‘Feet to Core to Four led by the Head travelling on the Breath.’ - Part 8

Having talked a little last time about the big four I was planning in this blog to address the little four.

However, I remembered a question I was once asked, and I’ve decided I need to share that – and the answer – with you before we move on.

The question was posed several years ago by a person on a one-day Silat Fitrah ground fighting workshop. We had stopped for a midday break and, as we all shared some refreshment, he inquired,

‘Why do you talk so much about body movement rather than techniques?’

It’s a great question. And it was based on an accurate observation. When teaching Silat Fitrah (and in our own personal training) Guru Eddie and I do both focus on, and talk about, movement far more than technique. Our reasons as are follows:

Silat Fitrah is the Malay art of Natural Self Defence - and movement is far more natural than technique.

Talking and thinking of movement, and how best to move, reminds us of one of our primary qualities and needs: We are designed to move.

The most basic movements, of course, are those we can do on the ground – which include rolling, stretching, jumping, twisting, contracting, and expanding - and walking. (As an aside, that’s one of the primary reasons why ground forms and langkah comprise such a significant part of the Silat Fitrah syllabus.)

Regular movement is not just good for our body. It’s also essential for brain health. The human brain needs movement, by which I mean any sort of physical activity that increases blood flow, because this increases the amounts of oxygen and glucose in the brain, which, in turn, enables the brain to grow and heal.

Although so many people around the world have lapsed into a sedentary lifestyle, in evolutionary terms this is still abnormal behavior. As our hunter-gatherer ancestors demonstrated, we were made to move. Our capacity to sustain and grow was determined by our ability to walk anything from nine to fifteen kilometres, or more, every day.

In many modern societies this requirement no longer exists. Our hunter-gathering instincts are demonstrated in different ways, requiring different capabilities. Our brain though still needs us to be physically active; movement however it is achieved – whether it is through formal exercising or not - is vital for our wellbeing.

More about movement and why we focus on that rather than techniques, next time.