Kuzushi + Tai Sabaki = Awesome

At the heart of every martial art is taijutsu, or body arts. Fundamental to that is the concept of tai sabaki, body management. One of the key pillars that support these two ideas is balance. Watch the following video for an amazing demonstration of balance and body management.

To develop our balance there are a number of exercises we can do. The simplest one and the best place to start is just standing still and being aware of your body. Try not to sway or lean to one side or to the front or back.

Since we use our vision as a reference to correct our balance in every day life, the next step is to focus on something farther away when doing this exercise. The lack of a nearby visual reference makes it more difficult to sense our body’s position. The sense that allows us to know where all the parts of our body are is called proprioception or kinesthetic sense and it is a key component in overall balance, or equilibrioception or vestibular sense.

The final step in this exercise is to remove all visual cues by closing your eyes or blindfolding yourself while trying to maintain stability.

Another exercise is balancing on one foot. Begin by holding hicho no kamae for 30 seconds at a time on each foot. Try not to wobble. Once you’re comfortable holding hicho, place a tennis ball on the floor in front of you. Practice picking up the ball while on one foot, standing up straight, then placing the ball back on the floor beside you.

These are just two simple exercises. I’m sure you can think of many more, and if you need some inspiration, drop by the beginning of a Mighty Dragons class some time.