The Benefit of Exercise?
"Trying is only emphasizing the thing we know already." F.M. Alexander A paradox is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory yet turns out to be true. A paradox opposes conventional thinking and that is why I have used the word in the title. Received wisdom has taught us that if we wish to get fit or improve performance we have to try harder and put in the extra effort. I propose that to achieve optimum performance we maybe need to learn first how to do less in order to get more! We assume the benefit of exercise is in the fitness, whereas I think this deprives us of the real gains to be had. We take up exercise or sport for any number of reasons. Maybe we want to keep fit or pursue a career in sport. For some it is the opportunity to compete in an activity outside of our professional lives to aid personal development. Some participate just for fun. Regardless of the reason, at some stage many will suffer as a result, either from frustration if progress is slow or from physical injury. It is usually the sport that carries the blame as we accept that injury is the price to pay for pushing the body to the limits. I hope after reading this book you will appreciate this need not be the case. The method outlined here was devised by an Australian called Frederick Matthias Alexander in the late 1890’s and can show us how we can get more from less effort. Whilst investigating a problem that threatened his performance, Alexander discovered that the majority of the adult population had developed a habit of unknowingly interfering with the mechanisms that control balance and movement. This has an obvious impact on performance and is therefore relevant to today’s athlete. Over the following sixty-five years he developed a practical method for performance enhancement, later to be known as The Alexander Technique. The significance of his work has yet to be fully appreciated in spite of its relevance to all fields of human activity. Alexander’s discovery of a key element influencing performance remains to be acknowledged by modern sports science. A one hundred-year-old technique that requires no specialist equipment can appear outdated, whereas in reality it is still ahead of its time. The Alexander Technique can play a vital role in the training, coaching and development of anyone with an interest in sport. It is essentially a ‘pre-technique’ that can be learnt to enhance performance in all activities and could provide the key to entering the elusive state athletes call ‘The Zone’, a place where effortless performance is possible. (Please note where I use ‘athlete’ it refers to anyone involved in a sporting activity from the enthusiastic amateur to world-class competitor.) Throughout this book I argue that conventional fitness programmes could bring about the opposite effect because they may be responsible for restricting potential and leaving us susceptible to injury. This is not delivering the real benefit of exercise. The dominance of the ‘exercise culture’ in today’s sport and fitness world has taken the joy of movement and spontaneity of action away from the athlete. We are lead to believe that in order to improve our game or get fit we need to spend more time doing exercises that often have nothing in common with the natural movements or of those of our sport. The regimented and repetitive nature of exercise and techniques for developing skills can actually reduce our range and freedom of movement by encouraging a level of control and tension that is not compatible with our physiology. The purpose of this book is not to say what is right and what is wrong but rather to allow you to examine through practical experiments how a different approach to training may aid improvement. I hope the knowledge gained will help you to make a start at enhancing performance without compromising your health. This book is not a technical training manual or meant as a substitute for an Alexander Teacher or sports coach. I wish to bring to your attention the vital factor influencing your performance of which you may have no knowledge, yet could be undermining your ambition for personal growth through sport. Please do not be tempted to jump straight to the practical exercises contained in this book. Their purpose is to provide you with an experience to appreciate a concept, therefore it is important to understand what it is we are trying to observe before applying it to practical situations. For this reason, if you really want to experience the benefit of exercise and your sports training, I recommend you read this book sequentially.
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