tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post5625385468498649955..comments2023-07-23T04:43:56.626-07:00Comments on Adam Ticknor: CoreAdam Ticknorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00426516388708049818noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-10056924458907678312010-03-18T08:47:42.162-07:002010-03-18T08:47:42.162-07:00Amely, I don't think what you're saying is...Amely, I don't think what you're saying is "too feeling based" at all! (and it's still valid so even if some say it is, so what!!) and if Adam doesn't mind the volley i'll give my 2 cents and hope i make a bit of sense!!! ;-) <br /><br />i am not, nor ever will, be an amazing dancer. i was 17 and in college when i took my first modern class and if i were to be sentimental i'd say i'd found my lifelong lover and KNEW it without a doubt! but i'm a very practical person and realized that i was overweight (for a dancer), lacked the training, did not have the body of a dancer and was starting "late". if i wanted it i'd have to rely on my strengths - - desire, tenacity and a sharp, open mind, while turning down the volume on my weaknesses - - fear!! (good luck! hahahahah) <br /><br />training for me has always meant developing the strength to bear the release of the soul. i want a body that can do as much as possible and bear it all while remaining intact and whole. i worked with a now friend and choreographer named Ralph Lemon and in the process he talked a great deal about conjuring... that's what i feel a commited artist does. whether you are an artist as a profession or not! (meaning to say we are all artists but in our society only "artists" are given the permission to live that way... screwed up, i think!)<br /><br />at 40 i am still in love with my chosen lover!! i've found that this journey that has seemed to take place on a physical level is ultimately a spiritual one because they are never truly separate. YES, there are moments where in i am able to let it all go and just be! and they are moments of divine grace... i call upon them, i conjure them and they don't always come to me but the SEEKING is always there!... <br /><br />you say that dance is controlled letting go. i see it differently... very much so! we train and seek to control our bodies so that when the soul takes over, when that "conjuring" comes to fruition we can avail!! so the process of training and learning to control while doing is really about learning to LET GO and prepare for and equipt ourselves with the strength to handle those moments!! (we all know how easy that is!!! hahahahaha!)<br /><br />being less metaphorical, my curiosity in this information stems from that! (and an aging dancer trying to keep it together for a few more years to do the thing she loves!!! dammit that's sad but true!!!!!) <br /><br />okay, not re-reading so i hope this made a bit of sense. tried not to be too touchy-feely bout it! yeah, that worked!Mikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369533709737868094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-68660296889641144102010-03-11T22:25:34.365-08:002010-03-11T22:25:34.365-08:00Fascinating .. and now I want to see Tamiko dance ...Fascinating .. and now I want to see Tamiko dance and show us all this in physical form. How does this fit into the flow of dance is what I'm wondering? Can a dancer hold compression while moving through her "full range of motion" artistry - ? <br /><br />So much of dance is controlled letting go - using effort to look effortless - but then a lot of it is literal letting go passionately. Is there room for actual total looseness here?<br /><br />I don't know all the technical terms like you guys do but I know what it feels like to do functional fitness and dance. The strength impacts my dancing a LOT. Just wondering if there are transcendent moments as a dancer where you really have to let it all go and just be. Maybe my questions are all too feeling based.<br /><br />When you say "There are a bunch of people that try to increase their rotational ability to something of an owl/contortionist" is that your diplomatic way of referring to a four letter word that starts with Y and ends with A?<br /><br />Thanks for the post, really great. Good discus throwing video too. <br /><br />What is a one legged deadlift? Seriously, on one leg?Amely Greevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10099440085095789648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-26266370974579044392010-03-10T17:37:54.891-08:002010-03-10T17:37:54.891-08:00hmmm, okay, first off i'm not a movement ascet...hmmm, okay, first off i'm not a movement ascetic!!! hahahah!!! the fact that i have begun to integrate the work that you do into my own regimen attests to that - - thank you very much!! THAT being said i LOVE movement and believe there is NOTHING more primal to us as human beings than the moving body! thought, language, emotion ALL are secondary developments and find their roots in our physical manifestation! hahahah! okay... maybe i am a movement ascetic!!!<br /><br />back to the matter at hand!! i can see some of what you are saying theoretically and will investigate it over the next few months incorporating it into my body - - then i'll give you my thoughts. <br /><br />i get what you are saying about torso stabilization in order to achieve freedom of the legs in the pelvis that is obviously a major concern for the wester trained dancer... i'm just not sure compression is the way to go. we shall see.<br /><br />but let me ask a question... in a headstand the same logic applies? compress and pull the legs down into the pelvis?? if yes, at least you are consistent and if no why different??<br /><br />talk to you in august... by then i will have been able to put it to the test!!!Mikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369533709737868094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-90264338909110564472010-03-10T06:22:41.379-08:002010-03-10T06:22:41.379-08:00Ok
Why do we want to vertically compress the spine...Ok<br />Why do we want to vertically compress the spine. <br />First lets discuss some basics and she did bring it up so lets define them, and these definitions are on the more simple side. Realize during functional movement that these lines blur rapidly.<br />The idea is to try and describe whether or not something that is being moved is going to stay in a fixed position or not. If it does it is closed chain, think dead lift where the feet stay firmly planted and are not going to move. If it doesn't it is an open chain movement, like a back handspring. Remember this is a generic explination mostly because Functional exercise, not rehab but exercise makes this line blurry. A turkish get up has both a open and closed chain aspect to it, a dead lift doesnt but a clean and jerk can. Enough of that.<br />The next important thing to realize is miko is coming from a dance background and she is trying to come to movement with a certain aesthetic (or ascetic depending on how you view dance)<br /><br />There are three big reasons that I believe vertical compression would actually help a dancer.<br />First is center of gravity and the second is hip mobility, and lastly is intraabdominal pressure.<br /><br />If the diaphragm is pulled down and the pelvic floor is tightened up the organs are stabilized and easier to hold in place. It makes the middle of you more dense and when something is more dense it is easier to stabilize.<br />If you lengthen your spine you scoot your center of gravity up. When you do this the balance point is higher up the body. This will create an issue with balance, especially on one foot. The lower the center of gravity the easier to control.<br /><br />Circumfirential compression allows for some intraabdominal pressure but you are making more volume in the same amount of space. Meaning less pressure. The more pressure in the cavity means the harder all your muscles can contract. This translates into being able to lift a leg higher or jump higher, or continue to contract the calf while on point shoes. <br />Now I have never been on point shoes but I am a climber where I have had to balance on the tiniest of things while pulling myself through a long range of motion. It takes balance, power, strength and grace. Sometimes you are reaching with everything to try and grab a specific hold and if you lose trunk stability you will not be able to use that hold once you get it.<br />Now technical info about this.<br />The diaphragm actually has fibers that tie into or weave into the transverse abdominous or the corset looking muscles in the body, it also attaches to the thoracic spine, and some of the abdominal organs (like the liver). The transverse abd. work like a belly band. <br />The cura muscles are the muscles that contract to pull the diaphragm down to let the lungs bring in oxygen. The cura also connects to and intertwines into the psoas and illiacus.<br /><br />The psoas is a hip flexor that allows you to lift your knee above 90degrees. When a hollowing happens or if the diaphragm is pulled up as in spinal extension the illopsoas is lengthened which will decrease the ability to flex the hip, and will cause a pelvic rotation that you have to try and counter. <br /><br />So in short (actually long but eh) If you dont vertically compress the spine during movement you lose the ability to open up the hips as much, say to turn out, or to lift the leg above 90 degrees, say in developpee. You will lose the ability to jump out of the bottom of a movement.<br /><br />I will leave it at that for now because I think that this is going to go into a second round of discussion. <br />Have funAdam Ticknorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00426516388708049818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-76501835782090093402010-03-09T23:02:13.914-08:002010-03-09T23:02:13.914-08:00first, excuse all of the grammatical errors just g...first, excuse all of the grammatical errors just gonna kick this out! <br /><br />this is a great blog with awesome information. but as we've discussed, there are points on which i don't quite agree and would like to continue further conversation. <br /><br />while i agree that circumferential compression is a major aspect of spinal (or trunk) stabilization i disagree on the functionality of utilizing vertical compression in all activities. while vertical compression makes sense during heavy lifting, closed chain activity i believe it is not functional for upper quadrant open chain, large range, minimally loaded movement. granted you did mention gradients of use so perhaps it is my misunderstanding of what exactly that entails. (you can enlighten me on that during a session)<br /><br />as i see it, to vertically compress would mean a decrease in trunk mobility - - this makes sense during closed-chain, upper quadrant activities such as lifting heavy objects, tumbling etc. But for movement that calls upon MOBILITY of the spine (trunk) as a premium and that is open chain and not upper quadrant loaded, vertical compression appears less functional.<br /><br />also, we both agree that the rectus (abdominus) is NOT a key spinal stabilizer nor is it for that matter even very effective in spinal flexion. my question is how can it not be key if vertical compression is elevated to the status that you've given it?? in order for vertical compression to be affected, the rectus MUST act as a key player anteriorly and WOULD therefore be considered a major player in spinal stabilization. <br /><br />instead, i support the idea that the rectus acts largely as armour for the body - - a flexible, mobile armour. it also acts like a strong cable approximating the, otherwise, floating ribs to the pelvis. unlike you i believe it is the transversus that is the major supporting muscle in containing the organs and other contents of the abdominal and pelvic cavities anteriorly. because of it's tranverse or cross wise span, wrapping around the lower abdomen, it not only contains the contents but provides MOBILE stabilization. similar to an abdominal binder that is placed on patients after abdominal surgery - - it allows for movement but supports the structure. we also see this in the case of ace wraps for joints. when we apply VERTICAL support it's intent is IMMOBILIZATION of the area - - as in the use of splints. <br /><br />SO, i contend that circumferential compression of the spine has a premium during unloaded upper quadrant open chain activities with lots of spinal movement while vertical compression is most effective for upper quadrant closed-chain, heavy loaded activities where spinal movement is kept to a minimum.<br /><br />the idea of scoop and hollow that people speak of in pilates is simply a tool used to get people in touch with & to sense the activation of the transversus and multifidi and get "in touch" with the action of circumferential compression. i think it is a useful tool - - especially for women. but in the last year i have also found the necessary use and validity of hip drive and vertical compression. <br /><br />so, in sum, my thought is that there is application for most of what we do as human beings navigating the physical, emotional and spiritual space in which we exist and nothing should ever totally be discounted AND a discerning mind and body be developed so that in our most optimal state we can inhabit the full range of our functionality with eloquence, grace and strength thereby creating depth of spirit and character. (Hah!! okay, Ticknor... bring it on! ;-)Mikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369533709737868094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-90971012788951862592010-03-08T11:08:49.976-08:002010-03-08T11:08:49.976-08:00Yes it is correctable and the corrections are simp...Yes it is correctable and the corrections are simple. Not easy but simple<br />First just start with the back compression crunch and a bodyweight squat. I will do a post about squats soon. Once you can get your trunk to fire start with dead lifts then a front squats. This cycle will be about 6 weeks and then we can discuss the rest. (or take a powerlifting class)<br /><br />The second part about whether or not it effects your core and the answer is yes. The spine is being pulled at an angle and some muscles are shorter than others and many are moving in to atrophy so we want to try and balance those out, lengthen the short ones and strengthen all of them. If the spine is not in a natural shape the transmission of force generated from the hips is compromised. This means that you will have a compromised "core". However, by using it properly it can balance itself out.<br /><br />Lastly there are some soft tissue mobilization stuff you can do with some tennis balls taped together, a firm but squishy ball the size of a small cantaloupe and a foam roller. However I will need to do a post on that also.Adam Ticknorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00426516388708049818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-10146545658518963222010-03-08T10:49:45.901-08:002010-03-08T10:49:45.901-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Adam Ticknorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00426516388708049818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8189021682515395995.post-35546302219259836752010-03-08T09:37:31.510-08:002010-03-08T09:37:31.510-08:00I am 53 and a little hunch backed, have been for y...I am 53 and a little hunch backed, have been for years. Is there a way to correct that and how much does that effect my core?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14595899719631568362noreply@blogger.com