Is there such a thing as a learning disorder which applies specifically to the ability to learn movements?
If so, I think I’ve got it. I am currently in a karate class (and have been for about two years), and I notice that I seem to have a much harder time both acquiring techniques and remembering them than the other people in class.
It’s not that I can’t learn it, it just seems that I lack an intrinsic ability to tell if what I’m doing is correct. Also, I have to recall techniques as a sequence of abstract ideas (actual words, an algorithm, mathematic or geometric ideas). There is no “just do it”. If I try to mimic someone’s actions, and it consists of more than I can immediately mentally transcribe in such a way, I’ll not be able to do it.
It was the same way when I took some dance classes, and when I was in marching band, and when I had to memorize music (I can recall the sound, but to reproduce it, I had to actually visualize the sheet music, and read that).
The odd thing is that it seems to be definitely learning specific, and only to specific movements, not principles. I am not clumsy, apparently I’m a decent dancer (I can’t tell, myself, as I said above). I taught myself to juggle, I can use chopsticks with either hand, yet if you say “Do this” and spin around three times while jumping up and down and waving your left hand, I’ll be thinking “Spin around three times while jumping up and down and waving your left hand”. Assuming I noticed all that in the first place.
So, is this a known condition? Or am I alone in my defectiveness?