Natural Movement and Childrearing.

[arnisador]

Regarding RMA, I hear a lot about natural movements and recovering them since they're lost as we grow older.

It makes me wonder if people who practice systems like Systema or ROSS that emphasize natural movement have techniques/tricks for raising their own children that make it less likely that those kids will lose their natural movements?

 

[NYCRonin]

My buddy has a funny story he tells about it.
His son was about a year or so old and my friend was playing with him by rotating the boys arm in circular motions. As he explained to his wife what he was doing, the child let the rotation go out naturally...and clocked my buddy a good palm shot right to the eye!
My kids could 'roll' before they could walk - and walked very eraly, they say.
Kids. They are 'naturals' at this!

 

[Furtry]

My son loves to dodge around the guys as we practice. He avoids us, with out being told how, in ways I try to get my students to do every time out.

 

[Mark Jakabcsin]

"It makes me wonder if people who practice systems like Systema or ROSS that emphasize natural movement have techniques/tricks for raising their own children that make it less likely that those kids will lose their natural movements?"

Early in life children learn a tremendous amount from their parents, including things never intended to be a lesson. Dean Stewart, the Systema instructor I study under runs a great childrens program. It includes some Systema drills but is definitely not Systema as a whole, nor is it intended to be. Anyway the interesting thing is that it is not uncommon to have a new 7 or 8 year old that contains more tension in his (sometimes her but not normally) body than the average 40 year old. Not surprisingly when I meet the parents it is easy to understand where they learned to hold all of this tension. In short if someone wants their children to move correctly and not hold tension then they must learn to do it themselves. Their children will learn from watching and living with them, at least at the early ages of development.

mark