GrandUltimate wrote:You know, it's funny because one of the things my Sifu said about my tai chi is that it looks like I have a stick up my ass that goes all the up through my upper body lol.
I do see what you're saying about training multiples movements rather than just one. Now that I think about it, that is similar to what my Sifu wanted me to do with certain exercises after pointed out that I'm terrible at bending backwards and rotating my upper body alone. I'm not sure if you or anyone else is familiar with it, but a friend taught me a set of 7 spine qigong exercises referred to as the "7 moves of the dragon." He learned it from a chinese medicine school in NY (though we haven't seen it anywhere else) but it also trains a lot of movements with the spine in different direction as well as some wavelike movements. When you mentioned arch and hollow, do you mean more around the upper part of the spine in the chest/upper back area?
Arch and hollow are fundamental concepts in gymnastics, they basically refer to the active extension and flexion of the spine. There are analogous ideas in CMA but I like to use this particular terminology, it is very concrete and easy for people to understand.
The easiest way to experience arch and hollow is with the following static holds. These would be a mainstay not only of gymnastics but of pilates as well.
1. Hollow body hold: Lie on your back with your arms as far over your head as they can go, biceps as close to your ears as you can. Flatten your lower back against the floor so that you cannot fit a hand under it. If your anterior tilt is as pronounced as you claim, this will already be challenging for you. You can also try flatting your back against a wall.
Once you can get your back flat, lift your hands and feet off the ground. Hold for as long as you can, as close to the ground as you can.
2. Arch hold: Lie on your stomach. Lift your head, hands and feet off the ground, like Superman flying through the sky. Try and look forward as much as possible. If you are an “S” guy and not a “C” guy, this will probably be easier for you; it’s very challenging for me.
If you don’t feel like doing a long static hold, you can also try lifting your hands and feet off the ground in short, sharp pulses. Another variant is to try differentiating sides of the body, e.g. first lifting the left hand and the right foot, then switching.
Regardless of your personal difficulties, it’s best to train both of these holds in tandem. They work antagonistic muscles and are complementary. Also, since they both create a lot of tension, it’s best to loosen your back afterward with hip circles, etc.
IMO these two holds give you the biggest bang for your buck out of almost any physical training, they are very important both for remedial/therapeutic purposes and for higher levels of performance.
The IMA’s are largely about developing refinement and differentiation in movement along the spine. However, our usage of spinal movement is limited by our ability to generate global flexion and extension.
Fortunately, dysfunctional flexion and extension patterns are also the cause of much aging- and stress-related back pain. So in doing our basic training, we can kill two birds with one stone: laying the foundation for higher level skills while preserving strength and health into old age.