Golf Balls, Lego, and Root - Training Martial Agility

In my post Root, Energy, and Spirit - The Foundation of My Taiji, I recalled a conversation with my teacher about the core qualities of Taiji. Her opinion was that root, energy, and spirit (Shen) must be clearly expressed, controlled, and observable to others.

I began looking for new ways to develop these qualities that would be fun and at the same time teach a significant lesson. I didn’t want to keep repeating the same old basics. I wanted to challenge my movements and my mind together. Essentially, I wanted to unify training in root, expression of energy, and development of spirit in as simple a way as possible.

Training Dynamic Root

One of the biggest challenges for beginners is to maintain a dynamic root as you move your feet and step in any given direction. Maintaining a solid base, controlling your center as your weight is transferred from one foot to the other, and feeling the moment you can lift the advancing foot and place it confidently on the ground is not easy. We never want to let gravity decide where our feet are placed otherwise we are falling onto the step. Likewise, we never want to let gravity cause us to lean or move faster than we want. We strive for absolute control of our body as we move. Our mind should dictate the movement, not gravity. What if our practice methods could make us more focused and determined to master dynamic rooting? This is where the golf balls and Legos come in.

A Valuable Training Concept

My practice space is not only for Taiji but also to work on my putting so I usually have 20 or more golf balls in the area. I keep them in the corner so I don’t step on them. One day, the idea struck me to spread the golf balls out all over my training area and then practice my dynamic rooting. I would step in all directions and with a variety of techniques including cross overs and cross behinds. But, it was not really meaningful until I made one more adjustment to my practice. I closed my eyes.

Everything changed at that point. I became concerned with stepping on a ball. I needed to stay in the moment and remain in control. I needed to use the senses in my feet to know the ground I am advancing to is safe and stable before transferring my weight. I could not allow gravity to influence my stepping as I could inadvertently land on a ball, fall, or twist an ankle.

As it turns out, you don't need many objects on the floor for this to be an effective training exercise. One of my early students had a great idea of using Legos and practicing barefoot. Everyone knows what it feels like when you are barefoot and step on a Lego. It is also safer. If you use even 5 objects in a small space (e.g. 10ft x 10ft), that can be enough to strongly influence your practice.

What I Learned

Stepping blind in a minefield of small objects even for 5 minutes proved valuable. First and most importantly, I had to stay in the moment and not daydream or get lost in music I liked. I really had to focus. Though my eyes were closed, the 'listening' capacity of my feet went into hyperdrive. I had to maintain control of my center so if I felt something wrong on the ground, I could change the placement of my foot or change direction without losing my balance. I also had to practice very slowly to make sure I did not miss a signal from the environment that something was off. When I finished I often marveled at how infrequently my step made contact with a ball or piece of Lego. That did not lessen my focus at all since any bad step had consequences no matter how infrequent. I had to maintain absolute control of my center so that if my foot detected an obstacle, I could instantly retreat or redirect. In a martial application, letting your weight commit to an unsafe or unstable step gives your opponent an opportunity to break your structure.