Practice - doing it the right way from the very start.

Neither one alone will maximize success. Here we apply these principles to learning the code.

 

We Are Building A Set Of Habits
Skill-building is generating a set of habits. It begins at the highly conscious levels of letter by letter, number by number, etc. Gradually your skill will build up - sometimes by sudden breakthroughs. More and more sub-conscious control takes over and there will be less and less conscious thought about it. As it becomes more and more automatic, your full attention can be given over to the thought content, the ideas expressed while listening, and when copying, you may find yourself thinking of something altogether different.

Telegraphy is a skill somewhat like playing golf, a musical instrument, typewriting, etc. It is learning a set of habits, which can be called into operation whenever desired, and which work automatically and without conscious effort when we want them. It has an active and a passive aspect. It is active when we are sending, and passive when receiving. The goal is to become able to receive and send as easily as the expert does - he is comfortable about it - just as if he were carrying on a conversation.

Skill is developed by consistent, repetitive practice of materials which become increasingly familiar (letters, numbers, words, punctuation, etc.). Never practice error! Only correct practice is beneficial. This builds confidence and proficiency.

 

Our major focus will be on learning to receive (which is listening with understanding or by writing it down). Ultimately conscious thinking of the code must be eliminated, and we respond automatically. Then sending will be easy, too.

 

Anything 1) that produces tension or 2) requires thinking, interferes both with the learning process and with using the code.

 

Relax!

 
In the process of learning, minimize tensions by having a clear picture of where you are headed - the goal, what you are going to do and the steps you're going to take to get there. Take little steps, one at a time - small enough that you know you can do each one. Introduce new material little by little, in small enough bites that you don't feel overwhelmed - yet not so slowly that it becomes boring. Provide enough variety to keep it interesting, and introduce new items as soon as you are ready.

 

Take it easy. Especially in the early learning stages keep things at low key, comfortable and free from strain. Some people learn faster than others, so it is a good idea to avoid all competition (because it tenses us up) while you are learning the new game of the A B Cs in sound - learn at your own rate.

 

Avoid all unnecessary tensions because they tend to distract our attention. That also means we need to get rid of all kinds of distractions, worries, duties and anything else that makes us feel concerned, so that we can concentrate on what we are doing. That makes learning easy.

 

Relaxation and confidence go hand in hand. Each promotes the other. Easy does it. When you know you are doing the right thing in the right way, this promotes confidence, and that makes learning easier.

 

There are many schemes to learn how to relax. They generally begin by learning to pay attention to specific parts of the body one after another, such as starting with the toes and feet and going upwards, to legs, abdomen, chest, arms, hands, neck, head, face, eyes, etc. As you concentrate on each part, first tense it so that you know what tension feels like, and then deliberately release that tension and recognize what relaxing it feels like. With practice this can be done in a relatively short time, an almost all at once action. Breathing can also be coordinated so that deep inhalation, followed by exhaling easily is thought of as producing relaxation. Try it.

 

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