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ADOPTION OF EASTERN TECHNIQUES There has been an upsurge of interest in applying some of the ancient Eastern methods of body and mind control to sport, ranging from meditation to acupressure, visualisation and herbal ergogenic substances. In some cases, the popularisers of these techniques openly acknowledge their debt to the East, while others try to create the impression that they alone have created a totally new concept unparalleled in world history. Yet others seem to be genuinely unaware of the true origins of the 'unique' methods which they are proliferating. Unfortunately, our educational systems in sports science and training usually do not have the space or time to include cross-disciplinary education in other fields which superficially may appear to have little or no relevance to sport. After all, how many coaches would imagine that studies of Eastern mysticism, religion, martial arts, philosophy, history, symbolism and primitive healing arts possibly could serve as rich sources of material for sports preparation. Whatever the case may be, it is interesting to examine some of the physical techniques which had their origins in the archaic past (there are many mental techniques such as visualisation, autogenic training, NLP, hypnosis and biofeedback which exist, but it is interesting to examine some physical techniques for a start): 1. BREATH CONTROL Variations of breath control to enhance or maximise performance have been used for many years. Two diametrically opposed views of BREATHING exist in the training world: one which stipulates that breath should never be held during lifting with weights and the other which stresses the importance of controlled breath holding. The former view ostensibly is based on physiological grounds in an attempt to minimise the increase of blood pressure caused by the Valsalva manoeuvre. However, much research has shown that brief breath-holding offers a greater degree of trunk stability and spinal protection than normal in-out breathing during heavy lifts. Other research shows that prolongation of breath-holding often is associated with imperfect technique which compels one to strain for longer periods to achieve adequate control during an exercise (Siff MC & Verkhoshansky YV "Supertraining" 1996 Ch 3.4). Breath-holding, however, is not a simple matter of ceasing breathing - other work has shown that optimal results are obtained if the lungs are first filled to about 75% of their maximum capacity (Vorobyev A "Textbook on Weightlifting" 1978). All of this might appear to be impressively modern, but those who are familiar with some of the methods of advanced yoga will recognise that the appropriate use of breath control has been taught by yogis (also Taoists in China, shamans in Old America and Russia, and various other sages) for millennia. 2. PRESSURE POINT AND MASSAGE TREATMENT The origins of the use of localised finger pressure over 'MYOFASCIAL trigger points' (see texts by Janet Travell and others) clearly may be identified in the ancient disciplines of acupuncture, acupressure and shiatsu. There are several other related regimes for facilitating muscular release, 'structural reintegration' (Rolfing), 'energy balancing', reflexology, and 'neurolymphatic treatment' by the application of focal pressure or stretching on the surface of the body while the body is either held static or in motion, all of which are descendants from its Chinese and Indian parents. Nobody knows exactly where and when massage first emerged, but aspects of it appear in the healing history of most nations. Mystics, healers and shamans (and the ancient Grecians) have been massaging the surface of the body for eons. Interestingly, the word 'messiah', is derived from 'massaha', the act of anointing and/or massaging with oils. 3. POSTURAL TECHNIQUES Alexander, Feldenkrais and McKenzie techniques, well known to all physical therapists, are offshoots of yoga and other ancient body-mind arts. For instance, the McKENZIE technique of lying prone on a mat and arching the back into controlled hyperextension to relieve low back pain is a variant of the cobra asana (posture) from yoga. Even a superficial skimming through any definitive text on yoga will reveal how many apparently modern techniques of body alignment, 'balancing', stress release, pain control and therapy were anticipated by yogi thousands of years before their adaptation in the West. Although the physio or BALANCING (Swiss) ball was by no means used in those bygone days, balancing methods on 'unstable' surfaces were described. For example, even the act of sitting on and riding a camel or horse offered just such a training experience. Riders were encourage to learn to sway and gradually circle the trunk in all directions to intuitively obtain the optimal position for ease of riding control. The ancient Chinese discipline of tai chi (referred to by some sages as 'moving acupuncture') drew on its observations of animals and life forms to develop a highly sophisticated system of body and mind control which even today can be exceptionally valuable as a form of supplementary training without the need for any specialised apparatus or commercialised toys. 4. SUBTLE PRESSURE METHODS The application of subtle pressure by the fingers on one another, by the tongue within the mouth, the eyes within their sockets and relatively imperceptible motions of the joints all seem to have spawned their modern offspring. Often the subtle hand actions of Eastern dance would appear to be simply aesthetic aspects of body entertainment, but the ancient texts often relate given finger and joint actions to methods of improving some or other body function. The relevance of some meditative poses may appear to be trivial, but modern research is indicating otherwise. For example, the act of rolling the EYES back to look upwards has been shown to increase the amount of alpha brain rhythm activity to such as extent that one of the earlier workers in brain research (Lippold) hypothesized that the alpha rhythm (even today extolled as signalling a highly productive mind state) was the result of electrical potentials in the eye socket being modulated by movements of the electrically charged eyeball! Some folk in modern martial arts claim that pressure exerted by the tip of the TONGUE on the palate and behind the teeth will automatically increase one's strength (my Sensei taught me this in the early 1960s). Unfortunately, this latter day simplistic borrowing reveals unfamiliarity with the yogic (and Taoistic) practices from which it came. These subtle techniques are known as 'mudras' in yoga and are generally regarded as secrets not to be passed on lightly to those not seeking the highest paths of human aspiration. Thus, it is understandable that some techniques were borrowed in the West with only a partial knowledge of how to use them. The use of tongue pressure on and over certain areas in the mouth and throat was well known to yogi. Pressure over each area produced a different effect, so the simplistic pressing of the tongue behind the teeth does not necessarily improve performance - in fact, sages stress that it can weaken one during activities such as trunk flexion, jumping, lifting and striking. Another aspect of acupressure relates to this belief. Certain regions of the mouth near the teeth are referred to as odontons and apparently pressure on each of these regions will produce different effects on different parts of the body (similar pressure points apply to the ear, where these points are known as auricular points - these have been studied in detail this century by authorities such as Nogier). In one of the more extreme methods of tongue placement, adherents were advised to gradually cut the frenum or membrane beneath the tongue to enable it to reach regions within the throat. The placing of the tip of the backward- turned tongue along the palate to 'reach the holes of the nostrils opening into the mouth' (Siva Samhita, iv: 31-32) was known as the Khecari Mudra, associated with the release of divine nectar or ambrosia and its attendant physical and mental benefits. The basic act of tongue placement behind the teeth or in the throat was never taught in isolation of other accompanying methods of postural alignment, breathing and mental focus, so modern emphasis solely on tongue placement is regarded by yogi as meaningless and ineffectual. 5. STRESS MANAGEMENT A huge body of knowledge on managing stress (eustress and distress) and controlling the mind/body exists in the disciplines of meditation (and other so- called mystical practices) and needs little expansion here (simply because there are thousands of modern books in this field). Hypnosis, neurolinguistic programming (NLP), TM (Transcendental Meditation), Jacobsen's Progressive Relaxation, biofeedback and a host of other 'Alternative' methods may be seen to relate to some or other aspects of these ancient systems. The language, terminology, examples and applications may be different, but the essence is not. CONCLUSION The above very brief introduction to adaptation or rediscovery of ancient performance-enhancing techniques only scratches the surface of a fascinating realm of possibilities for training and rehabilitation. No doubt others will be able to identify many other techniques now used which were predated by or derived from ancient practices. Some of these will fall by the wayside as superstitious and unfounded, while others may become mainstream methods. Still others will be developed from that vast ancient inventory of methods and techniques for improving the human condition. In this respect, the least that we can hope for is that the modern marketeers of such techniques acknowledge their debt to the past. As the great Isaac Newton said: "If I have seen further than others, it is because I stood on the shoulders of those who came before me". __________________________________________________________ Dr Mel C Siff School of Mechanical Engineering University of the Witwatersrand WITS 2050 South Africa [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%