Back into it!!!!!
Ok, so how are you all? It has been a while but better late than never and as they say, 'the longer one leaves things the harder it is.....'
Heaps to talk and think about.
Just came back for run/walk/sprint/workout and came to a realisation. When performing 'fudo-ken' it is very important that when we lunge we align all limbs, i.e. toes, ankles, knees, femur with the front ilium (hip bone). This prevents pronation and bowing of the knees and maintains integrity within the joints, right? If this is the case with Fudo-ken then it is also the case when performing rear 45 deg evasions like jodan uke, uke nagasu, forward 45 deg evasions, kara take wari, bojutsu's men, do-uchi etc, etc. One could argue that easily 80% of movements in this art revolve around a lunging in some direction with wide displacement of the body via the legs and hips. For efficiency and safety of form the knee should always be in alignment with the toes and hip, yes? WIth this logic I turn my argument to walking and running. Should we not also pay attention to this when we walk and run and ensure that toes are in alignment with our knees and hips? This was made apparent to me some weeks ago when a student informed me of the fact that he took part in a computerised running analysis at a shoe store to maximise a proper shoe fit (approx $20 and something I personally recommend BTW). He was informed that misalignment was occurring, his form was out of wack and to seek further advice, possibly in the form of a running coach. This makes me think about practitioners in our art and in other kans who favour the gani-mata or 'toes-pointed outward' walk. Some consider this natural and purposeful for the sake of expedient action if and when required. I wonder if this is in fact healthy and good for our joints? When looking at running and walking videos on youtube, much emphasis is placed upon keeping the foot straight and pointed forward, much like for our lunging movements. I also remember on a seminar, Tom Brown (Native American Tracker located in New Jersey) commenting of that fact that after years of experience in tracking and analysing foot prints he was able to help elite running athletes shave their times by simple re-focusing and mending foot position and direction. Definitely food for thought, I think.
For those of us who have joint issues I think it is crucial that we never for instant stop being analytical of our form, seek advice and do all we can to our better ourselves.
Comments and opinions please!!
Heaps to talk and think about.
Just came back for run/walk/sprint/workout and came to a realisation. When performing 'fudo-ken' it is very important that when we lunge we align all limbs, i.e. toes, ankles, knees, femur with the front ilium (hip bone). This prevents pronation and bowing of the knees and maintains integrity within the joints, right? If this is the case with Fudo-ken then it is also the case when performing rear 45 deg evasions like jodan uke, uke nagasu, forward 45 deg evasions, kara take wari, bojutsu's men, do-uchi etc, etc. One could argue that easily 80% of movements in this art revolve around a lunging in some direction with wide displacement of the body via the legs and hips. For efficiency and safety of form the knee should always be in alignment with the toes and hip, yes? WIth this logic I turn my argument to walking and running. Should we not also pay attention to this when we walk and run and ensure that toes are in alignment with our knees and hips? This was made apparent to me some weeks ago when a student informed me of the fact that he took part in a computerised running analysis at a shoe store to maximise a proper shoe fit (approx $20 and something I personally recommend BTW). He was informed that misalignment was occurring, his form was out of wack and to seek further advice, possibly in the form of a running coach. This makes me think about practitioners in our art and in other kans who favour the gani-mata or 'toes-pointed outward' walk. Some consider this natural and purposeful for the sake of expedient action if and when required. I wonder if this is in fact healthy and good for our joints? When looking at running and walking videos on youtube, much emphasis is placed upon keeping the foot straight and pointed forward, much like for our lunging movements. I also remember on a seminar, Tom Brown (Native American Tracker located in New Jersey) commenting of that fact that after years of experience in tracking and analysing foot prints he was able to help elite running athletes shave their times by simple re-focusing and mending foot position and direction. Definitely food for thought, I think.
For those of us who have joint issues I think it is crucial that we never for instant stop being analytical of our form, seek advice and do all we can to our better ourselves.
Comments and opinions please!!
Comments