Page 94 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

Initially I’ll have tension in my sho ul der or back, but then I’ll sooth it away,
slowly repeating the movement unt il the correct body mechan ics are in my

skin. Over time, I’m not thinking about the path from foot to fi t, I’m jus t
feeling the ground connecting to my fi tips , as if my bo dy is a condui t for
the electrical impulse of a punch. Then I start speedi ng thi ngs up, windi ng up
and delivering, over and over. Eventual ly I start using a heavy bag, pr acticing

these body mechanics with increasing power, bui ldi ng resistance in my bo dy so
I can deliver more and more force witho ut hur ting myself. My coiling ge ts
stronger and sometimes I hit the bag with a sur pr ising po p. A da nge rous
moment. When hitting something instead of moving thr ough empt y space, I

might start to get excited and thr ow my sho ul der int o the punc h. Thi s is a
classic error. It breaks my structure and des troys the connect ion from foot to
fingertip—many boxers make thi s mistake and come away with sho ul de r
injuries. I want to punch without punch ing. No intention. My teache r William

Chen sometimes teaches punching by telling studen ts to po ur a cup of tea. It’s
a beautiful thing. Pouring tea creates the per fect punch , because pe opl e’s minds
don’t get in the way.
Okay, so now weeks and months (maybe years) pass with the cultivation of

the right straight punch. I know how to wind up pr oper ly. When I hi t the ba g,
nothing hurts, there are no breaks in my struct ur e. It feels as if the gr ound is
smashing the bag through my fist, and my bo dy mechan ics are smooth and
relaxed. I’ve also built up quite a bit of power from all the work with windi ng

up, coiling, and releasing the body into motion. When thr owing my right , I
don’t think about anything technical anymore, my bo dy jus t kno ws the right
feeling and does it. No mind. It’s in the bl ood. I’ve learned how to thr ow a
straight right. B ut not really.

The thing is, unless they are flustered or caught in an awkw ard moment , a
good fighter is rarely going to get caught with a big ol’ long wound- up
straight punch. It’s just too obvious . Thi s is wher e Making Smaller Circles comes
into play. By now the body mechani cs of the punch have been conde ns ed in my

mind to a feeling. I don’t need to hear or see any effect—my bo dy kno ws when
it is operating correctly by an internal sense of harmony. A parallel woul d be a
trained singer who, through years of pr actice, kno ws what the notes feel like
vibrating inside. Then she is giving a concer t in a big venue and the sound

system is a nightmare. From onstage, she can’t hear herself at all—a
surprisingly common occurrence. The gr eat performer can deliver a virtuo so