"Methods are many, principles are few " is a core belief I adhere to.
In previous newsletters I've explored some of the 5 "laws" of Anatomy in
Motion written by my teacher/coach, Gary Ward.
We've talked about "Joints Act, Muscles React" and "muscles lengthen
before they contract"
So lets look at Rule 3: "Everything Orbits Around Centre"
What is "everything" and where is the centre?
If we think simply in terms of Anatomy and Physiology (physiology is
basically how the anatomy moves and interacts, literally Anatomy in
Motion) then we can think of the centre as out centre of mass or centre
of gravity.
Your centre of mass, or the point in the body most central, the middle,
is a few inches forward of the spine down around the L4 or L5 vertebra.
Is it a coincidence that the L4/5 vertebra is also one of the most
common pain & injury sites in the human body?
Oh, and just for fun, google Shaolin Monks balancing on Spears, and
you'll see how they place the tip of the spear right on the point I'm
referring to..
The Centre of Gravity is a little different, it is fluid and moves
around as you move.
As you change shape, your centre of gravity, the point where gravity
appears to have the greatest affect on you moves. So much so, it can
actually move outside of the body.
If you want to geek out, this video takes you through what that really
In application, this means we can think of movement and mostly sporting
actions simply as mass management
We look to keep our centre of gravity inside our base of support, and if
we do so, we can remain upright and functional.
For a martial artists to affect a throw or take down, we do so by
shifting our opponents centre of gravity outside their base of support
causing them to fall.
When we are in the gym, say doing a Squat or Military press we now do
our best to keep the combined centre of gravity, that of our body and
the weight, right over the middle of our feet.
This is most easily observed by moving from a front squat to back squat
and seeing how the body changes shape to accommodate the bar.
In a more dynamic action like a kettlebell snatch, that combined centre
is balanced between the motion of the kettlebell, the hips and the head,
these three points shift in an attempt to keep that centre of gravity as
close to the centre of our base of support as possible. Failure to do so
is when we feel excess muscle strain, loss of balance or worst case, injury.
How does this information help us with pain and injury?
Lets say we have pain in our left hip for example.
When we see you walk we notice the stride is uneven, we notice the hip
stays left and doesn't get across to the right very well
The right leg swings through nice and slow, but as soon as hit hits
down, the left swings through way quicker.
And we discover an old ankle injury from a few years ago in that right
ankle.
Could it be a case that in order to let the ankle recover, we shifted
our mass over towards the left?
In doing so, we need to maintain balance and not fall, that centre of
gravity needs to be kept inside the base of support, so how do we then
stack up the rest of the body?
In stacking the body up in such a way that we remain upright and stable,
how are we now loading and stressing out tissues?
Very often (not always unfortunately) this thought process resolves many
folks chronic pain issues.
Once we figure out how to manage the mass more effectively, the stress
on the tissues is more evenly spread, so there's less acute strain on
any single part.
It always amazes me how by helping a person reflexively and
subconsciously manage their centre of gravity more efficiently changes
how they move and how much pain they are in.
how simply reintroducing them to the foot tripod and some nice pronation
mechanics they feel muscles fire up all over the body leading to a
feeling lightness and ease.
In my mind, this idea of everything revolving around centre if far more
useful than any discussion about posture, about lever lengths (length of
limbs), balance etc.
Watch for how a person manages their centre, watch how you manage your
centre, and good stuff starts to happen.
I do wonder if this is the real origin of practices like Standing Chi
Gung, the slow movements seen across many martial arts and also where
the value of crawling drills and swinging weights (kettlebells, clubs,
maces etc) really lies.
Now, <<First Name>> you have found this newsletter interesting, or it has
raised a question or comment, please hit reply and let me know.
Or hit forward, and send it on.
This is your newsletter, so I always look forward to hearing back from
you when I send these out.
Especially if you have a question that I can look at for future editions.
Till next time
--
Regards
Dave Hedges
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