Balancing Forces of the Body

The balancing forces of the body, over time, should become second nature. You should be able to have it working in the body and be aware of it as well; to influence it without interfering with the force. It is a vital aid in movement analysis as well as a protection to build-up of stress and tension as you work. It is the Ki, the Chi, the life force of the body.

The body meets force with force. The downward force of gravity and any transference of weight is met with an equal upward force in order to maintain an up-right position. If the downward force is greater than the upward force, the structure will be forced down succumbing to the greater force.

How this downward force (weight) is received and supported in the body, and the path of the upward force is very important in the proper balancing of the body as a whole. The body was designed for stress. Stress becomes a friend in strengthening and balancing the body if it is received in the right manner.

The weight should fall down the face, down the back of the neck, down the chest, down the back of the hips and back, down the thigh, down the calf and to the foot and ground. The upward force should travel up the shin, back of the leg, triggers the hip, springs the back, lifts the neck and up and over the back of the head to again travel its wave like course down the body. You will notice the expansion that takes place in the different parts of the body as indicated by the arrows.

Now view the reversal of the flow of weight in the second figure and notice the points of compression resulting from this reversal. These points of compression are the areas where discomfort, injury and pain occur in athletes, dancers, and the average person as we age.

Article and graphic by: Amelia Itcush

“Doesn’t feeling crushed by your own musculature give you the feeling of being crushed by life?” ~ F. Meziers