Posted by alexandra_k on October 15, 2013, at 21:13:56
In reply to Re: self control, posted by baseball55 on September 26, 2013, at 19:26:45
i couldn't do handstands or cartwheels as a kid, either. more than 10 years ago i seriously smashed up my feet. was told i'd probably never walk again without crutches. i managed to walk without crutches, but my balance was pretty sucky. and my posture was pretty bad from computer work etc. then i joined the gym in the hope that i wouldn't get seriously fat when i quit smoking (2 weeks later). also in the hope i might be able to fix up my posture a bit. and just generally be fitter and healthier and in less pain.
i then... grew obsessed with it. with figuring out what movements really were 'functional' for the human body. and figuring out how they would look different as a function of different lever lengths etc. i have a big rant on how most coaching cues are unsuitable for most women's bodies etc etc etc but i will spare you.
my biggest fear... was falling. that i would fall onto one or other of my feet funny and smash it properly this time. so i thought... what i most needed to do was to learn to fall safely. part of why i'm so determined to balance properly on my hands is that i still have a lot of trouble balancing properly on my feet. i've learned... that most people do... it is hard. i find balancing on my hands about as hard as balancing on one leg. and it isn't just about my feet / ankles because if i kneel... then lift one leg up so i'm balancing on one leg / knee... well... that is pretty hard, too.
(so it isn't just about the ankle, it is also about the hip)
it is hard when people are uptight about it... but i reckon the key is to see it as play. this horse has the idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emxI-nRGWBE
with the getting hurt thing... for anything... there is a series of progressions such that each can be failed safely given current level of skill. it is like with olympic weightlifting... you need to learn to fail so you can give yourself permission to try.
i learned cartwheels because they are a safe way of coping with loss of balance sideways on handstand. i'm learning to walk with my hands to cope with loss of balance backwards on handstand. i ... i don't think i can hurt myself on them anymore.
i started out with headstand. because you can practice raising one foot just a little up off the ground... then two feet just a little... then raise them higher as things feel safe... then how you can slam your feet down or tuck to roll if you lose balance the other way... spent a long time on them and that helped a lot...
i do know what you mean about feeling out of place, though. i can do quite a lot now. but i remember when i first started... that daunted feeling... and i see that a lot in the gym. on other peoples faces. i try and smile nicely to the people who are new and who are obviously scared. especially to the ones who feel they don't fit. i have a harder time around the ones who are there to be seen... mostly because they tend to be nasty to me since i'm not there to make friends with them.
i used to have a video of me learning to fall safely... i got all inspired by this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f2qwQgBt_A
they taught me to headstand :-)
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1051231
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20130914/msgs/1052359.html