Category Archives: Martial arts

Awhile back I blogged about working while standing up.  I’ve also talked about changing to minimal footwear.   Trust me.  All of this dovetails.

Some time ago I started writing while standing up at home.  Then, once I got stronger and more accustomed to standing, I made the switch at the office as well.  Standing up changed everything.  My energy level is higher and I feel more in control.  Rather than being cemented to the spot, I am mobile, maneuverable, and unrestricted — and here’s the key — I feel that way both physically and mentally.

As a martial artist I know it all comes down to positioning.  A boxer uses footwork to rule the ring and cut off an opponent, and a wrestler maintains a  guard or ride to control his adversary.  Every technique, whether it’s a punch, hold, throw, trip, shoot, etc., has a spatial requirement.  If you lock yourself into one position you’ve taken all of the other techniques off the table.  But if your position is fluid and your body nimble, allowing you to go in any direction, you can capitalize on openings.

Physical and mental attitude are more connected than I you think.  It’s all about space and position.   Literally.  From the 1913 Websters:

At”ti*tude (#), n. [It. attitudine, LL. aptitudo, fr. L. aptus suited, fitted: cf. F. attitude. Cf. Aptitude.]

1. (Paint. & Sculp.) The posture, action, or disposition of a figure or a statue.

2. The posture or position of a person or an animal, or the manner in which the parts of his body are disposed; position assumed or studied to serve a purpose; as, a threatening attitude; an attitude of entreaty.

And the less you have between you and the ground, the more you can feel it, the more you can adapt to the terrain.  That’s where the minimal shoe idea fits in.  If you’re walking on shoes with soles an inch thick, you’re not walking on the ground.  You’re walking on, well, an inch of foam.  You could be standing on stainless steel, concrete, tile or basalt and you wouldn’t have a clue.

But if you’re standing up in minimal shoes you can feel the bumps the ripples and since you’re on your feet, you can adapt.  Your body and mind can sense the difference in sensory input between being seated and standing up in minimal shoes.  The data that’s coming from your soles makes its way up your legs and into your body, shaping your outlook.

You might even say it’s sole to soul.