(Preview) Liberation Martial Arts Preschool (Patreon)

The Basics of Liberation Martial Arts Movement Theory

• If you’re new to LMA, start with our table of contents

I recently had the pleasure of teaching two preschool classes an introduction to Liberation Martial Arts (LMA). The first class included preschoolers from 2.5 to 3 years old, and the second class consisted of 4- and 5-year-olds.

Sometimes, the best way to learn our pedagogy is to see it in practice, and in practice, our pedagogy truly comes alive. LMA isn't just for martial arts enthusiasts; it's for anyone interested in becoming a better mover and those seeking a liberatory pedagogy for movement. This was a different context from our class at UCI, so you get to see how our approach shapes itself based on the context. Even between the tots and the older kids, our session evolved.

A concept kids can grasp and engage with better than adults is that we are neither fixed points in time nor static objects. We are living beings, constantly adapting and transforming. You can never be the same person twice. Not only are we different shapes and sizes, but our shapes and sizes change—not only gradually but also at will. Not only do we change, but our changes change.

A small person can make themselves big; a big person can make themselves small. We can be a square, a tall block, a triangle, or a heart. We should never judge each other negatively based on our shapes and sizes because we are all a multitude of shapes and sizes. We are multitudes collectively and individually. Spectrums within spectrums.

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