Do you know how to walk like a martial artist? Or do you stumble around not paying attention like everybody else? 🙂
In this video, I’ll share one simple principle of martial arts movement that you can apply right now to help you keep your balance and get you where you want to go safely.
If the video doesn’t play, try this link! Transcript below. Keep on walkin’!
How to Walk Like a Martial Artist
TRANSCRIPT
Hey, good lookin’. Ando here from Happy Life Martial Arts.
They say you have to learn to walk before you can run. I think you should also learn how to walk before you throw a punch or kick. But I wonder how many martial arts students have taken the time to break down the mechanics of how they walk? I mean, have you?
To be clear, I’m not just talking about how to walk as part of a smart self-defense strategy. You probably already know you shouldn’t walk around counting your money or wearing headphones so you can’t hear someone run up on you.
You probably already know you shouldn’t walk small, looking weak and unsure of where you’re going or too tall and cocky, like you’re looking for trouble. Do any of that and you’re eventually going to meet someone you don’t want to meet.
So, today, I just want to take one basic principle of martial arts movement and apply it to how you walk, then you can apply it to everything else. Let’s take a walk.
Question—why do people trip and fall? Answer—because they’re diving instead of driving.
When I say diving, I mean moving headfirst through space, like diving into a pool.
It starts with a lean, then a fall, and then a catch with your foot. But that’s not really walking, that’s falling.
Especially when you’re in a hurry or texting, your mind takes the lead and tips your weight forward. Then, if anything blocks your foot at all, you stumble or fall flat on your face. So, how do you solve that?
Stop diving and start driving.
That’s exactly what you learn in many traditional martial arts when you practice stances. When your practice stances, you don’t lean to start a movement.
First, you drop down. You sink with your head straight over your feet. Then, instead falling, you push or drive. Now, if your foot gets blocked, you can just stop because your bodyweight is under control. You’re walking smoother and safer.
Here’s a challenge for you—practice walking around your house in slow motion.
This might feel like you’re doing Tai Chi… and that’s a good thing! By slowing down you’ll have a chance to look at the mechanics of how you move.
Ask yourself: am I leaning, falling, and diving… or am I dropping and driving with control?
For another fun martial arts balance drill, check out, How to Improve Your Balance.
Of course, if you build a habit of driving instead of diving, you’re going to improve your martial arts skills, too. When you see untrained fighters, you see wild punches. You see an out-of-control mind diving ahead of an out-of-control body.
Now, I’m not saying that leaning and falling behind a strike can’t be powerful or effective—of course it can!—but there’s a trade off.
Leaning and falling can waste energy, leave you open for counters, and limit your options to follow up with intelligent combinations. Heck, you might even throw yourself off-balance and fall down without even getting hit. That’s just embarrassing.
Hey, speaking of embarrassing, how do you feel about decapitation? Did you ever notice in horror movies how the killer walks and stalks very slowly, but the victim always runs around like a goofball? And what happens? The victim trips and falls down and the killer cuts their head off.
Now, I’m not telling you to put on a hockey mask and stalk people with a giant knife, but I do think we should be open-minded enough to learn from a winning strategy.
Let’s face it, Jason and Michael and Freddy and zombies have a very high success rate—they’re legends—because they take their time and stay in control.
So, if you want to hold onto your head, hold onto your head. Drive, don’t dive.
The big lesson here, on and off the mats, is to stop falling through your life trying to catch yourself from tripping up. Instead, choose a direction, take a breath, and drive, step by step, with control.
This is something you can practice every time you walk somewhere. Think of it as your “Walking Kata”. When you learn how to walk like a martial artist, there’s a good chance you’ll get where you want to go.
If you liked this video, thanks for subscribing to the channel and sharing with a friend. Until next time, check under the bed and keep fighting for a happy life.
