natural movements

[lonecoyote]

Read a lot of people in magazines and such who espouse that their MA uses the body's natural movements, I guess meaning things that we do all the time, so they come naturally. This is just my opinion, but doesn't that "natural" feeling, insofar as martial arts only come through repetition. I mean, fighting isn't really like anything else. Punching and kicking aren't like drinking a cup of coffee, welding, typing, sanding furniture, or whatever. Maybe a little bit, but every thing in the beginning of training felt unnatural to me. footwork too. Blitzing, V stepping, even step dragging, covering out, etc. all felt awkward, nothing like what I normally do day to day. Am I wrong about this? Are there martial arts that use the bodys "natural movements"?

 

[Mark Weiser]

Being in the Medical Profession maybe I can assist with this question. "Natural" Movement I would assume is the common biological movement for every human being for example.

While walking we swing our arms back and forth. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this as well. Anyway while moving forward we have a natural pendulem action. So when we step forward we automaticly swing the opposite arm forward(walking is actually a controlled fall so we need a counterbalance on the other side) for balance. So if we just add a little more swing to the arm we have a strike to the groin with very little effort by hitting with the top of the hand or with the wrist.

When we fall we automaticly try to reach out with our hands to protect our body just watch any child or been in the ER on a fall you will notice lacerations on the palms and forearms. So if we use that movement and collapse on it we have a controlled fall.

Just two examples I can think of off the top of my head lol.

Mark E. Weiser

 

[sokklab]

Read a lot of people in magazines and such who espouse that their MA uses the body's natural movements, I guess meaning things that we do all the time, so they come naturally. This is just my opinion, but doesn't that "natural" feeling, insofar as martial arts only come through repetition. I mean, fighting isn't really like anything else. Punching and kicking aren't like drinking a cup of coffee, welding, typing, sanding furniture, or whatever. Maybe a little bit, but every thing in the beginning of training felt unnatural to me. footwork too. Blitzing, V stepping, even step dragging, covering out, etc. all felt awkward, nothing like what I normally do day to day. Am I wrong about this? Are there martial arts that use the bodys "natural movements"?

When people talk about 'Natural Movement' in reference to a Martial System, they are talking about those systems where stepping, movement in all directions etc is done naturally, the same as Walking.

So they are talking about systems such as Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing, etc. In those examples there is no cross-stepping, no Fancy steps and no intricate footwork etc. The hips point roughly forward and power is delivered via this methodology. The Footwork relies upon the most natural way to move, one that we have always done and the results are clear to see, in that Boxers for example have some of the best Footwork around.

Whereas most 'Martial Arts' seem to over-complicate things. Their footwork and Movement make sense within the realm of that Particular Martial System, but not on a 'Natural' basis.

So you have to understand the Rationalle behind each Martial System, in order to understand why it does what it does and in its own particular way.
And to understand how the movement taught within that particular system, fits in with the overall worldview of that System.

Once a systems 'Mindset' can be understood and the principles behind it explained, then all becomes clearer, but most systems that have their own particular rationalle, do not utilise natural movement, hence why they feel awkward in the beginning, because you basically have to re-program your way of doing things.

BTW, I don't know what Blitzing, V Stepping, Step Dragging are, but with those names, they don't sound particularly natural to me, but then neither does the Thai term 'Tiger Stalking Step', which is literally changing your feet by stepping forwards and back.