Ashtar
Dec-19-06, 12:18 PM
Does anyone do variations on their stretches? I'm going to describe some I do, maybe others can be added. For most of these I'm just picturing a front raise since it's simplest but the idea would apply to others.
1. Hanging onto something: without having to keep your balance, you can usually build the confidence to go higher, and then later try it out without holding anything.
2. On the toes: even though improper, it does occur something and is part of extension for jumping. Harder to balance, and also should be done flatfooted to isolate.
3. Bending over: bending forward at the hip. For front raises, this shifts the focus to extension of the foreward leg for height, which will be much less high, as you are not extending the hip of the base leg.
4. Leaning, stepping forward: different from bending, leaning focuses on shifting balance foreward, so that you are forced to step down on the kicking leg. This forces you to do it speadily, and then bear weight on the ground, sort of like how you bring it down with force in an axe kick. The base leg's heel will probably rise, though it can dip a bit first before ankle extension for stretch reflex. Can translate to hopping forward with a rising kick. In cases where you lean too fast your back may reflexibly hyperextend to give time to get your foot underneath.
Even though in most martial arts, high kicks are not always useful, this kind of thing is why they still build splits, to allow stepping forward kicks with extension.
5. Leaning, stepping backward. The basefoot's weight goes on the heel and as you tip backward you kick, then bring the kicking foot behind you. Scarier to do than the forward one. The leg has much further to go in this, and will have to bend before supporting on the ground behind you. To slow backward ascent you may reflexively bend your spine forward with the abdominals. For doing back-kicks, this would be leaning stepping forward, basically stepping opposite the direction you are kicking. In cases of side kick, you would lean on the outer edge of base leg and step either in front of or behind it, not sure, it may involve pivoting and be different depending.
I got these falling ideas from this MA book I read about leaning to add momentum to strikes, and since it was scary to try out, I figure it would be useful to build reflexes to avoid falling, and to put the feet down in unusual ways.
I guess doing these on inclined surfaces (either direction) would add some variation too.
1. Hanging onto something: without having to keep your balance, you can usually build the confidence to go higher, and then later try it out without holding anything.
2. On the toes: even though improper, it does occur something and is part of extension for jumping. Harder to balance, and also should be done flatfooted to isolate.
3. Bending over: bending forward at the hip. For front raises, this shifts the focus to extension of the foreward leg for height, which will be much less high, as you are not extending the hip of the base leg.
4. Leaning, stepping forward: different from bending, leaning focuses on shifting balance foreward, so that you are forced to step down on the kicking leg. This forces you to do it speadily, and then bear weight on the ground, sort of like how you bring it down with force in an axe kick. The base leg's heel will probably rise, though it can dip a bit first before ankle extension for stretch reflex. Can translate to hopping forward with a rising kick. In cases where you lean too fast your back may reflexibly hyperextend to give time to get your foot underneath.
Even though in most martial arts, high kicks are not always useful, this kind of thing is why they still build splits, to allow stepping forward kicks with extension.
5. Leaning, stepping backward. The basefoot's weight goes on the heel and as you tip backward you kick, then bring the kicking foot behind you. Scarier to do than the forward one. The leg has much further to go in this, and will have to bend before supporting on the ground behind you. To slow backward ascent you may reflexively bend your spine forward with the abdominals. For doing back-kicks, this would be leaning stepping forward, basically stepping opposite the direction you are kicking. In cases of side kick, you would lean on the outer edge of base leg and step either in front of or behind it, not sure, it may involve pivoting and be different depending.
I got these falling ideas from this MA book I read about leaning to add momentum to strikes, and since it was scary to try out, I figure it would be useful to build reflexes to avoid falling, and to put the feet down in unusual ways.
I guess doing these on inclined surfaces (either direction) would add some variation too.