Biomechanical Play

[Robert V]

Everyone on the forum knows by now that we don't get too old for many activities, rather we stop doing them and we just plain old "move less" and/or in a "less sophisticated manner".

I am blessed as an elementary school teacher to see some of the most sophisticated movement patterns possible...on the playground! I see kids I teach in kindergarten and first grade doing some of the very same things I see in Cirque Du Soleil, naturally. But, I am also force to view how children begin to move less and the results are apparent when they are in fourth and fifth grades. Those wonderful movement patterns they practiced, naturally, in the lower grades are devoured as they sit and play more video games, sit and watch more tv and pushed more towards organized sports where their movemnt patterns are limited to practice in their sport.

I don't get upset very easy. But recently, my school initiated a "Walking Club" during recess. Who ever walks the most laps wins a prize(carrot and stick). This sounds like a great idea. Well, not to me! Suddenly, the kids stopped playing at recess and began walking like little robots around the tracks. I love watching the kids jump, run, swing, skip, flip, twist, hop and climb in no pre-set manner. THEY ARE MY HEROES! THEY ARE MY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL! They are what I aspire to return to.

We recently, had a school carnival. I had my own station called "Biomechanics". I would give a prize to any student who could replicate one of my movement patterns. In other words, do the BME I demonstrated on the mat. I used basic shoulder, neck rolls and leg threads. PEOPLE most of these kids could not do them! It was sad! The only good part was that I heard parents say things like, "How old is that teacher, ...was he a gymnast...how did he do that". Guys as you know, I am not very high on the "unbound flow" list, but still they could not do it.

I would love to be an element of change for school's PE program or start my own "Biomechanical Play" program for children, but I've come to see I give too much already. Maybe one day, when I am a little more balanced.

Let the children play....and follow their lead!

[Scott Sonnon]

Robert,

Perhaps you could sacrifice one of your own practice sessions / day in order to have the opportunity to offer this to your school's children. (Just stay away from the squats for now. :wink: )

Very sad to hear of the "walking club." I'm sure that they have good intentions, but I agree. We appear to be destroying at ealier and earlier ages the biological gift, the survival tool of "play," by imposing on children an artificial, bulky and obsolete tool of "exercise."

When I created the term "Biomechanical Exercise" I hoped to slide under the radar of most people's fanatical addiction to "exercise" by injecting the contagion of play - to transform workout and training to play and exploratory practice. I hope wish you all of the success in this endeavor, and please don't hesitate to let us know if we can support it. Maybe we could sponsor some books for the parents of some of the children?

[Chuck Kechter]

I can relate.

This is something I try and "fight" every day with my daughter. Three-four years ago we used to roll around like monkeys on the grass, or climb and "run" along fallen trees in the natural area next to our house (I call it chimping). Now though, as she's gotten older she is leaving a lot of this type of movement behind. Her school (she just finished 5th grade), though well intentioned, has robotified (I love the mutability of language!) her movement. Rather than run and play, it's run for distance over time. Coordination drills are a ball pass between two students rather than some form of BME. Strength is measured in how many push-ups and crunches she can do, rather than push-pull-play-climb attribute development using her own body weight. Mobility is sacrificed for flexibility (and most of that isn't taught, nor performed correctly).

"Organized" sports such as soccer, volleyball, and softball are taking the place of rolling, tumbling, and imagination games.

Now don't get me wrong. Running is important, as is strength development. So are the so-called "organized" sports. I have played most of them in my time, and enjoyed them all to some degree or other.

It's just that I think kids should be kids for as long as they can (--well into old age-- Aren't adults just "grown up" kids?) without social pressure to change into the cookie cutter little robots I see today.

Socialization used to be about how you got along with your "peers." Now I'm afraid it's come to mean standardization or maybe even pasteurization.

Rant over. . .

This may become my motto:
Let the children play....and follow their lead!

Chuck