Movement is essential to life but many of us have lost touch with that instinct. In this post, we’ll look at how to start a movement practice and revive the athlete within.
We all wish we could move with more skill, athleticism and power. Crawl like Ido Portal. Free run like David Belle. Enter the matrix like Vasiliy Lomanchenko.
But where do you begin? If you’ve been sitting at a desk all day for the past five years and try to Parkour your way home, you’ll (more than likely) land face first on the concrete as your boss drives by with a puzzled expression on her face.
Day one should be a little less eventful than this.
With that in mind, here’s how to start a movement practice and ignite a passion for motion that will last a lifetime.
Just move
Just start moving. A little bit and often. All movement is good so go for a walk in the park, throw a ball with your kids, or do some press ups in the garden. Move your body in fun and interesting ways.
Don’t worry about how unfit you are, which exercises are best, or how awkward you feel at this stage, just get your body moving.
We want to stoke the fire for movement by feeling the energy, joy and curiosity it creates within us, so begin where you are (and forget about everyone else).
Be consistent
Now that you’re moving, let’s try to be consistent with it. We’re still not worried about the type of movement, or following the perfect programme, we just want to increase our awareness and level of interest.
Keep on moving. A little bit each day. Run in the morning and yoga in the afternoon.
Repeat the words of Haruki Murikami, as you build the movement habit, “I move, therefore I am.”
Find something you love
Are there any movements that you love, are good at or keen to learn? Pick one thing that you can focus your energy on.
There’s lots to choose from – skipping, juggling, climbing, hand balancing, boxing – so be bold, but try to narrow it down. The more engaged you are in the activity, the more you’ll want to keep doing it.
We’re not looking for perfect, we’re just trying to show up daily and do the practice. As you repeat the movement, you sharpen the technique and feel more confident in your abilities. Keep going and refine that skill as best you can.
Focus on skills
Movement practice emphasises skills over ‘fitness’. We practice a variety of movements from various disciplines to become better movers first and develop strength, power, control, co-ordination and endurance in the process.
Fitness is an outcome of the practice, not the sole focus.
Some people look strong, but aren’t. Others are completely jacked, but can’t run, jump or change direction effectively. Movement practice allows us to do whatever it is we want to do.
Skills that are commonly incorporated into movement practice include body awareness, spinal waves, ring dips, ring pull ups, hand balancing, martial arts and locomotion. Basic gym movements like squats, deadlifts, presses and pulls are also incredibly effective for movers and athletes alike.
Fine tune your practice
Once you’ve built some momentum and feel ready for more, you can start to fine tune your practice. Let’s raise our expectations, set some loftier goals and see how far we can go.
Here are a few ways to make your practice more focussed, fun and effective:
Practice daily. Movement is something we should do every day. Skills, mobility, strength and conditioning keep our bodies sharp and our energy flowing. Some practices can be light and spontaneous while others can be intense and structured, but daily movement is key.
Invest in some basic equipment. Having a small home gym will make it easier to practice and increase the effectiveness of your workouts. All you need is some comfortable clothing, a yoga mat, dumbbells, strength bands and parallettes to work on the basics. Rings are a great addition if you have garage space and you can add more accessories later on if you need to.
Study movement. Immerse yourself in the movement philosophy and learn as much as possible about the ways your body can move. You can pick up any one of the great books on movement, listen to movement podcasts and follow the many movement coaches online for continued inspiration. Ido Portal (@portal.ido), Jon Yuen (@yuenjon), Strength Side (@thestrengthside), Rod Cooper (@rodjcooper), Steph Rose (@steph.rose.phase6) and Aaron McKenzie (@originofenergy) are a few of my favourites.
Set goals and challenges. We get the best results when we’ve got a clear outcome to work towards. Set a specific goal that you can focus intently on for the next 6 weeks and map out the steps to get there. It should be a stretch, but not impossible. For example, hold a handstand unsupported for 60 seconds.
Keep a movement journal. Tracking your practice in a daily journal is a great way to build habits and continue making progress. You will learn far more by writing your insights down and feel great pride in the progress you’ve made.
Work with movement coach
If you want to take it further you can work directly with a movement coach. A movement coach will take the guess work out of practice and give you a programme based on your goals and current abilities. They can teach you a wide variety of movements and give you the support you need to stick at it.
There are a few ways to engage a movement coach. Many offer online courses and 1-2-1 coaching via Zoom. You may want to travel and train with them at their home base, or attend a weekend workshop near you.
If you’re lucky, there may be a good movement coach in your town, who can work with you in person for a longer period of time. Do your research and pick the coaching option(s) that suits you best.
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Featured Image: @griestprojects
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