On Sunday I conducted a well-attended course at Loughborough University.  Both before and after the session I got to talk to Dr. Matt Pain.  One thing that came up was the use of the head in various ways to support a given task, particularly the asymmetrical tonic reflex (or fencing reflex) whose functional and dynamic application can be seen together with other primitive reflexes in many sports, including boxing, wrestling and Muay Thai.  While Matt and I were talking, I knew that I’d read about this particular reflex and I recalled a specific reference in a book involving judo. 

When I got home, I was able to find the actual reference I recalled, which is included within the second of these two links.  They are Part 1, and Part 2. Good memory, eh?

Primitive reflexes, including the asymmetrical tonic reflex, play a hidden role in athletic performance.  During the years after the infamous ‘fall of Gallagher’ when I researched the role of the head in movement, I was also researching the Fujian systems.  I began to see the implications within the forms for the exploitation of these reflexes in fighting.  For example, within the kata Samchien I could see evidence of the Moro (or startle) reflex as well as the tonic labyrinthine reflex.  However, in the Fujian forms the head didn’t appear to be active in initiating movement, and that’s something I introduced to my own forms practice.  I also found implied evidence in the kata of Okinawa and Japan; however in these cases the reflex patterns had turned into a pose without any understanding of their internal dynamics.  You can also see these reflexes depicted within Hindu/Buddhist painting, sculpture and dance, including depictions of the dieties as fierce protectors of temples. 

Primitive reflexes begin their development during the fetal stage and are nature’s way of providing the building blocks upon which more complex actions depend.  In the fetal stages and as newborns, motor control is undeveloped.  The sensory and motor pathways associated with these primitive reflexes originate in the brainstem and are in the main strengthened by random head movements. No matter where the head moves, there is a specific corresponding response in the spine, pelvis and limbs.  Without these inboard reflexes inherited through natural selection, the young organism would have no chance of survival.

There is a sequential order of development in the first years of life.  If one or more of the primitive reflexes are absent, this has serious clinical repercussions for the motor development of the individual.  As the higher centres of the brain mature, these pre-programmed responses are gradually inhibited in favour of stronger, more specialized sensorimotor pathways within the midbrain, referred to as postural reflexes.  The latter allow us to successfully interact with the world about us, and if the primitive reflexes persist through this stage, there are also adverse consequences for the motor development of the individual.  Both primitive and postural reflexes play key roles in motor function, and individual variations in the integration of the primitive reflexes within the CNS account for relative ‘talent’ (or its lack) in athletic skill. 

Though the primitive reflexes are inhibited, they are never erased, and under certain conditions they re-emerge.  Tadashi Fukuda noticed that these reflexes often come into play during goal-oriented and purpose-driven tasks requiring of exceptional physical power and coordination, and it was even noted that within non-athletes under certain circumstances these reflex patterns came to the fore. 

What does this mean for you as a martial artist?  In a nutshell, you have primitive reflexes that can enhance your performance, but that doesn’t mean that every time you move your head, these primitive reflexes come into play.  They don’t. They can be inhibited by higher control centres within the brain.  And indeed, in some forms of training, they are actually ironed out. 

However, if you are aware of these primitive and postural reflexes, you can actually set about enhancing your performance.  The first step lies in recognizing the patterns when you see them.  Because primitive reflexes are integrated into functional behaviour over a period of many years, they can be difficult to spot within the seamlessness of athletic performance. 

Through my research into kinesiology and my own athletic experiences I’ve known of these primitive and postural reflexes for over thirty years.  I’ve always tried to address them in my personal training, and I believe I’ve had some success with this.  In fact, some aspects of my performance are directly attributable to knowledge of the primitive and postural reflexes.  However, attempting to impart this knowledge to others has been more challenging.

One pitfall of pursuing academic understanding of this phenomenon is the fact that having an abstract knowledge of it is insufficient.  You need to have real-life representations of the reflex patterns in action.  That’s another reason to watch the fight.  Read about the patterns, and then look at top athletes and take in a holistic sense of how those patterns are manifesting.  Watch enough, and you’ll start to see them all over the place. 

Matt told me how he was trying to explain a movement within a karate form in terms of the asymmetric tonic neck reflex, which seemed obvious and clear to him as a sports scientist.  He described his frustration at the inability of the karate practitioners to ‘get it.’  I know about this!  But even the most receptive student, even a top athlete, can have trouble translating this academic information into practical use.  This is because the point about a reflex is that it’s unconscious.  It can’t be controlled; you have to more or less trick the system into producing the reflex response. 

In my classes I devote a lot of attention to the head.  Often the performer is unaware of the way his head (and the reflexes associated with it) may be inhibiting his performance, or at least, not contributing everything that it could be.  I am always trying to draw attention to the way the changing position of the head relative to the action will improve the quality and power of the action. 

In my training of an individual, the tips I will give often involve small changes in the use of the head at a critical point in the performance of a skill.  There is no one size fits all.  This is an area of instruction where the coach has to have a deep understanding of how the head works in relation to the body, in the context of the skill, and within the situation; i.e., the fight.  It’s one thing to be aware of the importance of the head as an initiator of movement but quite another to understand how it exactly does that to support a given action. 

In fighting, the head can also play a crucial role in setting up your opponent on the feet or the ground through its direct or indirect manipulation.  And in a defensive sense, you need to be aware of how your head movement can be used against you.  Reflexes are a double-edged sword.  The better you understand them, the better able to exploit them to get an edge. 

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Additional reading:

Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise
Biomechanics of Sport
More on the tonic neck reflex
Neonatal neurology
Primitive reflexes in child development
Motor control and learning