Originally posted by Bonehead
It is one's ability/inability to be perceptive and functional in situations such as:
The body inverted
The body rotating
The body at heights
The body in flight
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Why Is Spatial Orientation Important?
Safety in the martial arts is, of course, paramount. It is also dependent upon the student knowing where they are.
The execution of many skills relies on the correct training of some muscular action during the performance of the skill. The more aware the student is of what the body is doing, where the body is, where the limbs are relative to the body, etc., the safer the student will be.
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What Limits One's Spatial Orientation Abilities?
This motor attribute is governed for the most part, by the kinesthetic sense that is compromised of two main anatomical components: the Vestibular System and the Proprioceptive System. The Vestibular System consists of the semi-circular canals in the middle ear and the Proprioceptive System consists of many different sensory receptors in the muscles, tendons and ligaments that monitor the position of body parts relative to the body.
As with all other senses, the kinesthetic sense responds to concentrated usage with greater sensitivity and to lack of usage with reduced sensitivity. .
