From the age of 13 I trained in karate, which provided me with a unique opportunity to master control over my body, to push myself; develop my coordination; improve my posture and learn about analysing my movements.
In relation to age or physical condition, our body is aware of its ability to respond to both important or trivial emergencies. That has an ongoing influence on the development of physical confidence – how resourceful we feel we are.
The poorly coordinated body is ‘thirsty’ for the right stimulation to develop itself, which will, in turn, lead to maximum resourcefulness. Our survival mechanism does not take any notice of the fact that in our modern society there are rules and laws regarding self – preservation. It experiences itself on a primal level – the need to hunt and, at the same time, the need not to be hunted, in order to survive. Unlike children, adults find it easier to understand the rules of modern self -preservation. Unfortunately, such rules and laws are constantly challenged, especially in a school environment, often at break time, where children get bullied, or find themselves in a state of high alert.
The C.Q. programme crystalises awareness of the body’s boundaries (the skin) and structure. Its target is to make the person more aware of his body in the ‘here and now’, and so help him to be able to prioritise the stimulation he needs to relate to, i.e. when a child is getting up in the morning and spends 10 minutes looking at his legs before starting to get dressed as a result of hyper tactile defensiveness and/or slow motor planning.
Exercises involving elements of the martial art of karate provide physical and mental challenges and satisfaction when practised regularly. They expose people to the joy of their body’s movement, with its endless abilities. Some of the exercises are targeted to stimulate the fundamental needs of the survival mechanism and its reflexes; they work on improving responsiveness as well as accuracy of movements, which has a direct impact on the development of self-esteem and physical confidence.
