A Strange Thing Happened in Karate Class

By Siobhan Finniss

Ever since I was kid I’ve always known that I am a performer. Weirdly, I’ve also always known I’m a fighter. That sensation when you kick a bag HARD and feel your own strength - if you know you know. My son and I have just started learning karate together. Just like my Mum did with me at the same age.

At the end of the class we often do these sumo-like matches, where two competitors hold kicking bags and try to push each other out of a ring. There aren’t that many adults in the class and my choice of competitors is mostly limited to fully grown men (I am a small yet delusional woman…and I have won a few times by the way. Hehehe).

So what does this have to do with improv?…I’m getting to it!

One of my regular competitors is, indeed, a fully grown man and there is no way in hell I’m gonna beat him . I’m pretty delulu when it comes to fighting, so at first I didn’t want to accept that. When we started this training a couple of months ago, I tensed up before the match had even begun. I got stressed. I REALLY wanted to win and I didn’t want to accept that my brute force wasn’t enough.

Last week, when I was talked into competing with him, I shrugged and laughed. I knew I couldn’t win and suddenly I felt super relaxed. When the match started, I wasn’t competing, I was PLAYING. I did silly moves I’d been too scared to try before, because I was afraid of losing. The match was stupid and fun. And I lost, of course. But, you know. I lasted longer in the ring than I ever had against that opponent. The match was heaps more interesting and competitive. And…I was in the exact same headspace as when I improvise. 

I think there is a certain amount of stress you just have to accept when you are trying something new. But, do I think I got to a place where I could relax in a stressful situation faster because I am an improviser - AB-SO-F*ING-LUTELY. 

I truly do think that this is one of the greatest gifts a consistent improv practice has given me - the ability to be playful and creative under pressure. Tempering competitiveness with joyfulness; hard work with ease. None of this came naturally to me. These strange contradictions that improv keeps teaching me, it’s probably why I keep coming back for more.