In which work is bad and training is good

[flexagon]

Work yesterday: didn't get to writing my to-do list until 5:30 PM. I don't know what I hated most: the moment I realized I wasn't going to code that day? The moment I realized I wasn't going to have coffee with my friend, whose last day it was, because a meeting was running super late? The moment I realized I'd definitely be up late on the couch? BLEH, do not like.

Acro last night, very different. Scooper dropped in for class and open studio, and working on standing stuff with him is a rare treat these days. The new breakthroughs were going from standing to lying-down croc, and, a while later, from lying-down to standing-up croc (!). It was by far my tightest and clingiest croc ever, as I just glued my stiff body to his arm like a barnacle and REFUSED TO GO ANYWHERE. (My right pec hurts today from the effort.) And it was a 127-lb Turkish get-up for him, which is insane. I do love his determination: try again, try again, we've got this.

I can apparently also cartwheel up to standing shoulder-to-shoulder now. And my no-arms shoulder-to-shoulder is still good, at least with the Ant (that one is always best with the Ant). I might've also done standing hand-to-hand on three different bases during open studio.

This morning's handbalancing semiprivate was great in a different way. I got some nice static holds on the floor and on canes; but more interesting, for once I felt the difference between letting my elbows and shoulders sag a bit during my kick-up and not. (My coach laughed at me when I yelped "fuck you!" and slapped at my left elbow. I do love my body, it's just tough love.) I'm waiting for when it all clicks together, and I can more regularly kick or straddle myself up to static holds. In the meantime I've signed up for another session of 3x/week lessons... despite being a bit mentally worried about my wrists, the truth is that they and my shoulders are holding up fine for now.

Putting in the time, trusting the process.

Comments

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

So, DON'T let your elbows bend a bit when kicking up? Makes for better hand stands?

I bend mine, but I am often kicking up to one and then bending them and tucking my head into a backwards roll. Trying to make it smooth. Been trying to walk sidewalks on my hands also, which is really, really hard for me.

[flexagon]

If you're tucking your head and rolling onto your back, that's a forward roll... just saying. :-)

As for straight arms, yeah, DON'T let your elbows bend when kicking up. The circus perspective is that the fewer moving parts, the simpler the whole thing is ultimately going to be. Handstand balance ideally comes from the shoulders and the fingers/hands/wrists -- everything else is locked -- you never adjust from the hips or the elbows.

It's worth repeating here that I am learning circus-style stuff. Circus wants the handstand to be stacked so well that I can hold for 60 seconds, and so it's all about bone stacking and less tolerant of having the control be going through too many muscles (not that you don't have to be strong -- but staying up on bent elbows bring a LOT more arm muscle into the picture than you'd otherwise need, if that makes sense).

I can walk sideways on my hands on the wall or with a spot, but not alone. Still working static holds. I don't mind waiting for the walking-type stuff until I have a really stable 2-arm stand.

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

Forward, backwards...whatever! :)

I learn much from you.