Fighting Monkey - "Practice Ball"

Concept and training method developed by "Fighting Monkey Practice" Jozef Frucek/Linda Kapetanea
Camera: Aris Zanglis
2nd camera operator Constantinos Kilaris
Editing and visuals: Mike Rafail
In video: Jozef Frucek, Linda Kapetanea, Antonis Strouzas

Our interest is to build an ‘EARTHQUAKE ARCHITECTURE.’
A structure that is elastic, resilient, yet soft especially in moments when we encounter irregularity and unpredictable.
Earthquake architecture is very powerful, but not rigidly strong. It is structure that is interconnected in smartly adaptable way, so when the shake comes it does not react as one solid piece that would crack or collapse. And that is because the connections are open and ready to transport information to entire structure helping to rearrange its position according to actual needs to sustain dynamic balance.

We do this by designing ‘complex movement situations’ where you are expose to variety of learning methods that can help you to:
-learn more efficiently and with longer lasting effects,
improving your cognitive and behavioural flexibility and tolerance to unknown.

We observe and test movement abilities in a variety of contexts and conditions. To understand how intelligent, adaptive and creative you are in the moments that are not entirely in your control.

Movement Situations like this one (playing with the swinging ball, which we are working on for last 2 years) provide you with instant informations about ineffectiveness and insufficiency in your motor skills, perception and rhythm.a

Material that you see will help you to understand how 3 body weight centres collaborate with your feet, which is one of the most valuable assets for understanding movement and coordination between upper and lower body. Integrating multiple sensory and perceptual feedback into your orientation and practice.

By changing levels, in this very irregular mode of moving and reacting, you will quickly realise how effective is your energy, your power and how intelligent are your joints in motion. Something that you simply cant test or understand through controlled and organised exercises.

Mobility is something to be viewed in context, not in isolation.
A large range of movement in the joints, or being ‘stretched’, strong, or doing prescribed exercises over and over again is not being mobile, it tells us very little about how you move, how you operate in response to stimulus. You have to be testing and learning over and over again in interaction with the physical or social forces you encounter everyday.

Therefore you work with partners, they play the role of unpredictable, they lead you to spaces where you would otherwise never go by yourself.

Foster improvisation, imagination and creativity,
They are vital to problem solving.
Which is vital to adaptability, longevity and sustainability. 

Play games.
Expose yourself to difficulty.
Build an ‘earthquake architecture’.

FIGHTING MONKEY
Practical.
Primitive.
Playful.