Yoga vs. Kung Fu. Yoga Wins!

[shanmonster]

Last night's kung fu class was a stretching one. I partnered up with Mel and stood against the wall, back and butt squared off, and Mel raised my left leg up straight in a forward kick. The Sifu said, "If you do this right, you won't be able to raise your leg any higher than your waist."

My foot was raised to shoulder height.

The Sifu came over and said, "Here, I'll fix it." I put my leg back down. He took my foot in one hand, and my knee in the other, and began shoving on my knee while lifting my leg. "How does that feel?"

"Terrible!" I said. "You're hyperextending my knee!"

He stopped doing it, thankfully, and readjusted. Once again, my foot raised up to shoulder height.

"You're just a mutant," he said, and walked off.

Why on earth would he have shoved on my knee while raising my leg? That's just stupid.

Afterwards, we did another hamstring exercise. We sat in chairs, with duck-butt posture: arse jammed all the way back, backs arched back, but not touching the back of the chair. From this position, we were to raise a leg into a front kick position. I did it with ease. I could lift and hold both legs out simultaneously with ease.

I heard him say, "If you're doing it right, it will be almost impossible to hold your leg in this position."

I looked around. Most people (but not all) were straining to hold their legs up. They claimed to feel it in their hamstrings. I didn't feel it in my hamstrings at all, but in the quadriceps. The quads were what was holding my legs up. "Am I doing it right?" I asked.

The Sifu came over and looked at me from all angles. "You're a freak," he said, and walked off.

I don't think I'm such a freak. I just think I have superior flexibility. Good old downward facing dog. Nothing lengthens hamstrings like downward facing dog.

And on that note, I'm going to go do some yoga and Pilates, so I can get my freak on.

Comments

[sidruid.livejournal.com]

Hmm... i'm certainly confused about the first one... was this anything more than someone holding your front toe stretch (essentially the kick without a bent knee) in the up position? Also, your sifu (wrongly) pressed on your knee because many people get their leg higher by bending it.

The second one i don't even think i did right. just hold your leg up? I guess i could see how DFD would help that (but it's in our kungfu routine, so perhaps i'm underestimating it). Are toes pointed out or pulled back?

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

The first one isn't quite the same as a front kick, because the foot on the supporting leg still points straight ahead, rather than being angled. When I turn the supporting foot, my raised foot is freed to go up a lot. My record is bringing my top toe to about an inch from the wall behind me.

The toes are pulled back in the second one.

I think what it comes down to is that the Sifu is probably a bit tight in the hamstrings, so assumes everyone else is, too.

[sidruid.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok, you haven't opened your hips (which was the point your sifu was trying to make i bet - facing the hips forward locks them for most people and so we are taught to turn them 45 degrees)

I've noticed it's not just the hamstrings that are responsible for this, it's related to one's ability to do a forward split. The tendons that hold the legs into the body need to be stretched out so that they can clear the hips better.

With the hips in that position, I can only get my leg up so that the foot is about chest height and it's still extended out. I can't kick next to my ear as I might when i turn the hips.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

No, he wanted us to keep our hips square to the wall. I have no problem doing something like a side kick, where we extend through the hips. I do that naturally.

[sidruid.livejournal.com]

yeah, that's what i meant... like the point of the exercise was to demonstrate how squared hips don't allow one to extend the leg up (except for freaks ;) )

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I think he pushed on my knee because, again, I'm a freak.

My kneecaps are very protuberant. In fact, I once had a doctor excitedly say, "Those are the most prominent patella I've ever seen!" And then he got down on the floor to stare at them.

In almost every movement class I've ever attended (modern dance, t'ai chi chu'an, kung fu, etc.), I've had instructors insist I straighten my legs when they're already straight. I didn't know better while I was in modern dance, and did the entire course with hyperextended knees. I'll not do that again. It's a wonder I didn't bung myself up good.

[sidruid.livejournal.com]

Hmm, that's interesting - i never noticed some people's knees might be less prominent than mine, but I am frequently annoyed they don't seem as flat as others when stretched out.

A bit of explanation.

[montecristo.livejournal.com]

The skeletal system of most people consist of bones and cartilage. People like you and my ex wife are all cartilage and rubber bands. You freaks can twist yourselves into mobius strips and other impossible positions that would kill the average mortal and then go right back to a normal position, no worse for wear.

When my wife was eight months pregnant with our oldest daughter, we took a Lamaze class together. The lady teaching the class was helping all the pregant ladies learn to deal with their new physical condition and stretch. She had them all sit on the floor, with their backs propped by a pillow against their respective husbands/significant others, who sat behind them. Now, with their legs spread at about a 90° angle, she told them to see how far forward they could stretch and lean over forward, as if trying to touch their toes. She told the women not to worry that they wouldn't be able to lean over very far, but that any little bit would stretch them a little. Crystal promptly leaned over and put her forehead on the floor, right over her eight-months-pregnant belly. Nearly every jaw in the room hit the floor, except mine. I was just grinning.

The moral of the story: Fret not, Freaky Mutant Women are sooooo sexy, especially when they get their freaks on! Heh.

Re: A bit of explanation.

[f00dave.livejournal.com]

My sub is like that: extraordinarily flexible in surprising ways. Makes for fun discoveries on occasion. =)

Re: A bit of explanation.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Crystal is far more flexible than I am for that particular stretch. Although I'm hypermobile in most ways, for that one particular stretch, I have hypomobility. I'm less flexible than the average person there. I suspect my hips are put together differently than most people's. I don't have any natural turn-out. Rather, my hips turn in.

[superbrad.livejournal.com]

Sounds like your Sifu needs a cockpunch. :)

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Ha!

I wouldn't survive the repercussions.

[raine-storm.livejournal.com]

You FREAK I mean it isn't like I am that flexible =p

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Anyone can stretch beyond the norm once their joints are dislocated!

[freakwoman.livejournal.com]

Oh pish, we used to do that stretch regularly, and most of us (due to the flexability nazi we had as a sensei) could get at least up above waist height - and more then one of us ended up at shoulder height. Hurray for being limber.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Hoorah indeed!

psha flexibility :)

[gha5t.livejournal.com]

I find the whole flexibility thing is way overrated :)
nice to have enough so you have good range of motion, really fail to
see the need to be able to put my legs behind my head. And you definitely
don't need to be extra flexible to be a good fighter.

Re: psha flexibility :)

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

No, I don't need the ability to kick as high as I reach to be a good fighter. However, I do need it for the sort of dance that I do.

Also, if you do have that extra flexibility, you're less in danger of being injured in a fight, if someone should shove your limb that little bit further. Witness the difference between us in arm locks.

[sorceror.livejournal.com]

Somehow, calling a student a 'freak' strikes me as very un-Sifu-like.

Shame on him. I'd complain to the professional association.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

We make jokes all the time in our classes. I think humour is a good thing. I didn't feel insulted.

[androgenie.livejournal.com]

as a fellow flexibility freak, good for you :o) Flexibility kept me from breaking my leg when my foot rotated inward avoiding a car....granted, I think I would have preferred the break instead of the multitude of sprains/strains that I got instead...but I did learn that I have an extra bone in my feet :-P

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Flexibility prevents injuries! Extra range of motion is good! Hoorah!

But as a caveat, hypermobility can cause them, if your muscles aren't developed enough to compensate for the extra flexibility.