Probably TMI about all my physical practices

[flexagon]

*groan*

I CANNOT seem to get my personal email taken care of this weekend. All of it is hard. All of it involves either trip planning or technical discussion. (Guiltily goes and answers the one that requires technical discussion.)

My week has been tainted by the acrobatic scene in Boston getting kind of fraught. I think the acrotastic training last month really opened my eyes to how many people at my level have regular, dedicated partnerships; I experienced a lot of loneliness. Then I came back home and tried to set up a trio practice with two people I'm quite well matched with, and the response was very weirdly hot and cold. Basically "maybe, if more bases show up, but there's already another flier coming and I'm not willing to share my base three ways." The sender felt bad, I felt bad (partly at being misunderstood, partly at the ninth-grade "only wanted under some circumstances" vibe). I started getting a really horrible feeling that everyone had sort of coupled off in an exclusive way, and that I had missed all the signals saying this was happening, and I was therefore doomed to be alone forever due to stupid social idiocy of a kind that felt classic even to 13-year-old me. Not a good feeling. Mercifully, nobody in question is actually going through puberty right now -- so she and I ended up having lunch together and talking about things, and I now understand where she's coming from: some events being dedicated practice time with specific people, other events being open jams, and those two things being different. I'm actually down with that, and I had been proposing dedicated trio work rather than "time for me to leap on the base no matter what it does to other people's practice", which in person I was finally able to make clear.

(Then there's class, which we both have to find ways to put up with / enjoy now that it's SO freaking basic in comparison to where we are. I had another wake-up call with that a couple of weeks ago, when I worked with someone briefly -- she wasn't very good, and I thought it was her first time until soong told me she'd been coming for a couple of months. Eek! Have I lost my focus on contributing to the community? Obviously so... I've been getting too in-groupy. I don't want to be that way. I used to be so good about working with new people all the time.)

I also don't want to be some kind of weird cougar-lady in desperate search of a dedicated base. I don't even WANT to only work with one person. I'd rather have several acrobatic relationships that all last a long time. So, the good news is that I do have options. It's not like everyone in Boston coupled off without telling me about it (it only felt that way, for a few days there). My once-favorite base, who I think I'll call SteRo, has decided recently that the acro culture is annoying but she doesn't want to let that cut her off from practicing, and she just moved rather close to my new place. I can team back up with her easily, and I also want to line up practices with the another unattached base. That leaves only a regular flier. I can wait. I can rededicate. I can make this a good part of my life again. It's just going to take more effort than it used to when everything was done in big groups, and when every week automatically brought something new.

A couple of days ago when I was thinking about quitting partner acro due to all the above, I was also getting re-pissed-off at myself for my lack of focus on solo handbalancing and related things. I must be in the middle of one of those "go crazy and try everything" phases, as I've ALSO been learning how to use kettlebells from a personal trainer and I've ALSO signed up for a short obstacle course race in June just for the hell of it. Dissatisfied. Don't know what I'm working toward, pretty sure it hasn't been the right stuff lately. I'm taking a look at doing online coaching with Ido Portal.

In the midst of all this, though, I've been meaning to write a little ode to kettlebell training. I've had two sessions now; I really like it and have decided to let May be the Month of Kettlebells (and the month of not doing regular weightlifting). I think the dynamic, swingy movements are helping to loosen up the knots in my back, and at the same time they definitely make my butt and my shoulders sore. Unlike with regular weightlifting, all the moves have a rhythm... everything includes the whole body... there's a little bit of bouncing, twisting, and movement to keep me from freezing up in one position and to distract me from the 40,000 squats I'm doing in the process of swinging and tossing the little things around.

There really aren't any excuses. I'm not injured, just improperly focused and having trouble finding the right way to make progress.

I want my press handstand. This woman can do it and she has long arms and legs, so I guess I have to stop blaming mine...

And I want my yoga jumpback. This girl can do it and she has a booty, so I guess I have to stop blaming mine.

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I'm not your first choice, but I might be able to help you out a bit with press handstands. Granted it's been a long time since I did them myself, but given that I could do them as a seven year old, I'm pretty confident that you can do them now by tweaking the right things. :) Can you lower yourself from a handstand in a fully controlled manner? If not, I'd suggest focusing on that and maximizing hamstring flexibility to help keep the legs as close to midline as possible during the lift/lower.

Sorry about the partner things...I feel ya. Those experiences ARE universal, and they never stop feeling icky.

Random thought...have you considered starting an advanced group yourself? Seems like there's a call for it, and it'd be one way to ensure a steady supply of people eventually. And now that you have your promotion maybe you'll even have the time. :P

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

PS - on a not really, but maybe a little, related note: did you see my new fb gymnastics profile pic? If you can ignore the myriad of form faults it's kind of a fun trip down memory lane. I wish I had more pics from meets, but that's the only one I have.

[nevers.livejournal.com]

i hate when personal email is all hard like that! my email situation is so hopeless. i kept close to inbox zero for a while but it's been a YEAR since i've maintained it.

the acro relationships sound so hard and frustrating. i have been having trouble with it myself lately, in that i base two flyers and one flyer is jealous of the other and always wants to know what i do with the other flyer and if it's the same stuff. it feels bad.

what does stero find annoying about the culture? and what's this online coaching with ido? anyway i think it would be a shame for you to leave behind acro -- you're so skilled and knowledgeable! -- but i do understand that there is only time to do but so many physical pursuits well. and i relate to finding oneself no longer eager to help out beginners.

my gym now has kettlebells galore and i was watching a trainer do his own workout today and it was so beautiful! (he's the one who gave me a thumb's up for my two [measly...] pull-ups the other day, but then he also today suggested i turn down the difficulty on the rope-climbing machine.... hmph) i can definitely see the allure.

i think i would feel so demoralized practicing ashtanga all the time and not being able to jump back. at least, i felt demoralized in the one ashtanga class i took, all 203948 times i had to do that in two steps. are you just used to it? i also think jumpbacks and jumpthroughs are incredibly beautiful and inspiring.

[flexagon]

Ugh, it takes a long time (and serious focus) to dig out of an email hole like that.

Thanks for the acro sympathy. I can see where your one flyer would be jealous of the other... not sure how to handle that situation, unfortunately, any more than I know how to handle mine.

kettlebells -- I get to learn more tomorrow morning! I adore my trainer. she has a low voice and lovely form with the kettlebells.

And ashtanga. I guess the scene here is not as intense as in NYC; usually just 1-2 people per class can do a jump-through or a jumpback as shown in the video. I have a jump-through most of the time, so I'm already one of the showoffs; and I have a quite nice jumpback of the sort where I cross my legs, roll forward over my knees, put hands down a few inches in front of my knees, and jump from there. It's in tempo, it looks nice, no problem, BUT I'd love to be able to actually pull my feet through from in front of my hands the way the girl in that video is doing. I can't tuck up tight enough; my feet hit the floor.

One more thing, the coaching with Ido. Here is what he says:

Online coaching under me works like this:
3 months commitment, 300$ per month.
I offer a monthly program, advice and support.
I demand a monthly video submission for review, I only take people who are committed and going to do the work.
If this sounds good for you, I will send you a paypal request.
I will need also a 1-5 goal ladder in order of importance, free time estimate for your training in your weekly schedule
as well as equipment available to you.

Thanks, looking forward to do some work together,
Ido.

I'm tempted. Saw a video on FB of a guy who went from a 5-second hold to 60 seconds after 3 months of this.

[soong.livejournal.com]

I think my own weird awkward place in the local acro scene is to be fairly good for the stuff Bonnie's class usually runs through, but not nearly as good as the elite crowd.

My high-school-social-mode moment was that it was really great that I got to hang out with the cool kids even though I wasn't nearly as cool as them. Maybe if I ditch my nerdy glasses and get a wardrobe makeover and a new hairdo I could be cool too! (or at least that's how the story goes in all those high school plot things in TV and movies).

Actually I think shrugged off that lame thought pretty well, but it was there.

Had a kickass workout today. If I can just figure out eating and sleeping I'll get there./ramble

[flexagon]

Ah, yeah, I can see how you'd feel that was a weird awkward place. Are you going to keep doing partner acro in your new life? If so then I'd definitely recommend some of the intensives -- possibly the general one first and then the acrobatic one. But if you're not, is it worth it? I dunno. I think you have the makings of a great acroyoga base... someone just needs to teach you the hard stuff, and Bonnie's not going to and the jams aren't really set up as lessons. Sigh. Which is not to say that we can't keep jamming -- I want more random-people-at-my-house situations like what we did 1.5 weeks ago.

[silentq.livejournal.com]

Ooh, Ruckus Boston looks fun and high on parkour-like activities. :) Some friends of mine did the Tough Mudder obstacle course, and it didn't look fun at all (10 miles, with the course running up and down a ski hill).

[flexagon]

Yes, I feel the same way -- though slightly sad to realize I am probably going to ruin a pair of shoes for a 40-minute experience that was already expensive. I'll let you know how it is, unless you do it too, in which case you'll know. :)

And I also have a friend who did the Tough Mudder. Not really tempting. I am somewhere between a wuss and someone who thinks 10 miles of wet/dry/wet/dry running sounds like fun.

[silentq.livejournal.com]

I bit the bullet and signed up, I'm in the 12:30pm wave. I've been meaning to buy new shoes, anyway. :)
(omg, I'm gonna die)