My ROCKY Moment is Coming in 2022

I’m about to go for another Hollywood Ending and I’m inviting you to join me in early 2022. I wrote Hollywood Endings and over the years I have learned, through the movies, to try something new or change my behavior. My new one for 2022 is health, fitness and refining my mind/body connection. I invite you to join me with your own improvement project on any area you want to improve.

Me, I’m going for my own version of ROCKY. I’m in my 70’s and I box. Not competitively, mind you, just hitting a 100 lb. bag and occasionally in the ring doing mitts. I am a novice and I will never be in a ring except with my teacher, so there is no pressure. Just personal improvement. Though I am going for fast improvement by incorporating The Feldenkrais Method©

Two weeks ago, there were only three of us in class, so our teacher took us into the ring to try very basic sparring. We try to “tap” him, and he taps us so we can practice defense. Mostly, I was following him around the ring and just trying to keep up! Well, I thought it was a hoot. I haven’t had that much fun since the days before COVID hit. It was adult play and in an appropriate place: the boxing ring. I went home and decided to watch ROCKY again. To learn from him.

Now, I’m not going to run around the neighborhood, nor am I going to start punching meat in a butcher’s shop. I am going to design my own boxing challenge. I want to practice sparring (if one can really call what a 70+ woman does in a boxing ring…sparring). We’re going to do a pre-test in the ring and assess my abilities (still working out 3 things to assess). As my teacher and I were talking about this plan, he said timing and movement in the ring were essential. Then he said the most remarkable thing: “Movement is Life”. Here is a boxer/martial artist who is quoting Moshe Feldenkrais about the essential need for movement. The phrase movement is life is one that (for those of us who study The Feldenkrais Method©) is at the heart of our work. The point of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement© lessons is to learn awareness of ourselves through the context of movement. Slow…slow movement, so we can feel enough to become aware of our habitual limitations. I assure you, in your 70’s you do become very aware of your physical limitations…usually though pain (knees, hip, back, etc.). Hollywood Endings is filled with suggestions to enhance and improve one’s own journey through life. When I mention the Feldenkrais Method in the book, I do suggest you try the lessons. There are many free lessons on Youtube, and my friend, Nick Strauss-Klein, offers free high-quality lessons at www.feldenkraisproject.com. Since they are free, the only thing you invest is time and attention (to yourself).

OK, back to me. I am designing my own ROCKY training program, making it short and fun. My teacher is game to try with me. I know I need to do a simple assessment, so that is where I’ll start (pre-test). The first lesson I want to co-design is paying attention to my skeleton in the mechanics of boxing moves. That means we are going to spar in ultra-slow motion so I can feel (and my teacher can see) just what my skeleton is doing/or not doing. Then it’s up to me to practice and keep doing various Awareness Through Movement lessons to improve. When I’m ready, we’ll do another assessment to gauge my improvement. Lesson 2 will be designed based on my results from Lesson 1. I’m probably going to film some of the project, too…too bad I can’t use ROCKY’s soundtrack! I will have a Lesson 2 and Lesson 3 (TBD) and the post-test will be sparring again to notice improvement (based on our preliminary assessment).

While I am not suggesting anyone else take on a ROCKY project for themselves, there just may be movies out there that give you some ideas on how to improve your own life or teach you something you did not know how to do. Hollywood Endings talks about the ability to use awareness, imagination, and intention to take yourself to the next level. The movies make it fun. I’m ready for my next Hollywood Ending. I’ll keep reporting back. Who knows, maybe this can be the step I need to banish my life-long eating disorder. More to come. Join me.