Why Study Patterns?
Page 7 of 8
Become one with the pattern
To become instinctive, movements must “flow.” Actors also must develop flow so their actions on stage appear instinctive and natural. Without flow, actions appear awkward and unnatural. Victor Turner, in his book From Ritual to Theater, describes how flow is developed in actors:
- Action and awareness merge.
- Attention becomes centered.
- Ego is lost.
- One is in control of one’s environment and actions.
- There are no-contradictory demands for actions.
- Actions become autonomic, they need no goals or rewards outside themselves.
When a Taekwondo student becomes proficient at performing a pattern, the pattern performance flows; the student and the pattern fuse into one entity. It becomes difficult to separate the student from the pattern performance. All the movements seem natural and easy to perform.