A new study sheds some interesting light on the concept of movement efficiency, which is something I write about a lot on this blog. The study suggests that the mental work required to perform a certain movement, like the physical work itself, can vary significantly depending on whether it is done with efficiency or not…. Continue Reading
Benedickt Magnusson just set a new world record in the deadlift – 1015 pounds! Check it out below. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M13EBl_jF0&w=480&h=390] This amazing demonstration illustrates many of the principles I write about on this blog. Here are just a few. First, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Moshe Feldenkrais, who said that… Continue Reading
In a previous post I introduced the concept of reversibility and discussed how it is a critical component of sports performance. The basic idea is that the ability to change directions smoothly at all times implies a balance and readiness to move without hesitation that is a huge advantage to an athlete on the field… Continue Reading
Not yoga class In a previous post I argued that flexibility is often massively overrated as a desirable physical quality for sports performance. Nowhere is this point more clear than in the case of running economy, as shown by a few recent studies. Running economy basically means efficiency – a runner with better economy uses… Continue Reading
This post is about using awareness of your skeleton as an aid to finding the most efficient movement patterns. In the Feldenkrais Method, students are encouraged to develop skeletal awareness by visualizing their actions in terms of the movement of the bones. In Z-Health, students are instructed to perform exercises while attending to “bone rhythm”… Continue Reading
Easy. For him. This post is inspired by a famous quote by Moshe Feldenkrais. Feldenkrais said that one of the primary goals of his method was to make the impossible possible, the hard easy, and the easy elegant. I’m a big fan of this quote because it reminds me that physical training involves a lot… Continue Reading
No wasted effort In the previous post I talked about coordination, which I defined as the harmonious interaction of multiple joints to produce a useful movement. To briefly summarize, I stated that coordination implies that: the joints work together as a team; that the team involves as many joints as possible; and that there is… Continue Reading
Image via Wikipedia In the previous two posts I talked about flexibility and movement precision as two basic categories of movement quality. The subject of today’s post is coordination, which is probably the most important movement quality to have. I am defining coordination as the integrated and organized movement of the joints to create efficient… Continue Reading
Good coordination with regard to a certain movement can be defined as the right muscles tensing the right amount at the right time. Most people trying to improve their movement ability for sports will therefore spend time lifting weights to train their ability to quickly and forcefully contract their muscles. That is a fine idea,… Continue Reading
Here’s a great way to think about what better movement means, courtesy of Dr. Cobb again, the creator of Z-Health. Movement can be thought of as a language, and good healthy movers can be thought of as fluent in the language of movement. Who is fluent in movement? Almost any child. They can twist, turn,… Continue Reading