Dooley Noted: 11/24/2014
This weekend at the Flexible Steel workshop, Master Jon Engum quoted the great Dr. Mark Cheng.
Dr. Cheng taught Master Engum about the body’s four knots: the 2 major shoulder joints and the 2 major hip joints.
The arms and thighs aren’t just tied with a knot to the trunk to keep them stable. Mobility must be permitted.
He noted to think of your shoelaces. If they are too tight, you can’t move your foot well. If they are too loose, your shoe can come off. The knot must be a balance of strength and mobility.
Like an effective knot, these 4 joints must be loose enough to permit movement but stable and strong enough not to come apart.
Many people are too flexible at these joints and need strength to actually limit some of their excessive movements.
Adding strength to stretch is the answer.
Other people focus so much on strength that they have lost their mobility.
Adding stretch to the strength is the answer.
As Master Engum eloquently stated, “One must be able to bend without breaking, like flexible steel.”
If your muscles are tight no matter how much you stretch, you may need strength to support the stretch.
If you are hitting strength plateaus, you may need more stretch. Think of pulling back a rubber band, so it can shoot farther and with more force when you release it.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley