Continual development.

“As movement coaches, it’s important that we continue to learn and challenge ourselves with new and different types of movement. It gives us fresh perspective and a new lens to look through when we are addressing a client’s movement and it also gives us more insight into other styles and forms of expression.

To learn and challenge yourself is not only exciting, but it’s invigorating and thought provoking, so the idea was for us all at ONI to try a new activity every month as a team.

As coaches, we should always teach the basics first. The fundamentals of movement are about learning and practising body positioning, with control and stability in mind. Most of our clients start and stay in this realm for a while and we are there with them along this journey. This however, means that our own assessment of movement and even our own training can feel a bit stagnant if we don’t challenge ourselves regularly.”

Laurent
Team ONI

Tricking.

Tricking utilises a combination of gymnastic twists and martial arts techniques in an aesthetic display of different combinations of 'tricks'.

Fletcher Stevenson, a stunt actor and gymnastics coach, took us through the basics of tricking that involved floor work as well.

Kinetic linking is important.

The movements were complex and required great amounts of coordination, flexibility, and power. Like most sports, the core has to be well timed with the limbs to be able to transfer energy to propel the body into these dynamic and creative movements.

For those of us without prior experience with martial arts and gymnastics, the timing of movements and the coordination involved were the biggest challenge (aside from flexibility).

Function is dynamic.

Overall, this workshop with Fletcher revealed to us the importance of complex motor skills. It’s not enough being able to deadlift with a stable core. To be fully functional with our bodies we have to push into the boundaries of what we are capable of. That involves being coordinated and strong enough to be powerful and dynamic with our movement.

Fletcher Stevenson.

Fletcher is a stunt actor and a movement and gymnastics coach.

“It was really cool to see everyone give it a go, considering the high skill cap and mobility of tricking. Cool to see different body types and how each person approached a trick in their own style!”

Author: Laurent Pang

Tricking Coach: Fletcher Stevenson

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