Shoulder Rotations - Where to Drive From?

[bluedrift]

Hi everyone,

Summer is here! :P

Been doing the shoulder rotations in six degrees in the Intermediate Warrior Wellness program and noticed(at this time) some possibilities to drive the arms.

One - mostly with the shoulder muscle itself. With the rest of the body relaxed more the arm drives itself and causes the rest of the body to pivot around the core or center of the body.

Two- mostly with the core of the body. With the shoulder muscles relaxed significantly more than One above the core drives the rotation.

Three - with the whole body. All muscles relaxed yet contributing to driving the motion accordingly.

What is the best way to drive the motion for this exercise in warrior wellness?

If the answer is number Three, then is the "how" the next step or depth in warrior wellness? That is, how to find that through relaxation, power, appropriate recruitment of each joint, muscle, breathing throughout the body and their interrelation to gravity, centripital force?

[Scott Sonnon]

Kevin,

Thank you for asking such a poignant question. I was just speaking about this. So many people see only the crude motion. It's the whole body 'slinging' the motion through breathing and structure 'motivated' by the stored elastic energy.

Hopefully more people will read your thread... and more importantly, begin to explore more deeply.

[Connie Brown]

Great, great comment.

[Joseph David]

Excellent thread.

I have noticed in my own practice, that my body preferes to do shoulder rotations before I do circles, parallels and infinities with the humerous. I find that if I relax the scapular tension first, I have smoother movement.

[bob_stra]

Summer is here!

Great. Send it back this way when you're done with it. Or rather don't - I love cold, wet rainy days! (yes, seriously)


What is the best way to drive the motion for this exercise in Warrior Wellness™?

If you were asking if any one way is "better" than the others, I would say…I don't know. I guess it depends on what you're trying to do!

For example, if you were interested in using that aspect of WW (shoulder circles) to improve some particular function, you should try to profile but not entirely simulate the function. So shoulder circles done initiating from the core might have a fruitful application to doing pushups, armscrews, throwing someone. clubbell work etc.

If you're trying to rehab a particular region, then the activation / focus would naturally be different. Etc Etc

(and to top this off: what may be applicable for one person doing one thing might not be applicable to another person doing that same thing!)

If you're just exploring, then by all means, explore them all! I like to look at the most unusual ones the first: they keep me interested.


If the answer is number Three, then is the "how" the next step or depth in Warrior Wellness™? That is, how to find that through relaxation, power, appropriate recruitment of each joint, muscle, breathing throughout the body and their interrelation to gravity, centripital force?

By using each part proportionally as much / little as the others, relative to it's cross sectional area. Co-ordination is doing an equal amount of work across the entire body, not one part doing less or more than any other. That's the neurogeek response.

The knuckle dragger response is - put yourself in a situation where in you have to use shoulder articulation, in balance with other movement, to achieve a goal. Do this incrementally, with control and reversibility.

Hint: Being that this place is called "circular strength forums", well… you know, you could always try fishing or Morris dancing or something as your preferred method :lol:

(*cough* clubs *cough*)

[Scott Sonnon]

:lol: Bob, it's good to have you back.

[bob_stra]

:lol: Bob, it's good to have you back.


I'm here :-) Broken down and tired, but watching and waiting to pounce ;-)

Things have evolved / changed here a bit! To be honest I feel a bit 'fish out of water' at the moment. So am taking my time to lurk and re-learn.

[bluedrift]

Hi,

This "stored elastic energy" is like a reserve that one can tap to swing faster, use more power, stop on a dime, etc. Is it correct then that the goal is not really to use it especially to its full potential due to the original purpose of warrior wellness?

Would it be correct to say that the litmus test of improved overall performance then in warrior wellness would be an increase in the stored elastic energy one can sense throughout the body while moving? That is, as the movement becomes "better" then there should be more stored elastic energy that one could feel? It could not come without full body coordinated movement, balance, the right amount of relaxation/tension, correct structure, correct breathing, etc.

This is a skill, to develop those results. Then one should be able to apply this skill to other forms of movement and eventually be able to apply it spontaneously resulting in surprise of great capability.

If I may extrapolate, then if this overall skill is fully utilized and built upon in application such as in fisticuffs then warrior wellness plays a major role in the "genesis of movement" not just for RMAX but potentailly any other physical activity.

Then warrior wellness is so much more than joint mobility and cleaning the slate...

[Scott Sonnon]

Kevin,

Indeed, Warrior Wellness forms the Core Competencies (http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/21/sonnon.html) of RMAX. Well said!