Learning
Making Smaller Circles
A smaller movement matters when its useful effect remains. Investigate what an action accomplishes before trying to shorten it.
- Expansive form
- Understand function
- Refine
- Compact effect
An initially expansive execution becomes compact while the functional connection remains. Circles represent refinement rather than a literal training prescription.
How much movement do you actually need?
You avoid the jab but end up too far away to respond. The defence worked; perhaps the movement was bigger than necessary. Making Smaller Circles investigates how a familiar action can become more compact without losing its job. Josh Waitzkin uses the name in The Art of Learning. His study guide emphasises depth and close investigation of small elements in this chapter.
Skill First uses it as an invitation to understand one familiar action thoroughly. Which relationships produce the useful effect? Which parts contribute little? The model encourages refinement through understanding. It is not a scientifically established rule that every technique should continually shrink, or an instruction to practice in literal circles.
Investigating a defensive movement
A boxer avoids a jab through a large backward movement. This can prevent contact while making a response difficult and disturbing balance. Through gentle partner practice, the boxer can investigate how much distance is actually necessary. The partner attacks at a readable moment. The boxer gradually reduces the movement while checking whether they still safely leave the relevant range.
Effect determines quality. A smaller movement that no longer avoids the punch is not refinement. Compact execution that works only against one predictable jab supports a limited conclusion. Later, vary distance or pace within safe agreements. Movement becomes smaller because understanding becomes more precise, rather than because smallness looks attractive.
Depth needs a return to the whole
Investigating a detail for a sustained period can create insight, but it remains part of a larger task. A boxer who beautifully avoids the jab but forgets the next hand has not yet solved the problem. After focused refinement, the action needs to function within a changing exchange again.
Some movements also remain large because the situation requires them. Crossing distance, leaving a space or recovering a position may require substantial displacement. The model assesses unnecessary scale rather than all scale. Body dimensions, available space and partner behavior influence which execution fits.
Do not confuse reduced visible movement with reduced effort. A compact action can still contain excessive tension. A coach should consider the whole result, including whether the learner can perceive and continue acting comfortably.
Reduce one element and compare
Choose a familiar action with a coach. First describe its purpose. Carefully reduce one element and compare balance, effect and the possibility of continuing. Stop reducing when function disappears. Investigate the lost relationship rather than forcing a small form anyway.
Economy of Motion assesses movement relative to its purpose. Form to Leave Form concerns internalization and fewer conscious intermediate steps more broadly. Deliberate Practice helps investigate this particular detail. Making Smaller Circles emphasizes deep understanding and refinement that preserves function.
Sources and further reading
- The Art of Learning: Student Guide
Primary author-hosted guide for the term and emphasis on depth; examples are original.
- Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning
Book context and author reference; not an empirical sporting guarantee.
See an idea alongside another
Related models
Economy of Motion
Compare the movement's size with what it needs to achieve.
Form to Leave Form
Deeper understanding can make conscious intermediate steps less necessary.
Deliberate Practice
Choose one detail you can refine with feedback.