Arm swinging exercises are not just about swinging the arms. They engage the entire body from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head. They move all your joints and lubricate your entire body and improve circulation. I personally love these exercises and do them every day and teach them in all my classes. To do them properly is not as simple as it appears. Here are a few things to be aware of when learning arm swinging.
We start the exercises by standing up with our toes are pointing forward. Our feet are about armpit width. The knees are soft. Make sure that you do not place any stress on the shoulder joints. I often teach students what I call backstroke. You do this by never letting your arms go behind your body. Basically if you put your arms out to the sides in the 3PM and 9PM position your arms never go beyond this point, meaning that you do not throw your arms behind your shoulders. It is an optical illusion that you are moving your arms behind you. Your arms are moving from the 12:00 and 6:00 o’clock positions to the 3:00 and 9:00 o’clock positions without putting any stress on the shoulder joints. This teaches you how to recognize the kwa, the connection, between your arm and shoulder and torso.
You use these positions in combination with turning your torso gently from corner to corner. Be aware of how much you are twisting your spine. The feeling is a gentle spinal rotation and not an intense spinal torque. You will feel the movement start in the sacrum and go through the torso. Blood and energy will flow to the hands.
Notice your feet. The weighted foot is on the side where the arm is in the 12:00 o’clock position. Notice how the weight shifts from leg to leg as you swing your arms. Work on form before speed.
These same principles apply when you are swinging your arms around your waist. I practice what I call coiling arm swinging. It is the opposite of what I see most commonly practiced in the arm swinging exercises. Feel your feet, don’t allow the knees to move laterally, side to side. The movement will start in the feet, move through the sacrum and torso and out your hands.
Please check out my arm swinging video on You Tube. https://youtu.be/Ts1Z8k-p1js I break down 3 arm swinging exercises. If you like the video, please subscribe to my You Tube channel so you will be alerted when I post new videos.
Happy Training!!!
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