the CRAIG VAN cast
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the CRAIG VAN cast
49 | Mastering Movement from Simple to Complex
In this podcast episode, learn how the world's most skilled movement practitioners achieve the impossible by breaking down complex movements into simpler components. Discover the process they use to master each component and integrate them layer by layer, ultimately reaching high levels of performance. Understand why patience, persistence, and a focus on the basics are crucial for true mastery. Join Craig as he explores the journey from simple to complex in movement development and shares practical insights for listeners on their own path to skill mastery.
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Did you know that the world's most capable movement practitioners don't depend on talent to achieve the impossible, while most beginners and newbies do expect their talent to take them places, they're not nearly ready to go. The difference is that masters appreciate the impact of process and is actually quite as simple not necessarily easy, but simple process that masters use to reliably achieve the impossible. Every single complex movement is compiled from is comprised of simpler components. The more complex any skill becomes, the more constituent components are required to build the skill In movement. Every single form is comprised of simpler forms and also serves as a form in a more complex form, so it's higher on the chain than some simpler skills, but also lower on the chain than some more complex skills, existing as both the consequence of simpler skills as well as the cause of more complex skills, component of more complex skills. Recently, I was listening to the podcast released by Aubrey Marcus with his discussion with Alex Hormose at the Arcadia Festival and they were discussing money and both of them have been extremely successful in many different domains and reiterated the same concept that every single thing in life is accomplishable by breaking it down into simpler and simpler components or skills, and they've managed to apply this across a spectrum of domains in business and life. So I have no doubt that there's very few places this understanding, this process of simple to complex, isn't found. We're to conquer any skill or, in our context now, to conquer any movement properly the mindset, we understand, its parts, the different pieces that make it, and that we appreciate. To truly conquer a movement or a pattern requires that we truly conquer the parts or components of those movements, of those patterns. I think there is a somewhat unconscious belief that in the ignorant, those with uninformed ignorance, who haven't truly mastered some skill to world class level, that those who do master skills to world class levels have some innate talent or ability that makes it much more accessible for them. But 9 out of 10, if not more, of the people who do make it to world class level get there Through processes and through prep. They master endless components that they then put together to form complex seeming skills or abilities.
Speaker 1:When it comes to our movement, I think it's most simply or un-beautifully explained by the fact that when we are developing ourselves for a complex movement, a more demanding movement, that we need to progressively, patiently, develop the structures to be able to tolerate the loads that are going to come in the more complex or demanding skill Neurologically, from a coordination perspective, the skill perspective, movement is a language, maybe our most fundamental and primary language. There is a beautiful TED talk by Professor Walport where he it's titled the Real Reason for a Brain and movement is that reason, and things like language are abstractions of our movement ability. And in the same way we appreciate to compose language, we begin with single letters which we then compile into words, which we then form sentences to form paragraphs, to form essays, books and beyond. There is no writing a book without being the master of masters with the letters, with the words, with the sentences. And movement is no different. No skill is no different.
Speaker 1:Any skill that requires our neurological development probably requires that we progressively master, layer by layer, from simple to complex Within the movement realm. I've heard Ido Portell refer to this concept of simple to complex as journey from isolation through to integration and then through to improvisation. Very similar idea we isolate the components, we integrate the components and then we explore and play with those components Once we have we have ironed out the fundamentals. We can't expect to improvise to our limits without having familiarized or conquered or ironed out the basics. The highest performers take this one step further, that don't just recognize that we get to the complex from the simple, but that the simple is a foundation upon which the complex rests. That the simple is fundamental to our complex skills. That in order for us to remain proficient in our complex skills, we need to continuously refine, improve the basic skills. There's no leaving the basic skills behind and moving on to the complexity.
Speaker 1:Across the various spiritual traditions, this has been explained as Shaila, samadhi, pranya, we've got Srivaka, yana, mahayana and Tantrayana. We've got ethics, concentration and wisdom. These are three layers of the pyramid, three layers of a development. One has to access purification of the mind, which is the second layer, and then, through purification of the mind, access wisdom. But ethics can never be dropped. Ethics is the first foundation, but one that the wisdom and the mind purification rest on continuously and can never be dropped, can never be left behind. There doesn't seem to be a realm or a pursuit in which this journey of going from simple to complex and having the complex rest on a solid foundation of the simple. I haven't seen anything of meaning that doesn't follow this process. In fact, often I have seen and I've heard stories of some of the world's best, achieving near perfection by the very process of breaking down what it is they're aiming to perfect, and perpetually, continuously, obsessively refining each of the components, compiling those components part by part, piece by piece, and then moving towards this more impeccable wholeness.
Speaker 1:The more complex and the more impressive a skill is, the more difficult it becomes to master such a stretch towards our limits. By definition, we have to bring it within reach to take it to such a level of mastery and I experienced this over and over again in my movement practice that even in the classes I attend and the somewhat basic skills I often encounter, if I am able to break it down into more simpler components, into activities or skill practices which are more basic components that I can understand that the complex component is built from, and then I spend time working with those basic components, I always come back to the more complex skill with a significantly improved ability. Yet sometimes I can spend months on a complex skill with very little to no progress. There's some threshold that I've crossed between my ability and the demands of this activity and it becomes extremely difficult to break through that plateau of development. And maybe one of the most powerful ways to break through plateaus that I'm communicating and discovering as I communicate this through my experience, is to improve the basics, to go back and enhance the basics, take something that is within reach and see how much further we can push it and then go back to something more complex.
Speaker 1:And, like I said at the beginning, what a beginner mind often does is move as quickly as possible from a simple practice to a more complex practice, trying as quickly as possible to get to perhaps what they believe the goal of the journey is, what they think is impressive, perhaps what they think is more exciting, stimulating, without understanding that the only way to access the more impressive is by obsessing over the mundane that the more time they spend on the basics, the quicker the more challenging and complex will come when the time is ready. It also turns out to be a much less risky, much safer way to progress on the journey. The beginners are taking massive risks that they don't realize are not worth it. They don't even realize that they are taking risks by rushing through the journey and that those risks are not worth it, that the true mastery will come from learning those letters, learning those words, learning those sentences from truly ingrained in embedding, downloading the fundamental skills. So I recommend that you don't be that guy or girl.
Speaker 1:Patience and persistence are Some of the most valuable virtues, for really good reason. Take your time, study the movement. This is also an exercise in coming to understand what Skill or what a movement or what a pattern is Is comprised of. What are the components that make up this goal of mine? And then having the patience and the humility to Focus on and develop those components and then explore different ways of compiling and combining those components into slightly more integrated forms, inching towards a more perfected whole. And even once we reach an impressive wholeness of the parts, we don't leave behind the parts. We realize that familiarity with the letters, with the words, that complete mastery of the fundamentals is what the more impressive and Expansive abilities depend on. This is a journey to real mastery. This is how obsession, properly applied, it takes the world's best performers To the highest goals, near perfection, if not actually reaching perfection sometimes.
Speaker 1:Personally, I am never seized to be amazed by the power, the, the results of this method, of this approach. And there's something deeper which I think I'm yet to To clarify completely, but I believe I have successfully described a lot of the important components of this patient, persistent, compartmentalized approach to mastery layers from simple to complex. Movement itself, like any other skills which are often abstractions of our movement learning journey, is like a layered onion, like a pyramid with a bigger, stronger foundation to support everything above it, and how we get from simple to complex is truly through the simple, then the complex. I hope this is insightful. This is this has given me so much context and perspective in my journey to develop challenging skills, to develop long-term Abilities, high-level abilities. May it serve you to use it on the journey if you want to experience how I've applied this principle, these principles, to the journey of fundamental spinal skills, spine stability and curing back pain.
Speaker 1:Or Really, from a performance perspective, what is the most fundamental skill? If we had to break back All the layers, what would we find at the core of the onion on the journey of spinal development, which is at the heart of our movement development? That's what my course kinetic keystone is all about and if you feel moved to take some action on that, please go check it out at craig van dot com. If you know someone else who could benefit from this information, please share it with them. Help me get the message out, do your good deed for the day and I recommend you follow on the school but subscribe. Your future self will benefit a lot more from that, and Until next time, I wish you wellness.