Month: December 2009

The ten minutes static push up can seem intimidating and at first you may feel a lot of tension building as you fight the tension instead of releasing it with the breath. Consider this way to reaching the mark:

Place a timer for ten minutes and start it. For every minute keep the static push up for thirty breaths working to stay relaxed using the exhale to out extra tension and the inhale to draw it from the body. Use the rest of the minute to move your fists around as you sit with a straight back and getting a feel of how a heavy fist feels. As time goes by increase the number of breaths until you fill the entire ten minutes but come back to this drill from time to time to get the feel of the moving heavy fist. Watch your wrist alignment and tension in the palm and fingers.

It’s ok to smile.

Thomas Aquinas made this argument in the 13th century, writing, “If a thing can be done adequately by means of one, it is superfluous to do it by means of several; for we observe that nature does not employ two instruments where one suffices.

In short: have a partner or more come at you and find a solution. Once this is done consider your choice and work again to clean out the extra movement and tension. Repeat and remember to avoid repeating the attack or defence or naming it as such. Keep things clean in your head as well. Placing a label on a movement robs it of its freedom.

I came back from the army yesterday and I have a lot more new drills to share. One of the most basic and more giving is to simply stand with your legs under your hips and lower your upper body upright a few centimeters down while maintaining a relaxed and free feeling in the hips and legs and keeping the eyes forward and up. Count to twenty breaths while in the exhale you release extra tension and than start walking for a few paces in this hight noting where the tension was and releasing it. The more you do this drill there will be more awareness to the tension in your body and you will be able to go lower and you will be more one body moving rather than parts here and parts there. Remember to bring your legs up rather than bend downward.