Sarah Draht · 10 min · 1,461 words
Previously titled: Balance Day 9 I don't like yoga
Alright, let's work on some balance. So important for everything, especially Jujitsu. Not only will we be doing balance, a really nice word for it is coordination, body awareness, starting your back. So we've also moved through this foundation in the core video.
You can go back to the core video if you want to get better at this section, or you'll be totally fine if you do this video isolated. Both feet on the ground, lower back to the ground, lift the legs, keeping that lower back on the ground, hands up, moving through this exercise, extending the left leg straight, the right leg straight, only so far as you can keep that lower back on the ground. Now while we're doing this exercise, it's called dead bug with extensions. You look like a little dead bug on the ground.
Let's talk about balance. Balance is important in Jujitsu for standing. You're working on standing takedowns, on you're working on defending sweeps, and I've won some pretty big tournaments on Pan Ams. What was it?
Blue, did I look at it? Blue, purple belt three times, and brown belt I think twice, and then I got my black and then COVID happened. But I've won tournaments by not getting swept. I was up on points, I'm on the top, she has delahiva, and I've won by not getting swept.
So more, a lot of situations like that, and that's why it's important to do this work here, because it might give you that extra edge on the Jujitsu mats. Okay, release. I tell you stories because you forget how hard the exercise is that we're doing. Not too bad yet.
On your hands and knees, from here, you know, I think we can do it. So you have the option of staying on the hands and knees, and opposite arm and leg out. So we're going to do this just a few times to get the movement. Opposite leg and arm out, keep that core engaged, don't dump into the lower back, don't arch the lower back.
So still almost curling that tailbone in. So if we're on our back, we would be putting our lower back to the mat, exact same motion, but on the hands and knees. Now from here, just a few times on your toes and hands, and extend opposite leg, opposite arm. So we have one, we're going to do it 10 times, and two, and three.
And the reason why I'm doing this, I'm going to keep talking while we're moving through this, is to warm the body up a bit. You can always work on core, but I need to warm up the body. That's five before we go into our balancing series, because it'll actually make it a lot better. I think it's seven, eight, nine, and 10.
Woo! Move through a couple cat cow. You can go up and down, you can go freestyle left and right, just rinse that out. Now this is really nice here.
You ready? From cat cow, tuck the toes, lift the hips for your dog, bend the legs in your dog, and walk your dog out. Bend one leg, bend the other leg, move the hips, shake any tension out of the neck and head. I don't even know there's tension there until I shake it out.
And from here, walk the feet towards the hands, and we need to quick release the lower back for one of our balancing postures. So I want you to heel-tool your feet out, further than the hips. Lower the hips. This is a mouthful.
The hips between the feet for your deep squat. Palms together. Oh, this one just feels so good. Palms together, lift the head high.
This is really important for all our guard work. Guard work, mobility, you got to...actually all the videos, you'll see that they start to cross over like this isn't just good for balance. This video is good for everything. This is important when I want you lift the hips, forward fold.
Notice, bring the weight forward. Notice that through your back body. So lower back, middle back, upper back. That's what we need for one of our balancing postures.
Need to get you ready for it. If you just jump in, it's amazing what you can do when we prep the tissues for...when we prep the body for it, but also the nervous system. You're like, oh, this is what we're doing. Okay.
Whereas if you jump right into it, if I jumped right into our two main balancing postures, it might not be as good, or you might not be as effective. So meet me in the forward fold. You can go through that more times. Just press pause, but I'm working within 10 minutes.
Heel toe the feet under the hips, basically to where feet should be. And slowly come up to a stand. Think vertebrae by vertebrae. Almost enjoy it, right?
Oh, pull the shoulders back. Hip circles. Let's rinse that out. One, two, three.
Other way. One, two, and three. Here we go. So hands are on the hips.
And I want you to keep those hips level, not right side up or left side up. Lift the right knee. This is where it gets interesting. I lifted the right knee.
Did one hip go up or down, or were they able to stay level? So try to keep those hips level. And I find by doing that, I strengthen through the standing quad. It's teaching your hips are everything.
You lose your hips, you lose your balance. Now from here, and you'll notice the right hip will want to lift. Keep them level. Then from here, reach the arms up, make your spine tall, and then touch your forehead to your right knee.
The eyes look at your left toes, your big toes. Forehead to the knee for five, four, three, two, one. All the way back up. And lower the foot down.
Now, same leg, because we just cramped up that hip a bit, I want to do the opposite of that. Right hand forward, right hand out, palm up. We need to put something in that palm. What are we going to put into that palm?
We are going to put the ankle in that palm. See how it's the inside of my ankle? And if you can't do that, just grab a belt. Grab a belt, and make the belt an extension of your arms.
But again, palm up. I want that palm up because that's the movement that you'll be doing with the belt. I don't need the belt, so I'm not going to use it. If you need it, that's okay.
You'll get to this. Okay, so I'm on the inside. So I want to also be a small shoulder opener for you, not the outside. Inside my body.
From here, both knees are pointed down. Left hand is up, charge forward. A really important part of this is your eyes. They call them yoga drishti.
Where is your focus? If your focus is on not falling, you will fall. If your focus is on staying steady, stay steady. So posture, stillness, breath.
Five, four, three, two, one. With control, back up and down. All right, how was that? Shake it out a bit.
Other side. Here we go. So standing, hands on the hips. This time, the left knee up and engage to the right quad.
If your hips are unstable, you'll fall. Reach the arms up, make your spine long, and down we go. Forehead to the knee, holding this for three, two, one. Isn't it cool to notice on your feet how the weight shifts right, left, right, left, right, left?
It's really neat. Okay, here we go. Left hand out, palm up, right hand down, okay, here we go. Left hand out, palm up.
What are we going to put in that palm? Your belt. You're not your belt. Well, you might need a belt.
Your ankle. Right hand to the ceiling, down we go. Posture, stillness, and breath for five, four, three, two, and one. Back up with control.
That's it. So if you have a bit more time, I recommend you move through both of those again, two times. But if you don't have a lot of time, my goal is to make this, to make it achievable, to make it a challenge, to make it a little bit enjoyable. Like, hey, that was kind of a fun challenge, but not too much.
So we need to come back to this and do it again. All right, great work. I'll see you next class.
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