Start by pointing somewhere and noting the natural angle of the wrist and the relaxation in the palm and the backhand. point in different directions and note how your forearm changes angles to keep you aligned and relaxed in this natural movement we all share.
Now slowly and with your breath leading curl your fingers in from the tips to the knuckles but before you start to curl your fingers move the directive of pointing to the knuckles so the palm remains relaxed and engaged (density).
Do this a few times only closing the fingers and keeping the palm and backhand aware and relaxed and in this drill you learn to leave behind excess tension in the making of the fist and its use.
Now that your fist is closed keep pointing with the knuckles and moving the fist from the elbow. This will greatly aid in making the hit a hit 🙂
Month: December 2010
So you want to work on your Systema on your own
Start with the basics and when things become easy make them more simple and you will get where you want to go.
Before striking the wall relax in the static push up and walk on your fists and feet.
Before you roll from standing to ground to standing start by flipping up and down on the ground and sitting down and getting up.
Before you start talking strikes learn to walk in all directions and in all heights from a squat to a full standing height.
Hanging in there
Many times we focus on our force and power to move against resistance and pass on by our ability to work without tearing at ourselves and avoiding excess tension due to lack of awareness and density (density = fluidity of all three facets of awareness and the health in the tissues and their natural operation for me) One of the needs for an active person can be to hang on his hands and to travel from one point to another Tarzan style. Most people who work on their pull ups do not hang and cannot hang for long on branches or climb pipes outside of buildings because their hold is not agile and their force is able only in a fixed direction.
To clean this work on simply hanging from the bar along with the rest of your work (at the end of the day it helps in letting the spine relax from the effect of gravity) and once holding on for a while is easy you can loop a belt or a towel on the bar or branch and place one hand on the bar and one one the towel lowering the towel hand over time until hanging on one arm is easy (avoid pressurizing yourself and progress naturally)
Once one arm is easy work on switching hands or walking along the branch with your hands and turning from side to side with your contact on the tree or pipe and once this is easy progress to swinging and finding the best time to go up or forward along with the wave. Letting the breath lead here is critical in achieving efficiency and gaining true awareness to the difference between moving by pushing and pulling or simply moving yourself in regard to yourself.
(The principal can be used in many movements and holds such as walking in the squat which is great for your health and humility, holding your self on your toes or on your head while holding your breath and letting the tension come out and many more which you can glean from the many VV and MR DVDs and lessons)
The Martial Art of Walking 