Training Log #50: Solo drills for mobility - December 2008

Kwan Lee's joint mobility solo drills:

These exercises are from the May-June 2008 Vladimir Vasiliev seminar
at Fighthouse in NYC. Kwan taught us during an introductory segment,
after Vlad led us through the four conditioning exercises at full,
half, and no tension. I have heard inklings that some of Kwan Lee's
health and fitness drills may one day be available in an official
release, but to tide your over until that time, this is from my
training journal:

Kwan led us through some stretches of the joints - particularly, the
arms and legs. We rested our knuckles lightly upon the floor, our
passive stretching partner, and leaned our body weight into the
floor. Next we rested our wrists upon the floor and did the same,
adding rotations in both directions. Then we rested our elbows on the
floor, rotating the forearm clockwise and counter-clockwise, leaning
just enough body weight to provide a nice stretch. Finally we did the
same with shoulders, leaning the body weight, almost like the
beginning of a roll, and rotating the rest of the arm as well as the
head and body. These rotations, in addition to stretching, also
release synovial fluid in the joints, which helps with mobility.

We did the same with the legs, starting on all fours, and leaning the
body weight onto the front of the toes (toes should be bent almost at
a 90 degree angle), then the ankles, knees, and hips, rotating around
in both directions. The idea is not to put undue stress on the
joints, so everyone had to do this in a way that suited their own
body. For example, the tendon in my right ankle had been severed for
some time, so I didn't want to put my entire body weight upon it. But
people with strong ankles were able to do so, and rotate the ankle
around in both directions even with full body weight. In contrast, my
hips are very flexible, and being a woman, my hips are more widely
spread than most men's, so I was able to sit on the floor and rotate
around in all directions on both hips without feeling any discomfort.

Finally, Kwan asked us to put all these joint mobility exercises
together creatively and move around on the ground, from rolling, to
low squats, to lying down, and everything in between. One student
demonstrated his way of movement and it was quite beautiful to watch.
He was a strong man, but unlike many well-muscled guys, he was also
quite flexible. Kwan encouraged us to find our own way with these
joint mobility exercises. With Systema, you do not force your body to
perform in the same way as another person's, but use your own natural
way of moving to your advantage. This principle of *poznai sebia*
(know yourself) is especially important if you have past injuries.
Since we cannot be assured that we'll remain uninjured during
physical conflict, it's good to know the extent of your range of
motion as well as the limitations.

Denis Dmitriev's 'morning wake-up' solo drill:

Denis showed our class this drill from his time in the field. You
start off on your back, as if you had just woken up. Do a self-
diagnosis of your body, with breathing, of course, to make sure that
there are no injuries or stiffness in the joints, as is often the
case when sleeping out-of-doors. Gradually stretch yourself into a
sitting position and as you do so, draw your red gun or knife (you
can use anything for the 'alertness' part of the drill, even a pen
will do nicely). Choose a target, such as classmate, a piece of
furniture, or, if you are out-of-doors, a small tree or shrub. Then
begin to move around on the ground while simultaneously maintaining
focus on your 'target.' One way to move on the ground is to sit with
your legs bent in the same direction - for example, your right heel
should touch your left inner thigh. Then move circularly, keeping
hips loose and relaxed. Try this in both directions - most people are
a little more stiff in one direction than the other. Slowly begin to
incorporate rolls, moving forwards and backwards, and keeping focus
on your 'target.' When you are moving smoothly in all directions
without rising from the ground, put your red gun in the other hand,
or pick another target, and begin again. This is an excellent solo
drill for mobility on the ground. Note that it's not really a
shooting drill - it's more of an exercise in self-diagnosis and
awareness of your surroundings, as well as a way to learn to move
naturally on the ground.

*Vsego nailuchshego* (best wishes),
Rachel