The text discusses how the art and instruction of movement and balance relate to the body's weight and motion. It illustrates how people use their limbs for balance when performing actions like lifting weights or stabilizing themselves when falling. The passage highlights the importance of counterbalance and how the body's movement can influence its perceived weight.
Various States of Action
One can indeed create the impression that everyone is skilled; although we cannot deny that certain movements and particular uncommon activities also depend on Art and Instruction. An important distinction should be made about this. When we see a person lifting a weight with one arm, we commonly notice that they extend their other arm for balance, to seek their counterweight, and to counterbalance the weight they have lifted. If just lifting the weight is not enough, they often add the weight of their own body, leaning in the opposite or the same direction as needed for the counterbalance. Who hasn’t noticed that when someone falls backward while sitting on their haunches or tries in vain to rise, they inevitably extend their arms forward to stabilize themselves as much as possible? This often succeeds, especially when the back parts are not too far from the weight-bearing line. In such cases, some individuals fare better than others by quickly moving their outstretched arms and adjusting the head to recover and stand up again. One shouldn’t be reluctant to believe that the body’s weight, in moving the limbs, not only shifts easily and quickly from side to side, but also asserts that the body depending on whether moved quickly or slowly, has more or less weight.
Translation Notes: The term "Konft" refers to "Art". "Unterwijfsingh" is "Instruction". "Ikand bevindt yemand op sijn Hurken" translates to "someone sitting on their haunches."