The Moment of Truth

In every activity there are moments that are more difficult to pull off than others. For a violinist it might be a sudden flurry of notes; a golfer might have trouble bringing the club back evenly; in standing up, someone might be particularly challenged by the transfer of weight as they straighten their legs. Most activities have at least one “moment of truth”; a moment that demands a more resourceful use of ourselves. Noticing right before and right after such a moment gives us greater access to those resources. Here’s how it goes:

1.
Choose a movement that reverses directions and is cyclical. Raising your arms to shoulder height and then lowering them is a good one to start with.

2.
Begin with your arms at your side and then use Notice-Move-Notice to get the movement started.

3.
Just before your arms reach the top, Notice again and then Notice immediately after they change direction and are on their way down.

4.
Just before your arms reach the bottom, Notice again and then Notice immediately after they change direction and are on their way up.

5.
Up and down is one round. Do 16 rounds.

In this case the “moment of truth” is the change of direction from up to down. It’s the most dramatic change so it requires the most freedom and flexibility. By Noticing before the change your coordination is optimized. Noticing right after keeps you from “glomming” on how different it feels. M.O.T. can be applied to any activity with a problem spot or two. Down the line we will explore ways of determining where, in an activity, the moments of truth are.