Category Archives: technique

When It Becomes Sensory

Feels

In my athlete days, which ended about 15 years ago, the goal was to NOT feel and just complete the tasks put to paper.  It was something I was given or sought out — “more” was agreed upon by all… Read more ›

Christine
awareness, brain, control, coordination, developmental, environment, identity, learning, load, Mental, mobility, motor control, observe, pain, pelvic floor, perspective, Physical, physical education, pressure, problem solving, relationships, school system, spine, stability, technique, tension

A Twisted Trail

Screenshot 20240514 123309 Studio

The first post in this series asked if a pigeon toe was friend or foe.  It is certainly a strategy, an adaptation that has a purpose.  For me, my half with the pigeon toe also carried my biggest problems, particularly… Read more ›

Christine
abduction, acl, ankles, arches, balance, bladder, calf, coordination, core, down leg, fifth metacarpal, first metatarsal, foot, hamstrings, heel, hinge, hips, knees, load, pees, pelvis, rotation, shins, squat, technique, tension, tibia, toes, up leg

The Pigeon Toe: Friend or Foe?

Screenshot 20240507 113947 Youtube

Oh, the mighty pigeon toe.  Such a strange little insurgent, and yet, it exists peacefully all around us.  Where does it come from and how does it form?  Does it afflict one leg or both?  Is it the tibia or… Read more ›

Christine
abduction, acl, Adarian Barr, ankles, arches, calf, coordination, feet, fifth metacarpal, first metatarsal, flexion, hamstrings, heel, joints, mobility, pelvic floor, pelvis, Physical, pressure, rotation, shins, technique, tension, tibia

A Different Way to Use, Train, & Treat the Knee (Part 3)

3.2

Part 1 of this series explained how knee should not be used as a load-bearing joint. Part 2 showed how pressuring the knee can help build safety, alignment, and desired force at the desired time.  This third and final segment… Read more ›

Christine
acl, Adarian Barr, ankles, arches, calf, compression, coordination, foot, hamstrings, heel, hips, knees, pressure, problem solving, rotation, shins, squat, stability, technique, tibia, toes

A Different Way to Use, Train, & Treat the Knee (Part 2)

Knee2

In part 1, I suggested that using the knee as gas instead of brakes could help free up the knee for motion and elicit the hips and ankle-foot as stabilizers.  For folks with chronic pain, however, their nervous system likely… Read more ›

Christine
acl, ankles, compression, coordination, feet, hamstrings, heel, hips, learning, load, motor control, motor learning, movement, pain, pelvis, posture, pressure, problem solving, technique, tension, tibia, toes

A Different Way to Use, Train, & Treat the Knee (Part 1)

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There are three hinges on the feature photo door.  It’s a strong front door, solid and meant to take some battering.  The cheaper, lighter, all-have-problems-closing-and-opening doors inside the house have only two hinges.  Weight-load divided by two, or weight-load divided… Read more ›

Christine
acl, assessment, back pain, calf, down leg, extension, feet, flexion, glutes, gravity, hamstrings, heel, hip extension, hips, joints, knees, pain, pelvic floor, Physical, pressure, problem solving, relax, shins, squat, stability, technique, tension, tibia, toes, up leg

To Twist or Not To Twist

Twist

Torsion.  We all have it: a particular line of twist running through our carriage, gripping us in a certain way and keeping us upright.  Each fold and joint tells its story, whether you realize it or not.  It’s how we… Read more ›

Christine
compression, control, coordination, core, down leg, extension, feeling, flexion, hamstrings, heel, hinge, hip extension, hips, joints, knees, load, locomotion, Mental, mobility, motor learning, movement, neck, observe, pelvic floor, pelvis, perspective, posture, power, pressure, problem solving, reflexes, relax, ribs, rotation, spine, sprint, squat, stability, technique, tension, tibia, toes, up leg, xiphoid

All the Taboos in One Post

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  This feature photo shows an unstaged photo of the top drawer of my filing cabinet in my locker room office.  Note the bounty of certain items (that aren’t snacks).  Shorts, pads, some extra underwear — all tell tale signs… Read more ›

Christine
Adarian Barr, anxiety, assessment, awareness, bladder, compression, down leg, jump, motor control, pees, pelvic floor, pelvis, pressure, problem solving, relax, stability, technique, tension, up leg, xiphoid

Architecture of a Body-Centric PE Lesson (Part 2)

2

To recap Part One:  Create a sense of intrigue  Provide multiple points of entry  Establish pockets of safety  Ask instead of assume  This sh*t’s hard (which is why so few do it) After the weight shift lesson , three of… Read more ›

Christine
anxiety, assessment, awareness, beginning, coaching, community, concepts, confidence, connection, control, cooperation, coordination, crawls, creativity, fingers, handstand, joints, learning, locomotion, Mental, motivation, motor control, motor learning, observe, perspective, physical education, planning, problem solving, school system, shoulder, teaching, technique, tempo, wrists

Why the Bricks Are Genius

Bricks

While walking through the streets of Europe last Spring, Adarian Barr wondered why his feet felt so good.  He traced it back to the cobblestones.  The lift, the variability, the multiple points of potential folding.  This was the impetus behind… Read more ›

Christine
Adarian Barr, ankles, arches, feet, fifth metacarpal, foot, gravity, isometric, joints, load, motor learning, movement, pinky, rotation, shins, squat, stability, technique, tension, tibia, toes

Up Leg, Down Leg, and Arches Preference

Fp

Pairs.  Roles.  Asymmetry.  The body knows and the body has ways.  Understanding the differences between the halves helps you appreciate them.  One side isn’t ‘good’.  The other isn’t ‘bad’.  They hold a function within the system. Here’s a big picture… Read more ›

Christine
Adarian Barr, ankles, arches, coordination, feet, fifth metacarpal, foot, glutes, heel, joints, motor learning, movement, Physical, rotation, shins, technique, tibia, toes

Coming Together

Ct

Flexion and extension.  Compression and Suspension.  There are pairs that govern movement, both globally and locally.  The system and its parts act to pull apart and come together.  Posture, moving fast, and any sort of training or exercise is versed… Read more ›

Christine
Adarian Barr, compression, coordination, core, crawls, dynamic, extension, fast, feet, flexion, hamstrings, hands, heel, joints, jump, Physical, posture, power, pulls, reflexes, ribs, sprint, squat, technique, tension, xiphoid

Calming an Irritation (Fixing a Foot-Hip)

Jenga

This post serves as a follow up to: A Path Towards Harm.  Otherwise titled: The things I did wrong when I didn’t pay attention or have compassionate patience.   The tag to this blog used to read, “fix yourself.”  But… Read more ›

Christine
abduction, ankles, arches, assessment, awareness, balance, compression, concepts, connection, control, coordination, core, dorsiflexion, elbows, feet, glutes, hamstrings, heal, hips, joints, knees, learning, mobility, motor control, motor learning, movement, Nicole Uno, pain, pelvis, perspective, posture, problem solving, relax, ribs, rotation, scapula, shins, shoulder, squat, stability, technique, tension, toes

Pain: Solutions Based on Self-Study

Si

This hurts.   The most common reaction is to stop using it or doing that.  It’s even the advice of many medical professionals.  Rest, it is assumed, is a cure all.  But what happens when this magic pill doesn’t work?  When… Read more ›

Christine
anxiety, assessment, awareness, back pain, confidence, control, coordination, environment, feet, gravity, knees, learning, Mental, mobility, motor control, pain, perspective, posture, problem solving, relax, rotation, technique, tension

Exploration & Safety (Part Two)

Vagus2

The following is part two of my course notes and findings from Stress, Movement, and Pain.   As practitioners seeking to help bio-psycho-social organisms, we have to be able to read, analyze, and gather information from all three dimensions.  The… Read more ›

Christine
anxiety, assessment, awareness, brain, CNS, confidence, cooperation, coordination, depression, environment, Feldenkrais, heal, hips, Mental, motivation, motor control, motor learning, movement, pain, pelvis, perspective, problem solving, self-acceptance, technique, tension, workshop

Rotational Organization

Nic

The following is a glimpse into the mind of Nicole Uno (IG @unotraining).   Rotational Organization allows for the simultaneous existence between contract and relax.  Thoroughly simplified, consider two gears.  There is an impetus of force and a corresponding area… Read more ›

Christine
concepts, control, coordination, extension, flexion, joints, mobility, motor control, motor learning, movement, Nicole Uno, perspective, problem solving, pullups, pushups, rotation, technique, tension

Knee Findings: Hinges and Rotation

Kneepistol

  Joint ‘popping’ is a curious thing.  It alarms without hurting.  Especially when you realize it wasn’t there before.  You notice something is different when you do that particular thing in that particular way.  The different becomes ‘less than’ when… Read more ›

Christine
acl, ankles, balance, extension, feet, hamstrings, hip extension, hips, joints, knees, lunge, motor learning, movement, pain, Physical, problem solving, rotation, squat, stability, technique, tibia, toes

The World of Fighting Monkey (part 2)

Fighitngmonkey2

Engaging with your work demands a certain degree of ownership.  There must be a benefit to the challenge presented, beyond just a hard-to-apply confidence.  A task can serve as a test of will, a test of adaptability, and/or a test… Read more ›

Christine
brain, concepts, conditioning, control, coordination, creativity, fighting monkey, goals, joints, Mental, mobility, motor control, motor learning, movement, perspective, physical education, play, problem solving, stability, technique, tension, workshop

The World of Fighting Monkey (part 1)

Fmfeature

Doing without knowing.  Playing, creating, learning.  Adjusting and adapting.  Describing Fighting Monkey is an act in organizing verbs.  Everything overlaps and intertwines and is a wonder.  The only certainty you are left with is that you have experienced something good… Read more ›

Christine
awareness, balance, beginning, coaching, concepts, conditioning, confidence, control, cooperation, coordination, core, creativity, developmental, dynamic, environment, feet, fighting monkey, grips, knees, Mental, mobility, motor control, motor learning, movement, perspective, Physical, play, problem solving, relax, rotation, stability, technique, tension, workshop

A Purpose and Description of Exploratory Movement

Maps

“I’m going to explore the depths of the ocean.” “You’re gonna what?” “I’m going to get into this magical pressure suit, close myself off to the known world, and look for cool stuff.”   “Why would you want to do… Read more ›

Christine
assessment, awareness, concepts, confidence, control, coordination, creativity, mobility, motor learning, movement, perspective, play, problem solving, stability, technique, tension

Learning Acrobatics and Developing Elasticity

Acro

Movement overlaps. Brain work = joint work = speed, power, strength, and coordination work.  We have structures and we have capacities.  Our practice establishes the abilities of both.  There is a general consensus that if your parts work better you’ll… Read more ›

Christine
balance, control, coordination, dynamic, gravity, hamstrings, hands, mobility, motor learning, movement, Physical, reflexes, scapula, shoulder, stability, technique, tension, throw, wrists

Dynamic Movement as An Extension of Control

Speedcars

Body control is all the rage.  A popular want is increasing active range of motion.  People want to get there so they can do stuff there.  Functional Range Conditioning uses slow, controlled movement to examine individual joints, build capacity in… Read more ›

Christine
balance, concepts, control, coordination, creativity, dynamic, frc, joints, mobility, motor learning, movement, Physical, power, reflexes, stability, technique, tension