In today’s workaholic world, things are getting pretty uptight. In disciplines ranging from athletic training to classroom education, there’s scarcely any room to move. Every detail of our curriculum is now pre-meditated, measured and monitored. We have become hypnotized by the illusion of our expertise and we have excessive confidence in our knowledge. In our quest for professionalism and results, we tighten up our acts to the point that people can hardly breathe.

If all this screw-tightening actually worked, that would be one thing. But it doesn’t. Our top-down delivery of expert knowledge actually deadens the learning process and inhibits personal ownership of education and health. And, from a neurological point of view, rigid programs may actually be inferior to messy, random and diverse practices.

Consider this masterful presentation by Gary Avischious, head coach at CoachingSchool.org. As Gary demonstrates, motor learning works best when it includes variation. And, not only does this principle apply to motor learning, it also becomes a metaphor for learning on any scale.

Coach Gary’s perspective is reinforced by a recent New York Times piece How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect. The short story is that violations of patterns and expectation actually stimulate the brain to seek out meaning. In this respect, play and modern art both activate the brain in new ways and keep our minds active.

Now obviously, we can go overboard with play, diversity and randomness. An over-randomized program doesn’t stimulate any training effect and simply wastes time. Nevertheless, it’s time to loosen up our training and embrace some variation. Not only does it work better; it’s also a lot more fun.

“The Paleolithic hunters who painted the unsurpassed animal murals on the ceiling of the cave at Altamira had only rudimentary tools. Art is older than production for use, and play older than work. Man was shaped less by what he had to do than by what he did in playful moments. It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities.”

Eric Hoffer
(1902 – 1983)

In conventional fitness circles, we’re encouraged to do work-outs with lots of physical labor. We sweat and grind out the reps, trying to overload our bodies, build muscle and burn fat. We’re serious, disciplined and determined to transform our tissue and our lives.

In this equation, play is considered a frivolous waste of time, an irrelevant sideshow for kids and puppies. But this formula misses an enormous vista of potential and possibility. Play, as it turns out, can take us to a higher level of physical health, vitality and social functioning.

This potential becomes obvious in a excellent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff, a professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder reveal how play develops a sense of fairness and social cohesion in non-human animals. Finely detailed studies of animal play, especially in dogs, coyotes and wolves, demonstrate that these animals actively negotiate roles and behaviors during play bouts.

So, far from being frivolous, play is beginning to look like an essential activity for social functioning. And conversely, play-deprivation is beginning to look like a serious threat to health at all levels.

As fitness enthusiasts, we could build upon this knowledge by bringing more intentional play into our movement education programs. Yes, sweat and effort are still essential, but these elements are far from sufficient. If we bring more play into fitness, we expand the potential enormously. We go beyond the body and make our practice more holistic. This builds a virtuous circle: by using play to develop social cohesion, we also promote individual health which feeds back into healthier tribes and communities.

Here’s a promising new look at playground design, a company called Snug. Modular components remind me of huge over-sized legos. The primary focus is on small kids, but the potential for all-ages play seems enormous. What if you could build your own custom playground apparatus at will?

“…I see that everything in nature arises from the power of free play sloshing against the power of limits.”

Stephen Nachmanovitch
Free Play
Improvisation in Life and Art

“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.”

Arnold Toynbee

Physical enthusiasts continue to grapple with the role of freedom and discipline in fitness and health. Some lean towards highly disciplined “work outs” while others prefer more intuitive “play sessions.” As always, advocates for work and play will continue to call each other out, but the conversation may actually be moving to a higher level in pre-school classrooms.

It may seem strange to draw comparisons between physical training and early childhood education, but that is precisely where the future lies. We get a glimpse of this trajectory in Paul Tough’s recent New York Times article: Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control?

The central issue of the story is “executive function” in young children. This phrase refers to the general ability to control one’s thoughts and behaviors. Specifically, it means the ability to dampen or inhibit impulses coming from the emotional or limbic centers of the brain. Obviously, this is a fundamental skill when attempting to master literacy and scholarship, but it’s also essential to skill development at any age and in any discipline, from chess to sports to business. (See also Daniel Goleman’s work on “emotional intelligence.”)

The finding reported in this story suggests that fantasy or pretend play, when conducted within limits, leads to the development of self-control. Students who play out fantasy stories and situations learn to master their own brains and channel their copious energies. This practice is described as a blending of play and work.

Successful students in almost any discipline know the paradoxical truth: progress requires a blend of both freedom and discipline. Improvisation is essential; so are limits. Copious research into the nature of talent and skill has proven that immersion, engagement and deliberate, intentional action are essential to moving brains and bodies to higher levels. Recent books such as The Talent Code and Talent is Over-rated make a compelling case for deep and deliberate practice. It’s not grinding labor, nor is it frivolous dabbling: it’s improv within limits.

This is why the martial art model is so famously effective in promoting self-control and regulation, in both children and adults. Martial art is all about participation and engagement. The sensei lays down the limits and enforces them consistently. Practice sessions are full-immersion experiences and are highly physical. Within those limits, play is encouraged. Students learn to control their bodies, their behavior and their own cognition.

Our schools and our gyms could learn a great deal from this kind of practice.

A “judo heckle” is a combination game in which we simultaneously spot and heckle one another. In other words, we protect one another from falling, but we also challenge their stability. In this example, we include contact at the foot-ankle and allow for hops.

Athletes, dancers and martial artists all have some sense of a “functional pyramid:” a stable base of support with a flexible upper body that can respond to changing conditions. We can explore this idea by heckling in the lunge position. If you’re the coach, add enough instability so that your athlete feels challenged, but capable. As you can see, Sebastien Alary is an ideal example: strong and adaptable. Start in a static lunge, then start moving. For more on functional play, see exuberantanimal.com

Set this one up with a “sticky” wrist and ankle, then add small heckles as desired. The idea is to challenge your partner’s balance to just the right degree. This is not a contest. Rather, the idea is to educate your partner’s body for greater stability, responsiveness and physical intelligence. Plus, it’s really fun. See exuberantanimal.com for more ideas about playful, functional training.

A heckle is simply an unpredictable nudge, designed to destabilize the body and stimulate the sensory-motor system. Heckles serve the same purpose as a wobble board, except you can do them in any position. In this case, the heckle serves to turn on the core. For more ideas about playful, functional training, see exuberantanimal.com

Who says exercise has to be boring? Take a functional movement, add some golf club separators (or any sticks) and a few well-placed targets and get a beat going. Of course, you’ll need to be on one leg. The transverse plane loads will force your body to develop speed, sensitivity and intelligence. Not only is this great prehabilitation, it’s also good fun: classic Exuberant Animal. (Thanks to David Bair)
For inspiration on similar functional games and culture, visit exuberantanimal.com