3 Cornerstones of my Mace Flow Practice

I picked up a mace for the first time 5 years ago and immediately knew it would change the way I would move forever. I soon invested in my own - a 20lb Onnit steel mace because I assumed a 10lb mace would be too light. As it turned out, my 20lb mace felt like a planet on the end of a stick!

I began with 360s and Mills, but quickly wanted to add footwork to make my workouts more dynamic. The Archer’s Mill featured in this week’s video changed EVERYTHING for me. This short but highly dynamic flow opened my eyes for the first time to the infinite potential of mace flows.

This steel mace drill led me to 3 cornerstones of my practice today and have shaped every flow I’ve ever done. I believe they can be used to shape your flows too!

The only constant is change.

The dynamic and fluid nature of mace flow requires constant adaptation to new movements, sequences, and challenges. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of landmarks, stances, and transitions that can be combined into infinite variety. There is no “wrong” movement or combination, just continuous opportunities to explore and discover. It is the epitome of “choose your own adventure”. Always keep a learner’s mindset!

Flow State rules all.

In a given flow, you may be changing stance, pivoting, and transitioning between landmarks all at the same time. The only way to manage such complexity and constantly remain in balance is to focus completely on the moment. More accurately, relax your focus so that multiple actions can happen as one. Allow your focus to become all-encompassing and you’ll find flow state. It takes training to achieve this kind of focus and apply it, so start simple. Early next year I’ll release a guided flow journal to train and hone this skill.

Offer something beautiful.

Choose to let your mace flow practice be more than a workout. As we create circles, draw lines, and hold postures, we can offer something to the world: beauty. We can create art, born of our own power to wield the mace and our unique expression of what is within ourselves. What can you offer the world in your movement practice that can make the world a better place? That is a question only you can answer.

Your Turn

What are the cornerstones of your mace flow practice? I invite you to journal on this and explore how the principles I’ve shared, or your own, impact your movement practice and your life. You’ll likely notice some parallels - and the question then becomes: how do the principles you see align with your values?

Again, only you can answer that!

Carpe Diem,

Coach Lochlainn