from Verse Twenty-OneThus to be a leader is like shooting an arrow; a tiny deviation at the outset results in a miss by a wide margin.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
When I was a younger lad, I was a bit of a bowling fanatic. I even earned a varsity letter in college as the 10th member of our 10-man bowling squad.As with almost every sport, you practice the fundamentals over and over again so that in the matches you can consistently replicate the same successful actions.
If we get right down to it, bowling is about balance and rhythm more than anything else. Once you figure out the kind of ball you want to use, the throwing style, the steps for approach and what you will aim at (ironically, it's usually not the pins themselves, it's the arrows or "boards" on the lane), the successful bowler is the one than can find a rhythm and stick to it.
Of course, the above explains why yours truly was such a streaky bowler! I have a congenital problem with balance. I seem to tip over or get out of balance rather easily and frequently. I can throw strikes for several frames in a row and then, inexplicably, I can't seem to throw a strike at all! More often than not, I would alter some tiny little thing in my delivery and my ball would miss its mark time and time again.
And I believe that my experience in bowling is representative of so many other experiences in life. When we are centered and balanced, we move so that there are no extraneous movements -- we flow effortlessly with the situation. However, when we're not centered and balanced, we fall off our mark and almost indiscernible missteps at the beginning of the process become magnified as we near our chosen objective.
It's been said that the devil is in the details which is another way of stating that the little things matter. I know this has been true in my life and I believe it's true universally.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Practices like qigong and taijiquan are designed in part to develop and improve physical (as well as spiritual) balance. I too am by nature very clumsy, tend to walk into light posts and fall down a lot...usually because I'm not paying attention. When I practice these physical cultivations to the point where their application becomes second nature, I am literally much more balanced. My husband says I am more graceful.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad so many western sports activities focus on physical strength (and team spirit and winning)...we don't promote the internal balance and control so much. I wish when I was in high school, we had been taught qigong and tai chi instead of calisthenics and field hockey! (Funny, I detest watching football, but I love kung fu/wu xia movies.)
I love archery.
ReplyDeleteI love it because there are few things that demonstrate the importance - and the results obtained - by learning to remove myself from the process and let things be whatever things are.
If I start to consciously aim, and correct, my arrow goes to unexpected places. If I draw and release without consciously aiming, then my arrow finds its inevitable mark, following the tides, the stars, the orbit of the earth, the laws of physics, and who knows what else...
This is doing not-doing: involving oneself in the event, without trying to exert control over the outcome.
It could be applied equally well to threading a needle, or making a cup of tea. But in archery, it is so much easier to see what happens when one simply gets out of one's own way.
Baroness,
ReplyDeleteI wish somebody taught either qigong and taijiquan in this area! I'm certain I would benefit immensely.
The Crow,
I'm so happy you've flown back this direction. I've missed you!! Great point re archery.