02.06 Concept: Movement Patterns — Summary
02.06 Concept: Movement Patterns — Summary (English)
Section titled “02.06 Concept: Movement Patterns — Summary (English)”Transcript: View Transcript
Lesson 2.6: Concept – Movement Patterns
Section titled “Lesson 2.6: Concept – Movement Patterns”Lesson Summary
Section titled “Lesson Summary”This lesson introduces the foundational concept of Movement Patterns in Baseworks—repeated actions like “draw the shoulders down” or “traction the legs away from each other” that are applied across different macro movements and body positions. Understanding Movement Patterns is key to understanding what distinguishes Baseworks practice from simply performing physical positions.
Key Takeaways
Section titled “Key Takeaways”1. First-Time Observation: When someone experiences Baseworks practice for the first time, they usually notice that the majority of time is dedicated to things like drawing shoulders down, tractioning legs away from each other, or trying to assess whether the spine is straight without mirrors for visual feedback. These repeated actions are called “Movement Patterns.”
2. The Core Concept: The Baseworks Movement Patterns concept is one of the key concepts to understand the method. Similar to how a checkerboard pattern can be applied to a shirt, a bag, or a cup, Baseworks Movement Patterns are applied to different macro movements and positions of the body.
3. Pattern Transferability: The pattern “draw the shoulders down” can be applied when upright, almost upside down, upside down, or lying on the floor. The pattern “extend the ankles while pressing through the balls of the feet” can be applied when one leg is in the air, both feet are on the floor, or when sitting on the floor. Movement Patterns transcend specific positions.
4. Distributed Activation Patterns: Many Movement Patterns, including “draw the shoulders down” and “extend the ankles while pressing through the balls of the feet,” are done to create the state of Distributed Activation—engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously throughout the body.
5. Gridlines and Symmetry Patterns: Other Movement Patterns are defined through the position of different points of the body in space and are related to the principles of Gridlines and Symmetry. For example, “straight spine with pelvis and rib cage stacked” is a Movement Pattern followed across many different tasks and positions.
6. The Principle of Simultaneity: A very important point about Baseworks Movement Patterns is that they are applied simultaneously. Because of this, in almost every position of the body, just about all muscle groups are active—not only those traditionally viewed as target muscles in a particular physical activity.
7. Example Form Analysis: Consider a form with feet wider than hip-width and arms extended to the sides with palms forward. When applying Baseworks Movement Patterns, you simultaneously: draw shoulders down, spread fingers, imagine someone pulling arms away from torso, keep arms precisely at shoulder height with wrists and shoulders aligning in a straight line, pull legs away from each other, keep spine as extended as possible (which usually requires pulling ribcage slightly back and slightly tucking pelvis), and slightly move through the neck.
8. Benefits of This Approach: Consciously contracting a muscle makes it easier for the muscle to relax later. Contracting a muscle brings more blood to the muscle. Contracting a muscle makes it easier to have conscious sensation of that muscle. Aligning different points of the body (especially the trunk) with imaginary 3D gridlines improves spatial awareness and sensory resolution. We train attention to alternate between multiple objects in a stable way. In complex forms, superposition of simultaneously applied Movement Patterns allows better control of movements.
9. The STRUCTURE Focus: The primary Focus of the example form in the Baseworks system is STRUCTURE. By applying Baseworks Movement Patterns to this form, we establish a baseline visceral experiential knowledge of the body’s symmetry and gridlines. This visceral knowledge becomes a reference point in more complex forms.
10. Reference Point Application: The visceral knowledge gained becomes a reference—for example, trying to maintain the same relative position of pelvis, spine, and rib cage when the upper body is tilted with symmetrical leg position or with asymmetrical leg position.
11. Summary Keywords: The application of Baseworks Movement Patterns to forms helps work on spatial body awareness, sensory resolution, and relaxation. These are the core outcomes of proper Movement Pattern application.
12. The Defining Feature: If we strip a form of all Movement Patterns, we’re just standing with arms extended to the sides—we’re no longer doing Baseworks. Movement Patterns are what transform a physical position into Baseworks practice.
Why This Matters
Section titled “Why This Matters”Movement Patterns are what make Baseworks fundamentally different from other movement practices. Without them, you’re simply holding positions. With them, you’re developing a transferable skill set—patterns that apply across countless situations, building a foundation of body awareness and control that extends far beyond any single form or position.
Tip: When learning a new form, don’t try to apply all Movement Patterns perfectly from the start. Instead, begin with one or two patterns (like “draw shoulders down” and “spread fingers”), then gradually add more as those become familiar. The simultaneity develops over time—it’s not expected immediately.