Sep 27 Tension in the Rigging

As with a sailboat the rigging of the human is in a constant state of tension that is necessary for us to maintain our structure.   If for some reason a muscle decided to completely let go the whole structure would be thrown into chaos – anyone who has ever suffered a leg-numbing roundhouse to the thigh will fully appreciate this concept.  ‘Tension’ has developed a rather negative reputation when in fact it is an essential aspect of a healthy posture.  Using the ‘rigging’ analogy we can visualise the role tension plays and how the various aspects of the body compliment each other.  The soft tissues to the front of us stabilises us from falling backwards whilst the rigging towards the rear will pull tighter to stop us falling forwards.  In order to do this muscles are in a constant state of engagement.  Our nervous system sends signals to the muscles based on the information it receives through the senses that monitor our balance – these signals tell the muscles to tighten or slacken appropriately to stay upright.

The structure of the body is in a constant state of flux and during something as seemingly static as standing the body is undergoing countless adjustments to maintain balance.  Our body will respond dynamically in the rigging by constantly adjusting the soft tissues to perform any movement.  To raise an arm it will tighten certain muscles and slacken others.   If pushed off balance it will immediately respond appropriately.  Through the use of the soft tissues the body is able to perform far more sophisticated than simply maintaining balance, such as running, punching, jumping and dancing.  Regardless of the complexity of the activity the basic principle is still the same and all movement can be broken down into simple contractions and relaxations within the soft tissues.

Understanding tension we begin to see that it is really the unsung hero of movement and far from being a negative influence it is the thing that allows us to function as human beings.  The real villain of the piece is ‘excessive tension’ and like all good baddies its influence is subtle but far-reaching.  Excessive tension zaps our bodily resources and to understand its implications we only need to look to its effect on our soft tissues.  If for some reason the soft tissues towards the rear of body start to pull harder the whole body will lean backwards.  To compensate the soft tissues to the front will pull harder to stabilise the body.  We very quickly slip into a vicious cycle whereby the body is forced to add more and more tension to stabilise itself.  For the body this is like having to move with the handbrake on and is disastrous for the martial artist who requires responsive dynamic movement.

Appreciating the effect excess tension has within the system brings us to the need for awareness as to what causes it.  The body has the wonderful ability to respond and adapt to situations using tension as a dynamic tool, but when pushed to excess the body can quickly be knocked out of balance.

Common causes of excess tension in the martial arts are overtraining and injury.  When the body is stressed the brain receives signals from the area affected and will apply tension to lock down the soft tissues in that area to restrict any movement that causes discomfort or pain.   With the body in a state of excess tension anything you do to startle the body will create further stress that results in more tension.  Due the spiralling nature of excess tension we need to be especially mindful of how we use the body during time of injury and fatigue.  Anything that aggravates the body when it is holding excessive tension will only compound the problem more and cause it to accumulate.

Another way excess tension enters the body is through the emotions.   All emotions have a physical response that affects how we hold our body.  During times of stress people often hunch their shoulders up around their ears and those suffering from depression will commonly droop their head and try to hide away from the world.  One of the exercises we used in my shiatsu studies to explore this was to ‘people watch’ and see what shape bodies took in response to a certain emotional state.  It was extremely enlightening for understanding our own postures as well as those of our clients. The key point is that excess tension, regardless of whether it has a physical or emotional root restricts and inhibits movement and once in this state the body will begin to accumulate more tension until the system is brought back into balance – through either breaking down or having the excess tension removed.

In reality excess tension isn’t really a villain, it is simply the body’s way of responding to extreme stress.  Knowing when your body is out of balance is an indicator that something you are doing isn’t quite right.  From this perspective excess tension becomes a teacher rather than an enemy.  Having the awareness that the body is entering this state gives you the boundaries in which you can move before it appears.  Once it has appeared training slowly and mindfully gives the opportunity to learn what relieves it and what can exacerbate it.  Using excessive tension as a teacher when it appears can provide wonderful insights into the deeper aspects of the martial arts.

The martial arts are a life long learning experience.  Unlike many other learning pursuits our studies are experiential not intellectual and experiencing the body is where we find the doorways to the depths of our arts.  Tension is nothing more than the result of our interaction with the world and excessive tension simply means we’ve pushed too far.  Again it brings us back to the key point that awareness and mindfully listening to our body is the key to both a happy healthy life and excellence in the martial arts!

Gavin King

Gavin King is a Shiatsu practitioner, writer and Martial Arts instructor from Essex in the United Kingdom. He runs a full time Martial Arts centre in Hockley, Essex teaching Tai Chi and Kung Fu. You can contact him via Facebook or Twitter!

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