Bailey’s Blog

A very popular and successful TV show in the U.S.A and in Australia is called ‘So You Think You Can Dance? In the reality show the dancers who are familiar with their own dancing styles are challenged to learn totally new dance styles.They then learn a choreographed routine in 1 week and then perform within an elimination format. All in front of a studio audience, 3 expert judges and millions of  TV viewers!

What amazes me is how well these dances adapt and pull out these incredible routines with such little preperation!

I ask myself……How? and, I answer, that, even though they are dancing out of their comfort zone ….through years of training thay have developed great body awareness, superb co-ordination and control of their feet!

This is what I see as the main aim of footwork training! KNOW WHERE YOUR FEET ARE IN SPACE and being able to master balance and control your centre of gravity.

Once you have this CONTROL of your hips, feet, legs and upper body you THEN have the motor skills to find out which steps, stances and contact/balance moves work for you! You can place your feet exactly where you want them to go. NOW you can experiment! Trying different steps, stances and moves on the SAME FED BALL and hence choreographing your own personal dance …your own personal style that works for you!      

Ricky Pointing the current Australian cricket captain and our best batsman at present in our country, is having a bad form slump.

I really liked this statement made in The Sydney Morning Herald on 24th February written by Peter Roebuck:

‘Unfortunately,even a mature batsman can have trouble with his grey matter and his pedals. After years of reliable work Pointing’s feet are refusing to take him into the correct position at the appropriate time. He has become taut, anxious and , rather than letting the ball come to him, he is reaching for it. Rhythm has deserted him and he is trying to recollect how he scored all those runs. At such times the past is the only reassurance  a man can find. Meanwhile, his bat feels as thin as a twig.

Often a bad patch begins with a minor disturbance in the mind,a little laziness, an uncorrected bad habit or a stay thought that nibbles away like a rat at  cheese’

I think the points above are very valid and can relate very closely to tennis .i.e. the correct foot positioning at the appropriate time, being relaxed, staying down and hitting through the shot, not reaching for the ball, keeping good rhythm and trusting your instincts! 

This blog was sent to me by Rupert ’The Guru’ Green a good friend and Bailey Method devotee from the UK. Thanks mate!

This quote is from a book called “The Way of Energy” by Master Lam Kam Cheun.He is a master of various martialarts disciplines as well as being an authority on Chinese medicine and Chinese Opera.In the section “Energy for sports ” he writes:

“If you are playing a racket sport such as tennis,keepyour weight low. Relax your entire upper body,so there is no tension whatsoever in any of the vital joints such as your shoulders, neck, elbows, and wrists. Forget your hand; let all action flow effortlessly from below. That is the source of explosive power. Keep your eyes on the target, ignore the rest of the body,and let your feet be the only points in your mind.” 

If you what to send me a footwork blog e-mail me at info@thebaileymethod.com