The Standing Neck Roll, as described in the Up Against The Wall article referenced in the previous post, really helped me make progress towards a full Neck Roll, which is meant to be done on the ground. Scott Sonnon's Last Neck Exercise You'll Ever Need! article has photos, a video demo, and description of the Neck Roll. Sonnon says there are three component Body-Flow
No doubt you as the reader were wondering why I should bother with this. The neck-strengthening benefit is the most obvious one, as pointed out in Sonnon's article. The other benefits are releasing of tension from the neck, upper back, and other body parts and improvement in dynamic flexibility.
Body-Flow, as I understand it, is a form of exercise by which so-called regular people release tensions and improve grace and poise. This sounds like Yoga, doesn't it? Body-Flow training includes Biomechanical Exercises (BME in short), and Kinetic Chains, which are combinations of Biomechanical Exercises linked together in sequence. Holding a posture statically, while useful in the early stages of learning, is generally discouraged in Body-Flow practice because the point is to improve one's ability to smoothly integrate breathing, structure, and movement. Some of the movements are reminiscent of floor gymnastics and/or breakdance, which add to the fun factor. Practitioners are encouraged to create their own Kinetic Chains.
I have been studying and practicing Body-Flow from the double-DVD and the Internet for about 3 months now. I have found that prior or concurrent practice of a joint mobility routine, such as what is found in Warrior Wellness, Super Joints, or Steve Maxwell's Joint Mobility DVD, helps a lot. The joint mobility training is useful for loosening the body, promoting joint health, and releasing tension. Body-Flow, because of the greater variety of leverage and stability demands on the body, leads to even deeper tension releases.
The more I practice Body-Flow and Warrior Wellness, the more I understand why Sonnon prefers to introduce his trainees to these methods first before teaching exercises with Clubbells. If you are too tight when you try to do a Clubbell exercise, you will most likely hurt yourself. This is of course true of any exercise, but especially so with Clubbells. But if you are reasonably loose and coordinated, Clubbell lifting will improve your strength without loss of flexibility.
Maxwell's Joint Mobility DVD is an excellent follow-along DVD. My only complaint is there is no menu or separate chapters. He used this routine to keep BJJ champion Saulo Ribeiro fresh between matches. The moves that simulate grappler's throws are among those unique to this DVD
ReplyDeleteSuper Joints was my introduction to joint mobility. The drills that are unique to it include partner drills, and the Pink Panther leg drills.
Warrior Wellness is unique in that there are three skill levels (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced), and thus three separate follow-along routines. Unique drills include 4 Corner Balance Drill (3 versions), and of course some of the intermediate and all of the advanced moves, which are complex.
Your goals may be the deciding factor. Maxwell's is probably the best for grapplers. I'm currently focused on Warrior Wellness because I'll be attending a BodyFlow-Softwork seminar in July with Scott Sonnon - Warrior Wellness is an integral part of Sonnon's CST (Circular Strength Training) system.
As you can guess, I have all three and will keep all three, because of each DVD's unique offerings. Super Joints also has a very good companion book.