Today's Musical Discoveries

The Wild Swans ~ The Worst Year of My Life

Tigran Hamasyan - Pagan (Armenian traditional song, lullaby)

Riverside - Waterfall (Video)

Riverside - Cinnamon Eyes (Video)

Tuxedomoon - In a Manner of Speaking

M. Geddes Gengras - 03.06.15

Larry Coryell - Sex I

Cassegrain & Tin Man - High And Low [KILLEKILL 015]

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B, Week 4, Day 5

Inverted Row (Tuck) - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid. 

Inverted Tuck Roll Chin-Ups - 6 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid. Abs a bit extra sore from Aikido rolling practice but I was still able to do the exercise.

Chin-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.

Hanging N-Holds - 18 sec. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Tried a new exercise called the Controlled Hurdler, which promises to improve hip mobility, including hamstring length. Always had tight hammies. I'm pretty close to having the necessary hamstring flexibility to do an L-Sit but not quite there. Let's see how this goes:
http://www.precisionmovement.coach/front-splits-mobility-technique/

Finished w/ a couple of sets of pistol squats. I'm now working in the 6-rep range.

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B, Week 4, Day 3

Dips - 9 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Assisted Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand - 3 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  Can swing back to Tuck Hold without walking the feet. 

Inverted Push-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  No shoulder irritation!

Push-Ups - 5 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  

Jump To Dips - 4 reps. Quality: Less Rough. Ease: Solid.  Getting better at jumping to the bottom part of the dip.

L-Sit Prep: Straight Leg to N-Hold - 5 Reps.  Quality: Smooth. Ease: Challenging.

Musical Discoveries: Al Jarreau (RIP)

Casino Lights Montreux 1981 - Who's right Who's wrong

Casino Lights Montreux 1981 - Precious Love

Al Jarreau - Roof Garden (Official Video)

Al Jarreau ~Trouble In Paradise (1983)

Al Jarreau - Black And Blues

Jarreau · Brenda Russell Two Eyes

Doky Brothers - How can I help you say goodbye

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B, Week 3, Day 5

Dips - 9 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Assisted Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand - 3 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  Still cannot hold the Tuck Shoulder Stand without one foot on the floor but I'm getting better at swinging out of that position back into the Tuck Hold with minimal "walking" of the feet.

Inverted Push-Ups - 6 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  Can finally lower my shoulders to the level of the rings, when the bottom of the ring is about half a foot about the floor.

Push-Ups - 4 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  This time done with straight body - was using hollow body as it was easier on the shoulder.  Reps are down because I had less left in the tank after the greater effort on the previous exercises.

Jump To Dips - 4 reps. Quality: Less Rough. Ease: Solid.  Getting better at jumping to the bottom part of the dip.

L-Sit Prep: Straight Leg to N-Hold - 4 Reps.  Quality: Smooth. Ease: Challenging. 

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B, Week 3, Day 3

Inverted Row (Tuck) - 8 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.  

Inverted Tuck Roll Chin-Ups - 6 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Chin-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.

Hanging Straight-Leg (not L-Sit) Holds - 22 sec.. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Today's Musical Discoveries

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - El Haris (1958)

Avminnast by Nils Okland

https://hadoken.bandcamp.com/

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Loving You

https://mattmitchell-timberne.bandcamp.com/album/f-rage

https://legowelt.bandcamp.com/album/a-vampire-goes-west

Soap Kills ~~ Tango

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B, Week 2, Day 5

Inverted Row (Tuck) - 8 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Solid.  Still figuring out the optimal balance point.  I prefer a quality over forced-reps approach, but I really didn't feel like I was forcing those 7th and 8th reps.

Inverted Tuck Roll Chin-Ups - 6 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Chin-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.

Hanging Straight-Leg (not L-Sit) Holds - 20 sec.. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Today's Musical Discoveries

https://sarahdavachi.bandcamp.com/album/vergers

https://soundcloud.com/richomeara/song-of-the-birds-by-pablo-casals

Melt-Banana - Free The Bee

Art Ensemble of Chicago - Theme De Yoyo (1970) HQ

Hear Debussy Play Debussy: A Vintage Recording from 1913
Nice article, not only for the recording but also background info on how the recording was made (Debussy playing a "reproducing piano").

Alim Qasimov & Fargana Qasimova (Azerbaijan) MORGENLAND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Iron Maiden - 2 Minutes To Midnight (Official Video)

Julian Lage - "Nocturne" (Live In Los Angeles)

Aphrodite's Child - Aegian Sea (video)

The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (1968) [Full Album]

Some fun 6H stuff in this Aikido documentary

Some fun 6H stuff in this documentary, in which a karateka and former K-1 competitor investigates Aikido:

Aikido, The Samurai Spirit

Points of interest for 6H:

12:40 - Ryuichi Omori of Shodokan Aikido demonstrates grounding a push through one finger.  Unfortunately, he doesn't explain what he's doing.  This is followed by computer analysis of Omori's movement by a scientist, followed by Hideo Takaoka attempting to explain some stuff, but neither scientist makes the connection to 6H principles.

Next is Tsuneo Ando, a shihan at Yoshinkan Aikido HQ, reveals some 6H principles in Aikido:

29:00 Mentions the tandem as a source of power

29:31 Explains the power is connected to the ground, through the legs.

31:40 Explanation of a "sticky hand" principle - why the uke (attacker) cannot let go of the wrist of tori (the defender).

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B, Week 2, Day 3

Dips - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Assisted Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand - 3 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  Set the rings about a foot high, so a bit higher.  This allowed me to swing my feet over the floor, for the parts of the movement that do not require the assistance.

Inverted Push-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging

Push-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging. 

Jump To Dips - 4 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Solid.  Really focused this time on quickly pulling the rings to my hips, so that I'm in the bottom position of a dip after a jump.  Tough to coordinate this with the jump, while also keeping the elbows back.

L-Sit Prep: Bent Leg to Straight Leg - 6 Reps.  Quality: Rough. Ease: Solid.  I found Aleks Salkin's L-Hold Tutorial, which takes a different approach to training for the L-Sit than what I've tried in the past.   His idea is to alternate between static holds and dynamic movement.