Al Ciampa
Level 7 Valued Member
I've used some lessons, only on little old me, with great outcomes.
Care to share, Alistair?
I've used some lessons, only on little old me, with great outcomes.
Here's what I came to realize: the "secret" with improving movement is to clear the white noise away from the movement so the brain can hear the lesson you are trying to teach it, and then learn from it. For many folks who aren't far gone, this can be accomplished with the accepted practices, and we hear about this all the time on this forum. But what about those who don't respond well?
You have to quiet the noise even further. I am putting together a package that is based in stress reduction--a workshop that I am going to modify for gyms and other facilities. But this portion of the seminar will work well for those instructors who have had this same trouble: the student who won't respond well to the accepted corrective practices.
It is based on soma therapy, as written by Hanna and Feldenkrais. Admittedly, there is nothing new here; I simply assimilated it into my programs.
Flexibility? This is based on the ability to relax, so, quiet the SNS and up regulate the PSNS. No amount of stretching will do this.
Stability? The brain has to reorganize muscle firing and tension: again, quiet down the SNS, and lower the white noise. Get on the ground and move slowly and gently in a way that teaches the brain.
Then, you can move to strength; then, you can consider re-teaching the gross movements. Anyway, it has worked well for those who accept the practice. And mind you, many refuse it, if not repulsed by it. We still live in the age of more, heavier, harder, faster...
It's a difficult thing to explain.....
The more I do, the more aware I've become. But I'm not sure if any particular atms will have a universal effect. It's all of them but some may just provide some greater insights into areas of the body that have lost sensation.
I'm more able to scan myself running, checking my form more intuitively and that also applies to walking and swinging and pressing.
This is very intriguing Al. I've been reading a lot over at the SomaSimple forums, and the prevailing approach to physical therapy over there is very in keeping with what I think you are describing. Reading about it in a physical therapy context, I started thinking that a neuro-based approach could have great application to mobility, flexibility, movement health and performance. It's very different from a more structural, "stretch this/strengthen that" approach or Kelly Starrett-style smashing and poking to "improve tissue quality."
OS seems like somewhat of a step in this direction, although I think the whole developmental sequencing rationale is a bit of a red herring. Ironically, Geoff Neupert was heavily involved in a purportedly neuro-based system called Z-Health (that was associated with the RKC for a while) that he ultimately concluded was mostly snake oil.
In my rehab from recent shoulder surgery, I've been homebrewing some threat-reduction based strategies that I feel have benefited me more than most of the stretch and strengthen stuff prescribed by my actual physical therapists.
The improvements are psychological too... you should also be gaining awareness of self, and of how you act in relationships, etc.
@mprevost , Sir, fantastic work. If you don't mind my asking, what was your platform for gaining this knowledge?
Fascinating conversation, by the way. Really amazing stuff. So very much to learn.
Al and @mprevost , in that context, what do you think of the Original Strength approach of rolling, rocking and crawling on the floor and then transition to walking and lastly running/sprinting?Sure Mike... I spent years analyzing gaits and movement for the AF, and when I used the accepted practices for correction, it never seemed to pan out in a positive way across the board. Some improved, but many didn't. Needless to say, I was less than accepting of this, but kept on the keeping on with my ear to the ground.
Here's what I came to realize: the "secret" with improving movement is to clear the white noise away from the movement so the brain can hear the lesson you are trying to teach it, and then learn from it. For many folks who aren't far gone, this can be accomplished with the accepted practices, and we hear about this all the time on this forum. But what about those who don't respond well?
You have to quiet the noise even further. I am putting together a package that is based in stress reduction--a workshop that I am going to modify for gyms and other facilities. But this portion of the seminar will work well for those instructors who have had this same trouble: the student who won't respond well to the accepted corrective practices.
It is based on soma therapy, as written by Hanna and Feldenkrais. Admittedly, there is nothing new here; I simply assimilated it into my programs.
Flexibility? This is based on the ability to relax, so, quiet the SNS and up regulate the PSNS. No amount of stretching will do this.
Stability? The brain has to reorganize muscle firing and tension: again, quiet down the SNS, and lower the white noise. Get on the ground and move slowly and gently in a way that teaches the brain.
Then, you can move to strength; then, you can consider re-teaching the gross movements. Anyway, it has worked well for those who accept the practice. And mind you, many refuse it, if not repulsed by it. We still live in the age of more, heavier, harder, faster...
Al and @mprevost , in that context, what do you think of the Original Strength approach of rolling, rocking and crawling on the floor and then transition to walking and lastly running/sprinting?