Why don't we move more often? Part III

I think I’ve at least started to build a case for my statement that we are built to move. If you haven’t read the first two parts of this series, I’d highly recommend that you do before you proceed. I think today’s post will make more sense if you do. Of course, you are free to read them in any order you would like. That may even be a fun experiment. Let me know what the outcome is if you decide to do that. I’m curious to see what happens.

We left off with the idea that if we continue to explore and practice movement throughout our lifetime we can continue to grow and develop physically, cognitively and emotionally. Those might be radical ideas for a lot of us. Our culture doesn’t really teach or support those ideas. I’ll try to summarize my perception of what our cultural ideals or expectations are as related to movement and the aging process.

Before school we learn to move, we start free play by ourselves and with others. When we enter school free play and exploration of movement are gradually diminished and replaced by structured play that now has specific goals and expectations we are taught to strive for. This includes the introduction of individual and team sports which focuses on the conditioning and skills needed to win games or individual competitions. These may be introduced in school PE curriculum's in some cases. Although regular physical education classes are not the norm in primary schools currently. Some of us may play sports in high school and or summer league teams. There are club sports for these age groups as well which are usually limited to players seeking to advance in competition levels.

The reality is that there are limited opportunities for most children to continue having movement experiences. These movement experiences are also not focused on curiosity, exploration and continued development. Instead, they are focused on the needs and goals of winning a competition and higher levels of performance. There is nothing wrong with setting goals and taking the actions to achieve them. They provide structure that can help motivate continued effort. When they are the focus of the activity they shift the focus from internal to external. The process is about fulfilling someone else's expectations and attached to self-worth. There is a lot to be gained by participation in team and individual sports, and a lot that is lost by focusing on the outcomes.

The focus of achievement and winning in our culture also sacrifices a great deal of the benefits of more creative, experience driven, exploration and play. You can still set goals and achieve higher levels of mastery/performance in these processes and some structure will help facilitate the process. They are just not the focus. The focus is on the experience and journey. The focus is internal rather than external. While I know that focusing on the journey is currently a popular buzz word in team or even individual sports it’s usually used as a means to an end. It’s a tool used to accomplish the goals of improving performance and winning competitions. With free play and movement exploration it is a part of the process itself. Without the internal focus the process stops.

Wow! I didn’t realize I had so much I wanted to express on this subject. I think this is a good place to stop for today though. I don’t know about you, but I absorb information better in small bits. Full disclosure; I’m also using it as a way of enticing you back to read more and because I suspect you have a short attention span like me and don’t want to take up a great deal of time reading long articles. Of course, I could always be wrong. Let me know your thoughts below.