Balance

Do you ever think of how balanced you are when you play?

Balance is a pretty uncommon topic from what I can tell. After all, it's not like people are falling down when they play taiko! Still some groups will talk about weight distribution, staying on the balls of the feet, etc.

Balance is one of those "advanced" topics that doesn't need to be talked about at depth when people are learning to play taiko, but at the same time, it's really important to your overall ability. For instance, if you're too close to the drums or too far away, you're sacrificing balance in order to strike cleanly.

It comes more into play when you're moving, with all the transfer of weight keeping in time with the music. Partially, balance in movement comes with muscle strength, but it's also about awareness. What are your feet really doing when you play? Are you on the balls of the feet or the heels? Are you planted once you stop moving or do you have "happy feet" (i.e., constantly adjusting your feet while you play)? Can you lean slightly to any direction without feeling like you're going to fall over? Are you using your feet as you play or are they just "there"? Are you solid enough without being rigid?

I've seen and been in a lot of workshops that dealt with movement, and although balance was rarely mentioned, a lot of the core concepts depended on having a good sense of it. In karate, where some of the stances are similar, sometimes a sensei will push or pull a student to see if the balance is solid. I never see that in taiko, but the next time you get into your stance, ask yourself how you think you'd fare if you had to resist a push or two.