Mind Warp...Dallas style

I invested 2 1/2 days this past weekend to borrow some neurology from my good friend Frankie Faires in Dallas, TX. If you are screwed up physically, emotionally, and/or mentally (fF especially likes mental patients)...all of these result in movement deficiencies, compensations and different imbalances. Do yourself a favor and get a movement session with Frankie. He is a wizard when it comes to application of movement.

Z is movement. Movement encompasses Z ...and much, much more. I learned so many subtle factors to improve my own movement patterns along with specifics for my clients. One of the most profound daily activity (that I caught myself doing today out of habit) is eating...not eating as you are thinking...eating moving my mouth to my fork (anterior head carriage and thoracic flexion)...instead of my fork to my mouth. Sitting at the computer--same thing. Re-learning to walk, take the stairs, how I stand (posture) when watching clients--all things that are ingrained habits that I do 6 days per week. That might sound corny. However, that is what I spend most of my time doing so it is now unconcious to me. Therefore, I must bring it back to concious mind and improve movement sets within those activities...and that will yield MAJOR changes in my neurology with translation to athletic activities.


Friday
Muscle testing. I was not comfortable with this before. It works. For everything. Supplements, food, people I hang around, movement patterns (weight training, martial arts, mobility drills), everything. This is a component of everything.

Then on to cranial/soft tissue work. I have a crooked jaw to the right that has gotten much more in line with a lot of mobility drills. However, my cervical movements need some TLC in very subtle forms to make it even better. Better yet is focusing on creating equal facial expressions on both sides of my face. Easier said than done with sensory motor amnesia. Space was held around my left cheek for a very short period of time and combine that with eye rotations up and to the right in small circles (lack of access to creative construct not being able to move eyes up and to the right) that sent me into a major headache. I don't get headaches...probably have had two in my life. This put me down for the next 2.5 hours in a nap. Woke and felt a lot better...much 'cleaner' movement. There is much more than moving joints. The eyes / face / cranium / hands / feet have WAY more information feedback and hidden keys to many of mine and other peoples' movement lapses.

Friday was much more mental (literally and figuratively) than I thought, yet it paved the way for major insight into my CNS for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday was physical. We started out working on my Left leg Pistols. I have problems sitting in the bottom on my L leg. This is a structural immobility in feet, ankles, and knees. I can do them with weight as a counter balance, but I am basically forcing myself into the whole vs. letting my joints be OK with that position. More wholes in my movement practice that I can perfect. Then we explored some movement combinations with rotation. Very cool. Things I have been doing but I can make them better based on the timing of the step / rotate / and execution of the lift. Rotational movements affect the fascia in numerous ways...that are needed greatly from all the years of single plane movements. We also discussed weighted mobility drills... through the use of dumbbells, clubbells, ankle weights and weighted vest. Many new 'fun' ways to implement novelty in my own training. This led into a topic on novelty. Something new. I get bored easily now. If I (we) get curious about something, that is our neurology telling us to explore it. Things are moving faster today more than ever, and I do tend to have attention problems but this weekend made me much more aware of doing new things or using the 'same but different' approach.

Combatives...training from the flinch (yes I said flinch) because that is when EVERYTHING starts...the spinal reflex. We cannot train this out of us and we shouldn't after what I saw this weekend. Very cool immediate application of skills. Hand and eye led instead of foot lead like most MA schools teach. "Sooner is faster" to quote Dr. Cobb and hand/eye led movements are sooner and therefore faster. This is the most profound factor to date in terms of survival and my short combatives experience.

Speed...Level 3 drills and application of pegboard properly. This was also a huge wake up and another reason I will start using mirrors (yes I will breakdown and have a mirror or two in my new space). Gotta have 'em for instant feedback and movement correction. I didn't realize how much I was missing out on.


Saturday night was UFC 76 and some decent fights. We weren't just watching fights...we were watching movement. If you want to see some messed up movement patterns, watch fighters.

Here are some things I picked up watching the fights...
Thiago Tavares Vs. Tyson Griffin
Awesome grappling match and truly fun to watch a fight rolls like this. Both guys were tremendous at their games.

Mauricio Rua Vs. Forrest Griffin
Rua was being hailed as one of the best in the world at 205. He forgot to show up Saturday night. Watching their movement patterns, I leaned towards Rua. More fluid, loose. Forrest, not so much. Way too much accessory movement, a lot of wasted energy on bad habits. Forrest did win with bjj...this time and unlikely.

Chuck Liddell Vs. Keith Jardine
Chuck looked much better entering the ring this time than he did with Rampage. Jardine looks like a train wreck walking around, yet one!?! Chuck's leg must look like ground beef with A1 on it after all those leg kicks. Still both of them are inefficient.

Overall, after 2 full days of movement with Frankie, it was fun to watch some well-known fighters' movement patterns and pick apart how much potential each of them really do have if they are put in the right hands.

Sunday was review of some key concepts that I won't go into here. Way more information that I learned that I will continue to post as I extrapolate.