Body Awareness

[SoftBankHawks]

8 months ago in Japan an English arborist gave a workshop to beginner tree climbers about Body Awareness. He states that the subject is huge and what we did over four hours barely scratched the surface but it left a huge imprint here. It kinda knocked me off kilter ... I mean, where does a beginner begin? It posed a question, one that I ponder as I begin life as a trainer of beginners.
From his ideas I hold two underlying thoughts in mind as I plan workshops i) Awareness of Physical Self ii) Awareness of Surroundings. And try to create discussion and exercises and compound these as a climbing process as well as the more normal importance of equipment knowledge, proficient technique and tree care.

As climbing contractors I wondered what Body Awareness means to you? How do you interact with trees and is it something that you consciously consider after the fact? Is it just bio-mechanical or do you find subtle layers of interaction too?

 

[Frax]

Very good question!
Body awareness is something I strive for. To me body awareness is the difference between plowing ahead on a set course and stopping briefly to see what better or more efficient opportunities the tree has to offer as I move around in it.
Sometimes only a very minute change can make a huge difference. Just feeling your centre change as you let out your lanyard a couple inches and move the climbing hitch also just a couple inches, sometimes gives you a whole new stance.
Also feeling the way the tree moves and how I respond to that.
I'm still not all that 'as one' with the tree as I'd like. Sometimes I pull myself up on the rope expending energy and being clumsy just because I didn't take the time to notice there was a really nice crotch to stand in on the other side of the trunk. Duh!!

 

[Adkpk]

At my age, 57 and relatively new to climbing trees it's only body awareness to me. It's not hard to work as I do at 57 just different. As a young'n it was a rebellious spirit which drove me forward but now the fight has been fought and it's up to me to do the work without the aid of angst. Meaning every single twist, turn, lift, move forward is a well orchestrated move. lol Well, maybe some moves come without too much thought. But I am very much aware how much energy to exert thought a climb. I plan my energy as much as the equipment, route and course of cutting, not to leave out the descent.

 

[RopeShield]

Some things I consider
Will it be easier to make the cut from below,above or to the side and with a pwr, pole or hand saw.
Will I be able to make more than one cut from that position.
Will the largest muscles make the cut or will it require some strain.
Prepare for the exertion with a splash of water or a mental
getrdone.
It is quite amazing the things we can do in the positions we are in and this all from hanging from a rope.
Cheers
Imagine it, talk it out and mentally and physically prepare to perform what you know is safe.

 

[rfwoodvt]

My Body makes me amply aware of its presence!!!

Actually you pose an excellent question, one that I'm ashamed to admit I really haven't given much consideration. Time to stop and ponder I do believe!

 

[mark_sauls]

If you want a good way to analyze your body positioning, video tape a job and watch it. Also if it feels awkward change something, get in balance (usually by changing your footing) and then go to work. Frax has an advantage because she has a lower center of gravity and is smarter because she is not a he.

rfwood, you are good man, did the young lad considering becoming an arborist get in touch with you? He's a Vermonter and was looking to do some job shadowing.

 

[cory]

[ QUOTE ]
At my age, 57 and relatively new to climbing trees it's only body awareness to me. It's not hard to work as I do at 57 just different. As a young'n it was a rebellious spirit which drove me forward but now the fight has been fought and it's up to me to do the work without the aid of angst. Meaning every single twist, turn, lift, move forward is a well orchestrated move. lol Well, maybe some moves come without too much thought. But I am very much aware how much energy to exert thought a climb. I plan my energy as much as the equipment, route and course of cutting, not to leave out the descent.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good stuff, Adkpk

 

[tuttle]

I used to be a bmxer and quad skater..low center of gravity is the key to most, if not all stunts.

Ch'i in karate gives you the sense of earthly power in your body.

Both of these elements are carried with me on jobs, using my every limb to get the best advantage.

This thread was a good way to reawaken my thoughts and perception of these principles.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

In high school I was a gymnast, worked side horse. That taught me how important conditioning, stretching and warm up are to the task.

A guy that was a year older than me, who went on to win side horse in his senior year, was practicing a move. He would use pieces of chalk to give him targets for hand placements. he would make a mark then practice the move. Then, move the mark a half inch. Repeat until he found The Spot. Seeing how that worked for him finally came back to me a few years later when I was learning to be a better climber.

Turns out, Jeff Jepson and I were in the same gym about 8 times in my senior year. He worked parallel bars at a high school in suburb south of Minneapolis, me north. We've talked about how gymnastics helped us be better tree climbers.

 

[SoftBankHawks]

In England, after eight years of contract climbing I never saw ANYBODY stretch before or after work, it's the diametric opposite here. There are daily stretching programmes on the radio even, part of the culture to be sure and EVERY treeworker stretches. Suppleness is the start, it brings relaxation, relaxation brings awareness, awareness brings etc etc.
Learning to shift our mass through our bodies to the floor is akin to rigging well, throwing those forces correctly into the trunk and down to the floor...conceptually it's a beautiful parallel and easily understood.
As far as a tree is concerned (if concerned at all!) we are simply mass within its structure so for us learning to manage ourselves can produce startling results - we connect to the tree and begin to understand its physicality, tearing it apart when needed, caring for it otherwise!

 

[Reg]

Dont know what you're going on about Paul, but Im glad you're having a good time out there...by the sounds of things.

 

[SoftBankHawks]

HaHa, thanks Reg. and the same to you, I mean about having a good time n all, I've really enjoyed your new vid's and photos.