Achieving Optimal Movement

Today’s blog is about optimal movement and how bodywork and other holistic practices can help.  Moving optimally is key to staying injury free.

In an effort to improve my speed for TaeKwonDo, I’ve been practicing boxing  (sparring with another person) once or twice a week.  It is by far the hardest workout I have ever done.  You are constantly moving, focused, so into it, and the next thing you know, you can barely stand up.   The big  ah-ha I had during my last session, with gentle guidance from my coach Paul Witherspoon, is that if you do an uppercut with your torso and head up-right, the punch goes up.  If you do it with you head and torso facing into someone, it goes in.   The same exact movement with your head and torso positioned differently, has an entirely different affect.  The trick is to execute that movement in its most optimal manner whether you are standing straight or bent in to your opponent.  If you don’t, you miss your mark, hurt yourself, or get hit by the other guy! 

That’s when my bodywork observation popped in.  The biggest issues I see are when people mistakenly use their body in a non-optimal way.  It’s not really about doing it “wrong” – just not optimally.  It’s most important for when you are moving quickly or with a lot of power but, also important when you are driving, typing, or playing with the kids.  Sure, you won’t hurt yourself as much by using poor hand positioning while using your mouse as you might doing a poorly formed flying side kick but, if you do that same bad positioning 500 times a week well….hmm…

How do you achieve optimal movement?   For me, it takes a slowing down and paying attention to my body.  In trying to get that upper cut to work, I had to go really slow several times.  Much slower than I wanted to or than seemed comfortable.  Once I got the right movement, I knew it. I could feel the difference.  It felt easy.  Bodywork, yoga, and meditation are all great practices designed specifically for getting you to pay attention to your body, slow down, and notice.  To become silent within helps to achieve efficient movement without.

It may seem difficult to do these practices as often as one would like.  But, if  you schedule them on a regular basis, like an oil change, hair appointment,  exercise class, or grocery shop, you will retain that awareness and apply it to everyday activity.  For example:  after 3 bodywork sessions, you might notice that you always cross you right leg over your left causing a pull in your left glute or, after a few weeks of yoga class you notice that you can breath slower and more deeply even when you’re stuck in traffic.  Imagine how good you could feel if you start noticing these things all the time and find yourself making the right adjustments for more optimal movement.

Think about it:  optimal movement means optimal energy flow which supports not only your muscles, joints and bones but your nervous system and all your organs.  Not to mention a great uppercut!

Great practices to support any kind sporting activity:

Crossfit Training

Plyometrics

Polarity

Yoga

Therapeutic Massage

Running (for head and heart)

Meditation

Posted in Massage Therapy | No Comments »