Great Steve Maxwell Clip - Reflecting on his method and life

Check out this CLIP of Steve Maxwell, featuring a lot of footage from Steve at the place I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Jiu Jitsu Kingdom)  - from Steve's most recent trip to Australia.  The clip is a snapshot of Steve and his methods as they stand at the moment, and a bit of a trip down memory lane it terms of the methods and systems that have been most influential to the formulation of his approach.

The clip is a refreshingly honest look at a man in his 60's and still loving Life (maybe even more than ever..); and contains some quotes on the simplicity needed for happiness through life.  I class Steve as one of my primary mentors in the physical cultivation methods I employ, and this clip showcases (again) a number of the reasons I like his approach so much.  Steve is truly one of the happiest humans I have met.

You might also want to check out Steve being Steve on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast recently: http://maxwellsc.com/articles.cfm?art_id=3120

I recently attended two of Steve's Mobility Conditioning Workshops - and highly recommend anyone interested in physical cultivation and movement to check them out. 

There are a number of great quotes from the clip (and a nice soundtrack), including this one: 

"I guess if there is a secret to youth; it's play" Steve Maxwell. 

The whole clip very much reminds me of another great quote:

"Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities." Aldous Huxley

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Future Depends on Play

Thanks to Craig Mallet for THIS totally cool clip about the dire need for more play by everybody (kids; adults; older people; etc).  The video mentions the education system in Finland, which worth reading up about.  

We all really need more play.  The other evening, for the rest/active recovery part of my workout at the local park, I swung on the swings - and also on this swing-thing, that is like a 1.5 metre diameter platform made out of woven rope. It supports enough weight/space to allow two parents and a small kid or two on it to swing.  It normally doesn't go very high, but I got it up to about level with the beam that it attached too.  I then lie back in a braced position on it (like the guys/gals in that crazy winter olympics sport down that pipe).  It was profoundly fun, swinging back and forth looking at the crescent moon in the sky and feeling how my body sensations changed during the different phases of the swing.  Cheap thrills!

Another thread in the Natural Movement Canberra facebook group had some cool adult-in-mind playgrounds.  There should be more play areas for adults.  Luckily some of the kids playgrounds are pretty cool.  I took my daughter to Darling Harbour playground (which seems to have popped out of nowhere..), and there is one of those cool giant spider webs there.  The kids were having a great time, and more than a few adults were climbing around on it too! Which is great!

Exploring Gravity

Just a brief post on the training the body's strength-control ability this evening.  Recently I have watched/been sent a number of great practical and theoretical videos on this: HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE. 

Two are from Emile Conrad's Continuum system, the other are two people who have developed a high degree of body control on there own.  I love this type of strength-control in the sea of gravity.  Check out the skin, rib and spine movements in the 'undulation' clip!  Great body control.

The Continuum post on aging being a starvation process of the tissues is an interesting idea..  I love the 3 dimensional exploratory and play elements to this type of movement; and think that it has profound implications for Kinesthetic Education (rather than PE or Physical Education of the moment, which is sport based and not introspective). 

Anyhow, I have been playing around with some hand-balancing lately - and it is FUN!  Here is a Hand-balancing COURSE for free, from Sandow Plus. 

Baby Capoeira

Earlier this evening my daughter (14 months) spontaneously started doing Capoeria type balancing moves on our kitchen floor.  She knew this was fun/funny and started laughing whilst is a downward dog style position with one leg off the ground, and sweeping over the other. 

Speaking of Capoeira, not sure if this CLIP lives up to the title 'The Best Capoeira video ever' - but those cats in it are smooth.  I am totally going to get into some Capoeira play this year, most likely in the spring. I love the movement patterns and playfulness.  It's one of those arts I've admired for years, but have not done yet; no problem, starting at the beginning of a physical art is something I love to do - great shoshin practice and great fun! 

Simon T did a nice little intro article on capoeira HERE, whilst for Canberra peeps Simon L runs his great classes HERE. 

Swing

..actually, the clip of that 86 year old gymnast reminded me of the quote from The Protean Body: A Rolfer's View of Human Flexibility - Don Johnson (Great book!):

"You don't stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing"

The book is about the 'radical plasticity' of the human form throughout a lifespan (within reason), and how much of what we take for 'normal' aging is influenced largely by sociocultural conditioning, which works like a self-fulfilling prophecy if we accept what we are told is the way things are.  So play! 

To my delight I recently found a giant swing at a playground in Chatswood; and immediately starting swinging on it (of course).  Man, it was fun (the chains are like 4 metres long!).  So.. whilst having fun (playing) on the swing I noticed a number of adults looking on with expressions that ranged from mild disapproval, to amusement with a hint of 'Dammit! I'd like to go on that swing too, but am worried about what my wife/friends/kids will think'. 

If you live in Sydney the swing is still there to the best of my knowledge - why not go and check it out?  You could even sneak out there at first light if you care what people think.  If anything the swing was more fun than I remember it being when I was a kid, as I am heavier and stronger now and can get much higher. Cheap thrills. :)