. And then at the end, it was a few techniques that helped me refine my process and take on my final form.

galantwhiteandblue

LSAT is deep shit.