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BailongBall and Energy Work
“Be in dialog with the person opposite of you – play the way your energy allows you to”
“Energetic Playing” – that is how the author experiences BailongBall. In her recently published book “Spirale des Glücks” (Spiral of Happiness), she dedicates an entire section to this sport, explaining how BailongBall helps to bring body and soul in motion.
But let us start at the beginning: Susanne Ritz is a passionate BailongBall player and trainer. For more than ten years now, she teaches the racket sport, as well as QiGong, TaiJi Quan and instructs QiGong trainers in her studio. But her energy work reaches back even further than that. Years of training and her practical experience with QiGong formed the foundation of the energy work she is practicing, today.
It all started with the sports she had tried, that drained her of energy, more than anything else. Every game or training left her more depleted. It was when she discovered QiGong that she realized that there were better options. The “vitalizing effects” of her QiGong training sessions made her curious. How can such “unassuming exercises” provide such a source of energy and power?
This curiosity paved Susanne’s way to energy work. The book covers the energy surrounding us, as well as that of our body. She details how execrcises can be embedded in every day activities to fill our body’s energy reservoir, rather than deplete it. And she covers how energy work can help overcome physical problems as well as anxieties we may experience.
For Susanne, BailongBall has a “playful” as well a creative component, that reaches beyond the energy work experienced with QiGong and TaiJi. In her book, she lays out how to improve your body’s agility, while you are having fun at the same time. All the while removing enrgetical blockages. To that end, she provides practical exercises, to demonstrate how BailongBall positively influences respective parts of your body.
Here is an excerpt of her book (courtesy of the author):
“When playing BailongBall, one realizes how little we are like machines. As hard as I may try, to repeat a certain rally or move during practice, most attempts are slight deviations from the ones before. Be it while receiving of passing the ball. The unconventional ball lays bear the details of my every move: as my move is always a little different, the ball allways shows a slight variation in its trajectory.
It is through this unconventional phenomenon, that BailongBall also helps in training your individual rhythm. You begin developing a certain sensitivity towards your own movements. Albeit not consciously. It is a subliminal process. This was certainly one of the big differences I experienced with respect to Tennis or Badminton. With those sports, rhythm clearly took a back seat. To put it in other words: the opponent clearly limited my options when reacting. While with BailongBall I also receive a ball, I am left with more choices when returning it. My rhythm allows me to control how to play the ball back. This is more my way, my body’s way. And as a “side effect”, this leads me to more controlled and healthier movements.”
“Spirale des Glücks” picks up on the variations, the disciplines, of the sport – from Freestyle to Multiplay. Their effects are stunning: from the eyes, to your joints and finally your “inner center”. The positive effects this sport has on body and soul cannot be overlooked. Check out Susanne’s home page if you like to find out more.
Mike Ritz TBBA-Trainer