Feet speed and agility

If you have feet, don't take them for granted.

We use them without thought most of the time.  But remember, a foot injury can change your world.

The discussion of power-force generation for speed and agility is a good one but tries to truncate one body part use without the other.  Here's an interesting Q&A link about "Quick Feet and Agility Drills".  As difficult as it is to think outside the box, with the popularity of Pilates infiltrating the dance, fitness and sports performance domains, the box is slowly changing shape into a global training perspective.  In 21st century training, squaring the circle is not optimal. 

This "Bulgarian" lunge is remniscent of Joe Pilates style Russian Split.  No we don't do Pilates...




We see how the sports industry is evolving.  The modern dance world is changing shape too.  But traditional Ballet continues to cripple their dancers for the sake of something that can never be questioned--tradition.  But when and how does tradition take hold?  Can it evolve?

One message the dance world gives to the sports world is this: "Get all of your body weight out of your heels!"  And, sports training weighting into the heels adds balance to that message. 

However, if you want speed and agility, you're not going anywhere fast if all of your training and stances are coached by pressing all your body weight into the heels.  The arches of the feet help distribute weight through the bones of the feet, and the muscles of the feet got to be resilient.

So yes, you need your feet for speed and agility.  Now is the best time to strengthen and train with an all-encompassing understanding of their power.
 

Core, How About Parkour?

Core, How About Parkour?
Now that we have a core, it's time to move with it!

In an amazing article, "Too Old, Too Fat, Too Weak For Parkour" by Ryan Ford, Ryan suggests an expansion into Parkour regardless of age, size or anything else, is possible. It's an empowering idea.  It looks easy.  But as we now know the easier it looks... doesn't always mean that it didn't require a massive amount of effort, focus and humility to make it look so easy, and fun. 

Parkour for all?  Why not. 

Ryan Ford has put together some incredible vids that introduce you, the beginner, to this highly coordinated movement art. Ryan picked 5 moves to work toward for increased mobility in Parkour: full squat, passive bar hang, wall support, basic quadripedal, and jogging.  If you've (n)ever thought about crawling backwards, here's one of his instructional vids to check.



Is Parkour only for the young? Looking at some of the amazing advanced students, many of the traceurs are young men.  The advanced traceurs apparently create with ease something extraordinary, without breaking their neck, or a sweat, in the process.  The question remains, will they be able to do Parkour at 50+?  Does it matter?



More informed, with cross-training (Pilates, Gyrotonic, Yoga, SportsMedicine), we can not only want to move with ease, we can train to move with ease throughout our entire lives.  Of course,  embarking on this Parkour adventure, as with everything else, will require skill and prep, risk analysis in any environment, awareness of one's own ability not someone else's.  And it must be mentioned, a healthy sense of play throughout the rest of our lives shouldn't hurt, too much.

ULTIMATE PLANK VID

Ultimate Plank Vid
by Men's Health

LOOK NO FURTHER for perfecting your PLANK challenge.
(Thanks to my friend and colleague Andre Levitt for posting this on his fb page.)

22 Plank Variations
22 new plank variations:
Posted by Men's Health on Wednesday, September 16, 2015

REVIEW: The Elevation Training Mask

REVIEW:  The Elevation Training Mask

Just pay me now for saving your future brain cells!  We'll start with the low cost of $79.99.

I'm serious!  These are accidents just waiting to happen.  Have your AED's charged and ready.

I can't figure out what people think they are training for here: Maybe it's someone with a strong desire to be resuscitated at the gym.   Do you really want to work so hard to forget your name today, tomorrow or what day is it? Are they training for pearl dives without scuba equipment? Even the Aegean pearl diver has the better sense than to stay under too long.   Ever hear of necrosis?

You may not know this but your brain requires oxygen.  And using this mask will not make you stronger, faster, give you more endurance, and it most definitely won't make you smarter. 

It doesn't simulate the effect of high altitude training--only altitude itself or a highly expensive, humungous hypobaric chamber can do that. 

Sure you'll feel the burn--in your lungs.  This is what it feels like to be an asthmatic exercising. It will not train your anaerobic threshold--sprints with unobstructed breathing will do that, or power lifts with unobstructed breathing is the way to go. It's no fun to have asthma.

It will not improve your cardiovascular capacity--but high intensity interval training by cycling, walking, running, sweating, breathing works just great.

You may injure your already aching heart--got to be nice to this muscle.

I beg of you, do not let your children near this thing.  If you have training questions that you think this mask will short cut, THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS.  Get a real trainer.

Key Access to the Core

Key Access to the Core:
FIND the key to the deepest layer of your abdominal wall.
It's deep. It's subtle. It's easy.
Quote of the day: I hate the core! 

Remember:
1. Less is more. If you try to power through, you will miss the important support of this deep transverse core muscle.

2. Follow your natural exhalation and notice your lower abs sink. 
Try not to tilt the pelvis or tighten the quads, gluts for this. 
Try not to tighten anything really. This is very very very different from any exercise you've ever done. Just follow the exhalation at first.

3.  Don't beat a dead horse. If this isn't happening for you, tell a really funny joke while you are doing a "core" exercise and pull in your gut on the exhalation, okay.  It's a start.

To progress, you can work your way backwards from here.

HINT:
Sucking in your gut is the exact opposite of what your trying to achieve.

Yes it's important to breathe easy--not just hyperventilate.  And most importantly, don't stop breathing on my watch.

SIMPLE RESPIRATION STRETCH.
Take a few deep breaths. Then begin to slow and elongate the inhalations and the exhalations. Toward the last few seconds of one of those exhalations, gently pull in the lower part of the abdominal wall a little bit more.

Once you feel this gentle drawing in or "hollowing" effect, sustain the transverse abdominal contraction for a moment before the next inhalation.

Pilates Spring Super-Bridge Stretch

Pilates Spring Super-Bridge Stretch


It's not that difficult if your core is in tact AND your back is strong. Oh sure.  Okay this is tough but there are ways to make it accessible for anyone who has interest. There are lots of ways to modify and take this sequence apart, to strengthen for full set. It works everything, giving a nice elongation for your spine. It is fun.

PILATES STRETCH TRAINING FOR MARTIAL ARTISTS

PILATES STRETCH TRAINING FOR MARTIAL ARTISTS

This is going to be a great class for those people who practice or would like to practice the skill of martial arts.   Martial Arts requires skill and power.  Eskabo Daan, like many martial arts, is based on the use of Qi (Chi, Ki, etc.), which requires a proper understanding.   These days, many people train their muscles to become super strong, often overlooking the need for joint strength and flexibility.  This class is to experience relief of over-tight muscles by stretching, without fear of losing power.