The Why of the Wax

By Bob Wiskera

Years ago, in the movie “The Karate Kid” a Karate Master named Mr. Miyagi taught his young disciple, Daniel, by having him wash and wax his cars, paint his fence and sand his floors. Mr. Miyagi gave him very explicit directions about how to put on and wipe off the wax. Unbeknownst to Daniel, these movements would become those with which he later blocks punches and kicks.

Sometimes when teaching swimming, I likewise ask a student to practice a movement without explaining why. I know the movement, if done correctly and with precision, will contribute to a smooth swim stroke; but, for those who wish to know the reasoning behind what may seem as inconsequential as “wax on, wax off,” here is The Why of the Wax.

Why look down?

Buoyancy pushing the chest upwards, combined with gravity pulling your feet downwards will place you in an unbalanced, vertical position. Lifting your head and eyes to see where you are going counteracts your attempts to hold the volume of air in your chest down. As soon as you look up your chest follows.

Consider kite-flying: the wind hits the flat surface of the kite and it sails upward. The human face is also somewhat flat and when water hits it, it behaves like the kite. The rising face takes the chest with it and the body is lifted away from a horizontal position.

Similarly, if the fingers of an extended hand point upward, the flattened hand will sail up, too - taking the arm and chest with it. There is also an anatomical conflict between looking upward while trying to maintain rotation of the torso. Efficient swimming requires power to come from rotation of the core body and this rotation is inhibited by hyperextension of the neck caused by looking forward.

While standing by your desk, look up at the ceiling and rotate your torso from side to side. Now repeat this motion while looking straight ahead. The ease of rotation with your head and neck in a neutral versus a hyper-extended position should be apparent.

As well, looking down organizes the spine into a straight line while looking forward causes the back to arch. It is easier to rotate a straightened back than an arched back in the same way that it is easier to roll a pencil than a banana.

It’s natural to want to look where you’re going, but be aware that lifting the head to sight typically inhibits your ability to stay horizontally balanced, to rotate, and to tap into the power of the core body. Why look down? Why wax on/wax off?

To be continued…

Bob Wiskera resides and teaches TI in the DFW area of North Texas.