HOW TO BUILD UP AN INDIVIDUAL SAIM TRAJECTORY

SAIM or Self Annihilating Inertial Motion is one of the most profound inventions of Evolution. The very existence of SAIM, probably, is the most important reason for supreme efficiency of the highly developed living organisms. More than that, SAIM seemingly is a general law of Universe for every natural motion based phenomenon.

In this article I describe in general terms how to achieve SAIM and what kind of result we can hope to get. I wrote it from my personal experience. I don't discuss the technical results and methods of training, it means that this article isn't dealing with general form of SAIM trajectory, its dynamics and other technical issues.

When we adapt SAIM in our training and our everyday life we therefore adapt the universal law of motion, trust our nature and follow the way of Evolution. Mastery of SAIM means natural flow of motion, free of unnecessary tensions and forms created by rational thinking or cultural background.

Trajectory obviously is one of the most conspicuous features of any movement. But what is a trajectory of the body movement? Is it trajectory of some specific point of the body, let's say the tip of index finger? When we hear, for example, that "David raised his arm" do we understand that it's only about the tip of his index finger? Definitely these words create the picture of entire arm, from the shoulder up to the tips of fingers, moving in upward direction. The problem is that there is an infinite number of ways to do so.

The best and the most convenient way to describe the movement of the arm is to describe the movement of the joints from the shoulder to the fingers. In most cases the joints can perform rotations in one to two planes. There are sagittal, frontal and horizontal planes. Not less important is a fact that many joints can rotate around their axis. Usually movements of joints in above mentioned planes have the names of flexion, extension, abduction, adduction etc. In this article I call all these movements just by general term "rotation".

For example, the shoulder can perform arm's rotation up and down in sagittal plane, it's called a pitch movement. It also can rotate the arm in transversal plane, it's called a yaw movement. Shoulder can also rotate arm around its axis. It's called a roll movement.

Elbow can only perform flexion and extension in sagittal plane. It's a pitch movement.

Wrist can pitch, yaw and roll.

Therefore, there are 7 degrees of freedom from shoulder to wrist. The palm and fingers provide 23 additional degrees of freedom.

In most cases joints combine two or three types of movement. For example, side bending of the neck vertebra will be naturally accompanied by rotation in the opposite direction. Therefore, it's impossible to study movements separately in different planes in order to combine them later. This method will suppress and change natural joints rotations. Nevertheless, some joints can naturally rotate only in one plane and such movements can be learnt much easier and faster. Flexion and extension of torso and head in midsagittal plane is one such example.

Now let's imagine that David from our example above has to move his index fingertip from point A to point B and we have to describe him how to move. Obviously, there is endless number of ways to perform it. It's not only the trajectory of the fingertip, but also innumerable possibilities for rotations of index finger joints, wrist, elbow and shoulder in all degrees of freedom of the arm. How much to bend elbow, how much arise it, how much to roll the shoulder and wrist? When to do these manipulations? These questions are only the small part of the questions that performer has to ask himself.

According to the principle of SAIM David's index fingertip has to move along trajectory connecting points A and B, while all parts of the arm have to be as relaxed as possible. We have to try and rotate our arm joints until we will find the most natural combination providing feeling of maximal relaxation, harmony and comfort.

Therefore, we can map the space around us pointing each time our index fingertip at the different points in the space and moving it from one point to another.

This is a first, preparatory level to master SAIM trajectory. It's called "mapping the space". In this level we learn how to keep our arm maximally relaxed in the space. To make a progress at his level we have to be highly attentive and sensitive, otherwise it will be difficult to feel the differences in the tension when we change the position of the arm. In most cases the help of the teacher can be crucial.

At this level and up to the forth level we stand on one place and don't move our feet.

At the next, second level we can add some power to accelerate the arm movement using rotation of the torso. Still we keep the arm as relaxed as possible during all the time. At this stage we deal with varieties of SAIM trajectories of the relaxed arms. Teacher can greatly help at this level showing correct general trajectory of the movements and making corrections.

At the third level we study the torso and head rotations while constantly keeping in mind that every movement of the body is a summary of the simultaneous rotations of all different joints of the torso. At this level we research and master the movements of three big centers of mass – pelvis, chest and head. It also includes the movements of loin and neck parts of the back, shoulder blades, shoulders and stomach. This is a most technically complicated level. It demands considerable work, attention to the smallest details and highly developed sensitivity.

At the next, forth, level we combine movements of the torso and head with the movements of the arms. Mostly third and forth level are learned in parallel.

At the fifth level we start to move our legs. This level is an analog of the second level.

At the sixth level we combine movements of the torso, head and legs. This level is parallel to the forth level.

At the seventh level we combine movements of the torso and head, arms and legs. At this level we obtain the motion of the entire body. Mostly the levels five to seven are learned in parallel with the forth level, but they begin after we achieve good progress in the arms movements.

After achieving good level of mastery our movements gradually become SAIM. We experience the feeling of lightness, the movements are performed just like by themselves, by will and without any effort. This is a wonderful feeling, feeling of emptiness, lightness and joy.

Not every movement can be SAIM. Pushing or pulling, for example, are not SAIM. Nevertheless, even in these cases the best trajectories are the trajectories of SAIM. There are the same movements, just with different parameters.

The arms can perform the most perfect SAIM. Fingers can provide the shortest wave along the SAIM trajectory of the entire body. Inertial closing of the fist annihilates the wave running along the arm without to put any additional load on the tendons. This ability is a unique feather of human arm, providing great advantages to Homo Sapiens over all other living beings. In sports and especially in Martial Arts the mastering of SAIM can greatly increase efficiency and create amazing effects. The punches performed with SAIM can naturally produce loud cracking sound as a result of tremendous speed.

The knowledge and remembering of SAIM trajectory and its dynamics is an initial level of study. Then we can progress to the following levels which are automatization, standardization and stabilization of the movements. At this stage we reach the level of intuitive feeling and constant performance of SAIM. This is an eighth, mastery level.

At this level the mind becomes stable in the feeling of emptiness, lightness and happiness during the practice. The practice becomes the part of life and the life becomes part of practice.

This level accomplishes one circle of the mastery achievement. It also starts the next circle in the endless process of the pursuit of perfection.

SAIM is an appearance of the dynamic physical aspect of Sameness, one of the most comprehensive phenomena of the Universe. Therefore, SAIM can be the gate to the deep and intuitive comprehension of Sameness and then, finally, of the Oneness of the Nature.