Leisures of Responsibility: Spatializing Care and Wellness in Martial Arts Practice

Abstract

The term “martial arts” encompasses a broad spectrum of techniques, philosophies, and training regimes. These movement practices function alongside discourses of health and reflections on cultural significance. While some disciplines, such as Taijiquan, easily fit into understandings of healthful practice, meanings of health in higher-risk practices can be more difficult to decipher. This project explores the seemingly contradictory experience of hard physical contact and health, and the importance of space in setting the stage for the safe exploration of normatively aversive experiences with pain.