Tai Chi Tips for Sports: Improve Rotation in the Lower Back

Happy New Year everyone! Good to have you back.

We are starting this year with some older videos of mine that are very important at this time of year: Tai Chi Tips for Sports.

Many of the most popular sports will begin their pre-season training and conditioning in the next couple months. Rebuilding strength is good, but maximizing your flexibility is much more important for avoiding injury. All too often I hear about athletes who seem totally fit before the season starts, and then in their first game, BOOM, they tear a ligament, or twist an ankle, slip a disc, or something else.

This happens because they are not fully prepared to perform at 100%, which is what their events require. In the coming weeks, I'll be showing you three of the most important exercises an athlete can do to achieve peak performance and avoid injury during their season.

And of course, this is not just for athletes! Maybe you only golf on weekends, or occasionally play a pick-up game of basketball, or perhaps you just work on your feet all day. These techniques are for you too!

This week, the static stretch for "Ward Off," also called the "Chair Twist." Enjoy!

Panther Walk for Upper Body Development

This week we are going to show you an exercise that you can do if the wall push-ups are too easy or slow for you. Many younger readers, athletes, and martial artists will be interested in maintaining and improving their "fast-twitch" muscle fibers, which will allow them to move quickly and precisely. If that is your goal, then the panther walk is the upper body exercise for you.

Essentially, the panther walk is a push-up, but when you push up off the ground, you want to push with your hands and feet so that you hop up off the ground completely. This is how you move forward, backward, or sideways while doing the exercise. You will probably bend a little at the hips to help you with the hop, because you'll be activating your abdominal muscles too. This is fine, but try to keep your body as straight as possible throughout the exercise.

Of course, this exercise also has all the strength benefits of the wall push-ups, and develops bone density as well. However, if you are only trying to increase bone density and maintain a basic level of strength, then the wall push-ups that I review in the video are probably a better choice for you.

Happy Stretching!

Achieving Physical and Mental Balance, Part 4

If you haven't checked out the flexibility portion of this routine, you can see it here: Part 1 & Part 2. Once you are all caught up on the stretching, start the strengthening portion of the routine with Part 3.

To finish up the strength section, we present two other exercises today. The first one will be new to some of you mind-body students, and the second is an old favorite.

Make sure you are paying attention to the number of repetitions and sets you should be doing, and be sure to keep your deep breathing and empty mind going as you do these techniques.

1. This new technique will help strengthen your calves, the muscles that sit at the back of your knees and stretch all the way to the bottom of your feet. This muscle pair is incredible important for stability while walking, climbing stairs, going uphill, and more. It's time to lift those heels off the ground! Build up to 30 repetitions every other day.
   (See the video below)
    
2. Wall Push-ups - you should all know this one by now. Remember that there are two sets, one with elbows in, and one with elbows out. Build up to 30 of each type every other day.

And that's it for strength! Next week, we move onto the third section of this mind-body prescription: Experiencing your mass/weight. This part will be a crucial step in improving your stability and balance, mentally and physically.

Until then, Happy Stretching!

Tai Chi Ball Workout Guide

When Pedro Martinez returned to Fenway in 2006 as a pitcher for the Mets, Boston honored him with a video tribute at the beginning of the game series, even though he was on the opposing team. The next day Pedro was the starting pitcher for the Mets, but he only lasted three innings, giving up several runs in quick succession.

My friend and student, Larry Lucchino, told me afterward that Boston had "killed Pedro with love." Too many emotions and memories had flooded Pedro's mind, and he was unable to perform.

I also struggled for a long time to take the forces of life that were coming at me and work with them, rather than fight them. When you fight the energy of the moment, you underperform. It is so important to learn how to utilize the energy coming at you, and direct it into something constructive.

That is what practice with the Tai Chi Ball is all about. The ball represents the energetic force of the world around you. The goal is to be like water, yielding, and then forceful. The ball is the energy being absorbed, and then used against itself.

As you go deeper into this practice, you see that this energy you are absorbing and returning can also be something life difficulties in life, or troubling emotions. You take the energy of these problems, and you turn it on the problems to help solve them.

Easier said than done, but here are the motions to practice:

"Grind": Move the ball in a circular motion in front of you, always keeping it roughly level with your navel, as if you were grinding it into a table. Begin with 15 circles in each direction.

Ahn Circles: Move he ball in a circular motion in front of you, always keeping it in-line with your spine, as if you were spinning it around on a big bicycle wheel. Begin with 15 circles both toward you, and away from you.

Advanced Motion, One Arm: This motion includes two circles, one under your armpit, and another above your head. Watch the video to see exactly how it is done. Begin with 15 circles, in forward, and then reverse. Then switch arms and repeat.

If you want to experience this yielding and utilizing forces exercise even more, also practice Centering with a partner, which deals with exactly the same principles.

Happy Stretching!

Surgery, Exercise, and Understanding Your Body's Limits

One of the most difficult aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is adapting your exercise, diet, and activities to your body's changing capabilities. There are countless reasons why our body may not work the same as it used to. Injury, surgery, having children, and even the natural aging process can change our body's ability to function. It could even be something as simple as not getting a chance to exercise for a while.

In my experience, if I don't do arm exercises for a couple weeks, I have to ease back into a routine to avoid straining myself too much and risking injury. When I am in good practice, I can do two sets of 30 wall push-ups (elbows in then elbows out). But if I even go two weeks without upper body exercise, I need to start back at 15 repetitions on each set, rather than the full 30.

And what if you have just had surgery? Many exercises on the blog are related to recovering from or preparing for surgery. I always show you how to do the exercise with no resistance, because adding resistance when you are weak after surgery is dangerous. You have to accept your new level of ability, and slowly work your way back up to your previous capability. Even if you are not strong enough to completely lift your arms, or if you have very low range of motion after an operation, do not feel ashamed and do not push yourself to get better too fast. The wise thing to do is to be confident that you will get better with time, and stick to your new routine very closely.

Recently, I had a blog reader ask me how they should do the breast cancer exercises when they aren't planning on having surgery. Should they do them the same? Differently? Should they bother to do them at all?

My answer was, of course they should do them! These exercises are not just for surgery, but for getting oxygen and healing energy to the site of the cancer. The difference is, what is your 80% level when you have not had surgery? 80% effort after surgery might mean just stretching your chest a tiny bit while lying in bed. If you aren't having surgery, but are going through chemo, 80% effort may be doing a few chest exercises for 10 minutes while sitting in a chair. If you are completed treatment and are feeling healthy, 80% effort could be chest and arm motions with some 5lb weights in your hands, while standing up.

It's all about recognizing what your ability is at this stage of your life, and doing the right amount of exercise to maximize healing and minimize your chance of further injury or illness.

Happy Stretching!

How Much Tension Do You Hold In Your Body?

Two years ago, I made a video about the tightest muscle in the body. Today, I'm going to show you a fun and simple game you can use to find out how much tension you hold in your body as a whole. Try it with a friend, and see how much you can relax!

On the flip-side, learning how to fully release the muscle tension in your limbs is an important step in focusing and exerting your energy in martial arts. Learn to relax with this game, so you can fully unleash your inner warrior later!

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Happy Stretching, and Happy Eating!