Physical Awareness In Martial Arts
Through taking martial arts your child will learn how to combine and develop many different techniques into fluid smooth movements.
Now fluidity and smoothness are a huge key in martial arts, because if your child will learn that they need to have the connective flow between movements to demonstrate a combination, or series of techniques, the way it should be portrayed.
In order to connect movements in a smooth way, your child will learn the right balance between muscle tension and relaxation.
Once your child learns how to throw a new kick, block, or punch, then your child must first pay attention to their body.
They will have to mentally take a step back and think of what their is telling them, and see if they are doing it correctly.
The constant attention to their own body allows your child to become aware of their techniques.
Being aware of how their body is moving will allow your child to realize if they are tense or relaxed.
If your child wants to be good at any physical activity, they will need to be able to control and master the way their body moves.
There are many different ways your child can relax, control, and enhance body awareness.
Breathing is one of the most important keys in body relaxation.
Breathing properly allows your child to use more energy in the right way.
For example, they will be breathing out on a strike and inhaling to prepare to punch, kick, or throw.
One of the keys they will master is learning to avoid is holding their breath.
If your child find themselves short of breath, it could be two things.
One, your child isn't in the best shape and your child's cardio is very weak at the time, or they are holding their breath and have low body awareness.
When your child breathes properly it allows them to focus clearly.
Breathing affects the brain, which allows your child to think clearly and focus.
When your child is focused, they are able to pay attention to their body and make adjustments.
Relaxation is the second key component to having awareness.
Breathing and relaxing are like peanut butter and jelly, both are necessary and depend on each other.
When your child practices deep breathing their body will slowly relax.
If your child is not relaxed when practicing, demonstrating, or even executing techniques, then it will become jerky and come out awkwardly and not the way your child would want.
Now whether your child is a black belt or a beginner, it still is going to be hard to achieve body awareness.
No matter how long your child has been training it is tough to continually improve their body awareness.
The balance isn't always a even 50/50.
It is different for everybody and everybody's body is different and performs different.
Finding the balance is very tough, most of the time your child will be either too tense or too relaxed.
When your child is too tense, their movements become bulky, slow, and jerky.
They will also be wasting a lot of energy before they even get to their opponent.
Basically, when your child is too tense they become the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz.
The Tin Man was very rough and rigid.
But, being too tense is equally as bad as being too relaxed.
If your child is too relaxed their techniques will suffer and lose power.
Their movements will not have the crisp sharp look or feel that it would if they were focused and relaxed, but not overly relaxed.
Although learning body awareness and finding the right balance between tension and relaxation is an ongoing process, martial arts is a great way to help your child learn the basics of body awareness and continue to improve on it.
Now fluidity and smoothness are a huge key in martial arts, because if your child will learn that they need to have the connective flow between movements to demonstrate a combination, or series of techniques, the way it should be portrayed.
In order to connect movements in a smooth way, your child will learn the right balance between muscle tension and relaxation.
Once your child learns how to throw a new kick, block, or punch, then your child must first pay attention to their body.
They will have to mentally take a step back and think of what their is telling them, and see if they are doing it correctly.
The constant attention to their own body allows your child to become aware of their techniques.
Being aware of how their body is moving will allow your child to realize if they are tense or relaxed.
If your child wants to be good at any physical activity, they will need to be able to control and master the way their body moves.
There are many different ways your child can relax, control, and enhance body awareness.
Breathing is one of the most important keys in body relaxation.
Breathing properly allows your child to use more energy in the right way.
For example, they will be breathing out on a strike and inhaling to prepare to punch, kick, or throw.
One of the keys they will master is learning to avoid is holding their breath.
If your child find themselves short of breath, it could be two things.
One, your child isn't in the best shape and your child's cardio is very weak at the time, or they are holding their breath and have low body awareness.
When your child breathes properly it allows them to focus clearly.
Breathing affects the brain, which allows your child to think clearly and focus.
When your child is focused, they are able to pay attention to their body and make adjustments.
Relaxation is the second key component to having awareness.
Breathing and relaxing are like peanut butter and jelly, both are necessary and depend on each other.
When your child practices deep breathing their body will slowly relax.
If your child is not relaxed when practicing, demonstrating, or even executing techniques, then it will become jerky and come out awkwardly and not the way your child would want.
Now whether your child is a black belt or a beginner, it still is going to be hard to achieve body awareness.
No matter how long your child has been training it is tough to continually improve their body awareness.
The balance isn't always a even 50/50.
It is different for everybody and everybody's body is different and performs different.
Finding the balance is very tough, most of the time your child will be either too tense or too relaxed.
When your child is too tense, their movements become bulky, slow, and jerky.
They will also be wasting a lot of energy before they even get to their opponent.
Basically, when your child is too tense they become the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz.
The Tin Man was very rough and rigid.
But, being too tense is equally as bad as being too relaxed.
If your child is too relaxed their techniques will suffer and lose power.
Their movements will not have the crisp sharp look or feel that it would if they were focused and relaxed, but not overly relaxed.
Although learning body awareness and finding the right balance between tension and relaxation is an ongoing process, martial arts is a great way to help your child learn the basics of body awareness and continue to improve on it.
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