Space to Play

We create when we play.  It’s what play is – creativity.  Sometimes we play within a structured environment and sometimes we play in chaos.  When it comes to learning the basics of martial arts and keeping injuries to a minimum, it’s often best to play within a structured drill.

Take the drill street stages – it’s a fairly simple drill.  One person throws strikes while their partner stands as a target.  It’s a wonderfully structured drill that allows students to play within a set of parameters.  Those parameters are: pick good targets, go one inch away from your partner and pick effective strikes.

Now, we can tighten the parameters further.  We can make the students only throw a particular set of strikes.  For instance, we could say “only use the basic strikes on your requirement list”.  So now they have a much smaller list of items to pick from.  And yet, the creativity is still there.  The room to play is still there.  How can I make a vertical punch effective when I’m behind someone?  How can I use a front snap kick if I’m on someone’s side.  And then, of course, it’s easy to give the drill more play room by opening the floodgates back up to any strike.

Check out this TED video on the importance of play.  My favorite part of the video, play is good for humans of all ages, not just kids.