Achieving Your Goal: Don't Take The Short Cuts Chapter 15

In 1934 Alexander was invited to lecture at the Bedford Physical Training College (now part of De Montfort University), at the time a leading centre for training teachers using Swedish gymnastics. He made the following comments on the subject of the correction of postural defects: -

"There is nothing wrong with us except what we put wrong ourselves … to help we ought not to teach them to do something - but what not to do, to prevent themselves from bringing about the wrong conditions which were already there." "If anything is wrong with a person’s use of himself, the first thing is to find out what it is he is doing that is causing the trouble, and to get him to stop doing that. Any other work to help comes after."

After the lecture Alexander was asked to look at the back of one of the teachers who had been experiencing problems. He informed her that she was over stiffening the muscles of her legs and bracing the knees thus causing tension throughout her body. Another teacher present told Alexander that they were taught to do this to help improve the condition of the abdominal muscles. This was a prime example of the harmful side-effect of an exercise designed for the purpose of producing a specific result without considering the impact on the whole body.



In 1936 a review of medical provision in the United States came to a conclusion that is still relevant in today’s fields of sport and medicine. The Josiah Macey Foundation urged that knowledge from a ‘bewildering multiplication of specialities’ be integrated to provide a comprehensive concept of the human condition. After many months they concluded that ‘the totality of an organism cannot be represented by merely adding up what is found by taking it apart.’

Unfortunately this is exactly the approach of many of today’s training methods. The parts of the athlete judged to contribute to performance have specific exercises designed to improve them individually. Athletes are trained to develop speed, agility, hand-eye co-ordination and how to visualise or meditate. Many self-help guides recommend we have interests that involve physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual activities to promote balance. This encourages the belief that we can turn parts on or off depending on the task in hand. We must be aware that even the simplest act such as taking one step is influenced by the state of the total being.

Today’s methods may differ, but the concept remains the same. Maybe the advice we place our faith in is wrong. Could the obsession with muscle and exercise be destroying our ability for free movement? Conventional training methods tend to encourage a pre-occupation with the result – end-gaining, and often ignore the process. We are led to believe that in order to improve we must do more, push harder and maybe even suffer as a result. We are driven by ambition to achieve results, but do we ever stop to question our method or motive? It could be that our objectives are wrong or misdirected, clouding judgement and preventing real progress.

The more we concentrate on reaching the goal, the narrower our vision becomes until eventually we lose our ability to reason. We can become so fixed on the goal that we start to neglect more important issues, such as health and family. Being able to take a step back to assess ambition, attitude and approach is an essential task to ensure we are still moving in the right direction. If circumstances change unbeknown to us, our dream may no longer be appropriate or beneficial.

To continue following the same path to attain our goal risks limiting further development. On realising an ambition, if we have learnt nothing about ourselves along the way, we have missed out on the most valuable part. Real progress comes from learning in the light of reliable experience.

If we can acquire the skill to recognise what it is we do that leads to poor performance, in order to improve we just need to stop doing it. It is unfortunate that so many with the motivation, determination and ability to excel at sport are defeated by the very actions we are led to believe are necessary for success. All our hard work and commitment can be undermined in the fraction of a second before we react. A little awareness can make a big difference.

Alexander spent many years of painstaking observation and experimentation in order to develop his theory and technique. It is possible to follow his path without instruction from a teacher but there are many obstacles to overcome. With guidance from a qualified teacher the process can be quicker, avoiding the traps set by habit.

Alexander’s legacy enables us all to realise our true potential by giving us the means to break out of the self-limiting boundaries determined by habits we unknowingly create. Perhaps the quote at the very start of this book makes a little more sense now.

There are many benefits to be gained from the vital freedom one can attain once the reliance on habit has been broken. Improvement to athletic performance is just one.

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