Power or force: playing with a gymnastics ball

Physical contact with a bounced gymnastics ball provides direct feedback on balance, structure and relaxation, centered-ness, and the exploration of the dynamics that occur between power versus force.

Balance: It's impossible to hit the ball with any degree of connection if too many postural muscles are engaged in the attempt to allign the body vertically through gravity while it is in simultaneous pursuit of  connection with the ball. The whole body, every muscular postural group, should experience the peak intention of connection---BAM--- at the precise moment skin contacts plastic.  A visual anology could be  the muscular coordination required amongst agonists and antigonists to perform a one finger push-up.

all pics by joanne carscadden

 

 

Structure and relaxation: Secondly, the resounding impact of hand, forearm, shin, etc. meeting ball requires an intimate relationship between structure and relaxation. An overly rigid structure priorizes strength over flexibility and produces a superficial contact that sounds tinny and thin. An overly relaxed body with no structure taxes centered-ness. The body has to stand up straight, or at least be conscious of the vertical plane. With no structure, and relaxation pushed to the extreme, a piece of spaghetti, there can be no central point of impact. The rebound energy deflects the incoming ball in a random manner and often the ball just falls to the ground in an energyless manner. PHUD!!! The perfect combination of structure and relaxation produces a sonorous 'boom' with the contact of either hand/elbow, arm, leg, or foot, the ball collapses and then regains its shape as it travels back toward the wall.

Centered-ness: Can you direct the ball toward a target? If you can allign your body and impact the ball directly with an appendage, the ball will travel directly toward your target. If your body is not alligned, the ball will travel on a diagonal path up or down, left or right, or a combination thereof. Whatever the position of the body in relation to the movement path of the ball, if the ball is within a centered impact distance, the ball will fly back to the wall with great speed.  If the ball is on your periphery rather than your center, the impact will hurt and the collision will aggravate the joints...ie the elbow if the hand is the body part, the knee or the ankle if the foot is the impact point.

If practiced with the intention to explore the relationship between balance, structure and relaxation, and centered-ness, power will take its priorized position over force. If not practiced well, force overcomes power. The former is good tai chi.