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SW Portland Martial Arts Blog
Raffle
May 18th, 2015Focus
May 13th, 2015Featuring...
So you want to get better at moving? Good. That is our focus here. There are lots of ways to get better at moving. First and foremost, we believe that you actually need to move to get better at moving. It sounds obvious but despite this obviousness, it is easy to fall into the trap that you can think, talk or wish your way to better movement.
Another way we can get better at movement is through video feedback. You move, then you watch how you moved, then you try and improve on that movement. Watch the video. You’ll see Carrie do the same lift quite a few times. Do you see one mistake that she makes consistently? If you do, THAT is the thing that you want to offer as a correction. If you see multiple things that she consistently does wrong, then you want to give the biggest mistake as a correction.
In other words, you want to focus on one thing. Only one.
Now that you’ve read all these words and watched the video, go clean a broomstick or a barbell. Do you make the same mistakes that you saw?
Movement Capacity
May 12th, 2015Level up
There is always something more… some new move out there just on the periphery of your ability, taunting you, tempting you to try it.
What is that move? It depends completely on you. It could be part of the basic stable of CrossFit moves: the double under, the muscle up or a pistol. It could be something surrounding basic motor patterns like: getting a healthy range of motion in your hips, or being able to deadlift with a neutral spine.
Whatever it is, make sure you have something. Something to pursue. Something that helps motivate you. Something worth working for.
Patterns
May 11th, 2015Variations on a basic stick pattern
All of the early weapons requirements are patterns. The purpose of these patterns is to help develop a comfort level with weapons. You learn to move in tandem with another person while swinging a weapon in a prescribed manner.
It’s not fighting but it is challenging. In that way, it is a baby step toward developing some courage and competence around weapons. Once you’ve got those basic patterns nailed down, it is easy to get complacent when you do them with a partner. Don’t. Don’t let the patterns become a patty cake drill. Add some variation to challenge yourself.
In the video above you can see some basic ideas (borrowed from Sifu Jeremy) on how to mix things up with the pattern called double sinawali.
Elbows go Where?
May 8th, 2015Split it
You did your clean. You rose from the rock bottom of the front squat up to standing. Now, where do you put your elbows to set yourself up to jerk the bar overhead?
You have two choices: elbows down or elbows forward. That’s right. You can jerk from either of those positions. Do a video search of the top lifters and you will see that there is plenty of elbows down and plenty of elbows up.
What does this mean for us? It means try it both ways and see which one you like. Try driving the barbell up from the front rack position. Try driving the barbell up when you have your elbows down (actually slightly forward). Experiment. Watch other people. Don’t be afraid to switch.