It's all in the name...

Sometimes I think the bard said it best..

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

Name - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Romeo & Juliet)


What's in a name? One of the most fascinating trends I've noticed recently is the unique process by which submission grappling movements get their names.

I've got to say the most impressive producer of contemporary names has to be Eddie Bravo. I'll admit, at first when I flipped through his books I thought, "what the heck kind of names are these? T-Rex? Night of the Living Dead?  There's no way I'll remember these."

Interestingly enough, I did.

In fact I've found I remember most movements after I've been taught them if they have an evocative name. Something that works as a nice play on words, something that references a movie, a piece of music, famous figure, or even a prehistoric thunder lizard!


Sadly Bravo's "T-Rex" isn't nearly as cool, but is still a very effective name.


The analytical side of my mind continues to wonder why.

Why do simple evocative and often times exotic names seem to stick with us more than more traditional or analytical names?

Is it a facet of our generation? Are we so tuned in to contemporary culture that names that evoke cultural norms are more readily remembered and recalled?

Perhaps there's an academic out there studying the process of naming, memory, and recall.. I'd love to know why it works.

Until then however, try to come up with names for the movements you learn, make them meaningful to you.

Chances are you'll appreciate it next time you roll.

Time to go "T-Rex Up", later!

-hz

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