I think you're going about it in the wrong direction. Instead of learning what each command does, try learning what operations are possible (eg: move the curren

I think you're going about it in the wrong direction. Instead of learning what each command does, try learning what operations are possible (eg: move the current branch-ref to another commit, transplant a bunch of commits from one commit to another, etc). You just associate the commands to those operations through repeated use - no forced learning necessary. Recollecting the command is just a manpage away even for rarely performed operations. That makes it easy to learn not just the subcommands, but complex flag combinations as well. This method also lends well to problem solving. You don't look at a repo and immediately think 'what commands will I use?'. You start with the problem. Then you formulate a solution as a sequence of operations that you know. You may be able to solve a problem with more operations even if you know fewer operations. Finally, convert each operation into a command and execute them. Even the pro-git book is structured this way.