Working in Movement

I've written before about the structure/function thing in working with movement and use of self.  My first exposure was on the Robert Schleip web site, though he is trained in both Rolf and Feldenkrais. I'm now discovering more.  An article on walking by another Rolfer, Aline Newton, takes a very functional approach to walking and celebrates the work of Serge Gracovetsky. The thrust of Newton's and Gracovetsky's take on walking is that it doesn't just happen in the feet and legs. The spine is the key. In fact, Gracovetsky wrote a book called The Spinal Engine. I believe it is now, sadly, out of print. Here are some quotes from Newton's article:  

The legs play an important role, but it is in providing fuel for the dynamic spine which is the true engine of locomotion.

From the arch of the toes to the sub-occipital joint, legs, pelvis, spine and arms work as one system in a great work of energy transformation that lets us walk with minimal energy expenditure. The bones and soft tissues are involved in an elegant interplay that has the potential to transmit the forces with optimum ease. Far from the image of a passive trunk carried by strong legs, in this model walking transforms into a kinetic symphony.

Force closure, how all the elements involved create a coordinated movement, can only be observed in a dynamic context.

Fencing Bear, not fencing bare  Resources in Movement has an unusual story about a fencing bear that makes a useful point. The gist of the story: an expert swordsman visits a nobleman and shows his expertise by trouncing one of the nobleman's sons in a fencing match. He is then challenged to"fence" the family's pet bear. (Not fencing with a sword, but just trying to touch the bear on the chest. The bear stands on its hind legs with one paw forward; fencing position. Well, the expert can't even get close to touching the bear! Every time he lunges, the bear parries his arm. When he fakes or feints trying to get the bear off balance, the bear ignores him and stays in position at the ready.

It turns out that, like a skilled movement expert, the bear has learned to observe "pre-movements." Those are the small, often imperceptible, movements that go before a voluntary movement. In this case, the bear recognized the shift in the center of gravity that commits a person to a lunge forward. Thus, the bear "knew" when the swordsman was merely faking a thrust, and when one was actually coming, whereupon he would simply swat it away. All of this, of course, has direct application to working with a person's use of self, especially when that use is causing unwanted problems.