The first half of the class was just walking around the park. Up the hill, around the bike path, across the field.
This is martial arts?
Be light on your feet…
Shifting from martial arts posture to posture, maintaining
balance and flow.
Did anybody ever teach you how to walk?
Just what did that question mean?
How did you learn to walk?
Growing up I’m willing to be it was trial and error, just
good enough not to fall over, and good enough to get you moving around. Later
in life, maybe you had some athletics training, or participated in a sport, but
walking, running, and moving was much of the same.
Good enough.
As a result, many of us walk incorrectly.
We over step, extend our leg far beyond the other, move out
of alignment with our feet.
Out of balance.
Balance, which is important in the martial arts.
Through studying the ways of heaven, the ten ryaku no maki,
we learn how to correctly move our body in alignment- to generate martial arts
power, stay in balance, and be able to change and adapt the body as needed,
ukemi taihenjutsu.
Something as simple as walking is vital to correct martial
arts, and is the cornerstone of movement with regard to distance, timing, and
rhythm.
The sooner you learn to walk (move) correctly, the quicker
you will progress in the art.