Sharon Friedman – Vigilance and Tranquility

Lie on the ground and place your arms at your sides. Have a partner walk over you with his fists (he keeps his form and places his fists so they fit and do not slip) and than you return the favor and do the same drill as you are on your stomacks. After that relaxing drill have him place his fists on the upper and lower thirds of your big muscles and play around a bit to help you relax them even more. This is a great way to learn to breath under pressure and to gain more mobility. For example you place your fists on the upper third and lower third of the thigh muscles in various places and shake a bit and your partner will have to relax and will be free from a lot of stored and learned tension in this spot. If you have women in your group you need to be sensitive to the times and sense if it is not the time to apply pressure on the lower stomack or simply ask. An important variation for this drill is to do this with your arms perpendicular or over your head to gain more awareness to your intercostal (rib) muscles and help you deal with full breath and striking in this location. Train with awareness and sensitivity. It is not great to be all man. You need to learn something each time. Otherwise you are not paying attention.