As I teach my classes at TigerLily I often find concepts emerging I need to learn, or explore more. As fall turned into winter this year the concept that jumped out, landed on my shoulder and started demanding attention was connection.
Connection is not new to me for sure; but during this time of short days and long nights it came home to me how important – and neglected – it is. Connection in the martial arts is simple, but not easy. In order to move a partner through a techniques, taking their balance, absorbing or deflecting an attack you need two things: relaxation and timing.
Relaxation – or being free from tension – is paramount to working with a partner in technique. When the body is tense or rigid, it hampers the ability to move. If we cannot move our own body fluidly and well, we cannot partner well with another.
We can prove this through a simple exercise with a partner to compare a tense versus a relaxed state:
This idea carries over to relationships between people or within a group. Have you ever been with a friend and their body is rigid, they’re in a bad mood, and verbally snap at others? In that moment, they cannot connect, the flow isn’t easy. Or if you are having a disagreement with another person. If both parties are rigidly attached to their position, what are the chances of a solution to the argument? Pretty much zero.
The answer to being a skilled martial artist or a communicator lies not in driving the other person, but in making sure we are ready to connect by relaxing, softening our energy and paying attention to what and how we are engaging. Are we rigid and attempting to force our partner? Or are we connecting to our selves, grounding into the earth and inviting the other person to join in creating our technique, our relationship or our community?
(this concept is true through movement arts, from martial arts to ballroom dancing or any other form of movement)
Connection is not new to me for sure; but during this time of short days and long nights it came home to me how important – and neglected – it is. Connection in the martial arts is simple, but not easy. In order to move a partner through a techniques, taking their balance, absorbing or deflecting an attack you need two things: relaxation and timing.
Relaxation – or being free from tension – is paramount to working with a partner in technique. When the body is tense or rigid, it hampers the ability to move. If we cannot move our own body fluidly and well, we cannot partner well with another.
We can prove this through a simple exercise with a partner to compare a tense versus a relaxed state:
- Part One: Have one of the partners tense their body – clench the fists and the jaw; lock the knees. The other person gently pushes or pulls. Immediately the tense person loses balance and in all probability staggers a step or two.
- Part Two: The same partner now releases their hands, shaking them out, wriggle a little and gently bend the knees. Then gently push or pull them – you might even go a little harder. Notice how easily they resist the movement and maintain balance.
This idea carries over to relationships between people or within a group. Have you ever been with a friend and their body is rigid, they’re in a bad mood, and verbally snap at others? In that moment, they cannot connect, the flow isn’t easy. Or if you are having a disagreement with another person. If both parties are rigidly attached to their position, what are the chances of a solution to the argument? Pretty much zero.
The answer to being a skilled martial artist or a communicator lies not in driving the other person, but in making sure we are ready to connect by relaxing, softening our energy and paying attention to what and how we are engaging. Are we rigid and attempting to force our partner? Or are we connecting to our selves, grounding into the earth and inviting the other person to join in creating our technique, our relationship or our community?
(this concept is true through movement arts, from martial arts to ballroom dancing or any other form of movement)
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