The Ear in Martial Arts

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Did you know that that vestibular system of the ear ‘governs’ “balance and spatial orientation?” Not only does the ear need to hear  in all directions, the ear is also connected, as are the eyes seing all sides, to our balance and orientation that that is huge in self-protection especially when we start feeling the effects of the adrenal rush. 

To be ‘unbalanced’ as a weight comes into play when our balance and orientation are in jeopardy due to our taking the ears and our auditory system for granted. When the worlds spins, vertigo, our abilities and skills go directly into the toilet. Our ability to change directions is about our ability to orient in the environment, space, to see, hear, touch and even taste and smell because the ears and its systems feed additional information that without would leave us vulnerable. Think about this a moment while I present some info on the ears. 

Hearing evolved from this system because knowing which way is up is what results in balance. Ever hear, no pun intended, “vertigo?”

When this system glitches we end up with a phantom sensation of turning. We get dizzy, the eyes twitch, then we get a head-spinning sensation, and nausea.

If things go terribly wrong we can lose the ability to effortlessly orient ourselves in space.

We as karate-ka assume that our balance is augmented through our training and that is kind-of true because we can practice so that we get 100% productive use of our brain connection to our hearing, particularly the vestibular system because our balance is controlled by a finite efficient use of our auditory system, our ears and hearing, etc.

It is like our muscles, the have genetics that dictate strength, etc., and we can develop that strength to it, the muscles, maximum capacity but there are limitations that nature dictates. The ears and it’s systems have genetic limitations and our goal is to maximize the efficient maximun use of each. 

So, how do we do that? We learn about them, we train and practice and condition these systems to get the most from them.

When it comes to balance the care, maintenance and heath of our ears, our auditory systems matter.

How to start:

• avoid prolonged abuse by avoiding loud noises;
• Learn proper care of our ears;
• Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate;
• Manage stress levels;
• Use protection around loud noises;
• be careful what and how you insert those protections.
• Keep the volume down;
• Do NOT put ANYTHING in you ears like cotton swabs, etc.;
• Keep ears dry;
• Move, keep moving;
• Be aware of medications;
• Seek medical advice if experiencing ear aches, etc.,;
• DO NOT SELF REMOVE EAR WAX, it is the bodies natural cleaning process of our ears!

Owen, David. “Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World.” Riverhead Books. October 29, 2019.

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