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At the LMA (Liberation Martial Arts) Learning Lab, we celebrate intergenerational solidarity through dynamic and safe play. Here, you can play boxing and wrestling. When the play is safe, different generations, experiences, and sizes can play together and, most importantly, learn from each other. In LMA, partners guide each other's learning.
The first clip features an elder in his 60s who just months ago transitioned from no physical activity to learning the LMA approach to boxing. He trains one to two times a week and has learned everything through guided play. Despite the short period and limited frequency, the elder has rapidly progressed into a skillful mover, significantly reducing his pain and enhancing his body awareness.
The second clip features my five-year-old son and me playing wrestling. My son developed all his movements independently through continuous play rather than instruction. The more he plays, the more refined his movements become. The magic lies in how the game is presented and the rules are set.
In LMA, learning through play transcends age and physical ability. Progress and the pace at which practitioners learn are self-determined rather than determined by an authority. Learning coordinated movements through memorization and rigid choreography is challenging for young people and becomes increasingly difficult with age. Translating someone else's words into physical movements in your own body becomes more discouraging and impractical the longer you've been inactive. It sets people up for failure. There's also an inherent ableism to it. In contrast, learning through safe, guided play allows individuals to surpass their own expectations, regardless of age.
During my decades of teaching martial arts and personal training, I've found the LMA approach to be superior for skill acquisition and injury prevention. It's also more fun. Practitioners don't need external motivation to train because they genuinely enjoy training and look forward to it. Fun is often overlooked but is essential to well-being. Adults should still play.
When you play, you have fun. When you have fun, you fall in love with what you do. When you love what you do, you become consistent. When you're consistent, you get better. When you get better, you have more fun, fall more in love, and deepen your practice. This is how consistency becomes an indefinite loop and how you fall in love indefinitely. It's not a process because there is no end goal. You do it because you like doing it. And so it goes.
When observing my five-year-old in various physical activities, I've noticed a recurring pattern: almost every time, these activities are run like military boot camps or factory lines, whether the coach realizes it or not. Whether it's soccer or gymnastics, it takes so long to get to the actual activity that the kids don't even know it's supposed to be fun. Instead, they engage in unnecessary, strictly policed drills with no say or autonomy, treated like little mindless zombies who exist to follow orders. Their bodies and movements are already being controlled. Body politics is often our first introduction to politics. However, it takes the longest to recognize that the body is political because it's as pervasive as the air we breathe.
As a result, parents often conclude, "I guess my kid just doesn't like physical activity." The kids never get to genuinely try the activity; they're just listening to a lecture followed by orders to complete abstract movements and conditioning exercises. The coaches need to get out of the way and let kids fall in love with the activity first. Otherwise, they're discouraging participation and creating future adults who believe physical activity isn't for them.
Imagine if kids were allowed to have fun and fall in love with physical activity, and if that approach continued into adulthood. Imagine the participation rates. If the current standardized model is so effective, why is participation so low and the rate of harm so high?
At LMA, training goes beyond just cardio; it's about creating an environment where fun and ease encourage extended periods of play. Consider the smaller elder and the larger amateur boxer who spent two days and over twenty rounds getting to know each other. For us, solidarity blossoms over numerous rounds of enjoyable play, fostering a shared communal experience and a sense of belonging that binds us together. Stamina, fitness, joy, and well-being naturally follow.
And yes, we still mask. We safeguard each other. Safety is not just something you do for yourself; it's something we do for each other. You can't have inclusivity or liberation in an unsafe environment that doesn't allow play.
To access the Liberation Martial Arts curriculum and contribute to the sustainability of this project, consider upgrading your membership. Find other ways to support me here. – Sam
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(I write daily about martial arts and other topics from a liberatory perspective. If you like my work, upgrade your subscription. You can also support me on Patreon or make a one-time donation on Ko-fi. Find Southpaw at its website. Get the swag on Spring. Also check out Liberation Martial Arts Online.)
Wholesome Intergenerational Solidarity