We develop the skill of correct posture - balance exercises. Movement coordination exercises Simple actions that improve coordination

Why do we women need flexible and plastic hands? You can, of course, write about the mobility and youth of joints, about good blood supply to ligaments and muscles, etc. And all this will be true. Or what if you need to fasten the zipper of your dress on the back, and no one is around to help you? And you - oops! - easily fastened the lock yourself!

But let's look at plastic women's hands from a different, somewhat unexpected, angle.

Plastic hands are not only healthy hands. Plastic hands give us the opportunity gesture beautifully and elegantly. And what is beautiful gestures if not one of the ways to seduce the opposite sex?!

Don't believe me?

Remember the poets! For example, Sergei Yesenin in one of his poems, wanting to emphasize the beauty and grace of his beloved’s hands, writes: “ My dear hands are a pair of swans, diving in the gold of my hair..."

Or let's turn to Russian folk tales. One of the important criteria for the beauty of a girl wearing them is her “swan hands”.

What happened in the fairy tale "The Frog Princess"?..

The princess came to the feast, it was time to dance: " ... she waved her left hand - a lake became, she waved her right hand - and white swans swam across the water. The king and guests were amazed!"

That is, the men present at the feast fell into a trance just from the movements of the princess’s hands! And while the man is in a trance, we can do with him whatever our heart desires. Just a joke, of course. But in every joke...

By the way, her envious people tried to repeat Vasilisa’s trick. Well, you remember how it ended: they hit the king in the eye and gave him a bruise, someone was hit in the ear with a hand, something was spilled there... In short, the girls were asked to sit down.

It turns out that if we women want to make our gestures smooth, graceful, sensual, we need to work on them. Because without practice, by waving our hand, we run the risk of not bewitching a man, but of hitting him on the forehead. Plastic, refined hand movements, elegant waves, smooth feminine gestures with hands are a more subtle and sophisticated seduction technique than point-blank gazes and invitingly parted lips.

No wonder the dancers in the harems trained for days, bringing every gesture of their fingers to perfection. Modern professional dancers also spend a lot of time working with their hands.

Let's see what we can do on our own, at home.

You need to start working on the development of hand plasticity... right, with a warm-up!

And we have already discussed the exercises in detail, and I hope we have tried to do them.

So, we have warmed up our hands well, what next?

Exercise 1. Swan wings

Starting position: standing, arms down along the body. We make movements with our hands, as if we were rinsing clothes after washing, only at a much slower and smoother pace. It is important to use only brushes!

We gradually increase the range of motion, involving the elbow joints in the work.

But in order to dance with our hands the way Maya Plisetskaya or Anna Pavlova did, you and I will still have to practice properly.

Exercise 2. Fly, swan, fly!

Let's logically develop the first exercise. Increasing the range of movements, we raise our arms above our heads and smoothly lower them down. The movements resemble the wings of birds in flight.

Exercise 3. Wave with arms

Starting position: standing, arms spread to the sides, holding them not parallel to the floor, but slightly lower.

We make waves with our hands alternately. We make all movements smoothly. Order of movement: the shoulder joint begins to rise first, then the elbow, then the hand. As soon as the right hand has worked, it is the turn of the left, etc.

Make sure your hand is soft and relaxed, and your fingers are long (no need to clench them into a fist).

Exercise 4. Paint the fence

Stand straight, extend your right arm forward. Imagine that your fingers are a paint brush with which you need to paint something. Make movements with this “brush” as if you were painting, for example, a fence.

Exercise 5 "Wall"

Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, body relaxed. The right arm is bent at the elbow, fingers clenched into a fist. We sharply straighten our fingers, tense our palm, and the hand seems to be resting against an invisible wall. We repeat the same with the second hand. And then we move along the invisible wall.

Bonus!

The following exercise is taken from an acting course. Imagine that you are petting an animal.

When performing the exercise, use mainly your arms, palms and fingers.

So you need to stroke:

1. Hamster (image him slipping out of your hands, running along your shoulder, etc.)
2. Cat (take it in your arms, stroke it, scratch it behind the ear)
3. A snake (it gets entangled around your neck)
4. Giraffe

If you want to achieve truly mesmerizing movements with your arms, the best way to achieve this is to go dancing. Oriental dances, flamenco, and Latin American ballroom dances perfectly develop plasticity and flexibility. Popular trends among young people are those that also devote a lot of time to hand gestures in dancing, for example, Vogue, Dancehall.

Well, for those who do not have free time to dance, I recommend doing our exercises regularly, 2-3 times a week. You will notice the effect within six months.

Have a pleasant and useful warm-up!

Balance exercises help improve coordination of movements, develop and consolidate the skill of correct posture, and normalize the condition of postural muscles. When performing them, the sense of body position in space is trained, a new body diagram is developed, which allows you to take and maintain the correct posture. To complicate these exercises, a decrease in the area of ​​support is used - a stand on the toes, on one leg, on a boom or a balance beam, as well as a change in the position of the body's center of gravity when raising the arms, abducting the legs, using dumbbells, medicine balls and other objects. The more often the position of the center of gravity changes, the more differentiated muscle work and coordination of movements are necessary, therefore, to train balance, it is advisable to use sharp transitions from dynamic to static muscle work - stopping after walking or running, moving to a standing position after a jump or somersault, etc. .

EXAMPLES OF EXERCISES

Starting position: standing

1. Spread your arms to the sides, with a smooth movement extend your straight leg forward, to the side, back and return to the IP. Repeat the movement with the other leg.

2. Perform the same movements with the legs in different positions of the arms (arms extended upward, placed behind the head, hands resting on the shoulders).

4. Raise one leg, stretch your arms forward, up, to the sides in a smooth movement, lower your arms. Return to IP. Repeat while standing on the other leg.

5. Standing on one leg, perform various circular movements with your arms: in the frontal and sagittal planes, synchronous and alternating, in one direction and the other.

6. Hands on the belt. Rise on your toes for 3-4 counts, return to IP.

7. Rise on your toes, turn your head to one side, then to the other, return to IP.

8. Standing on your toes, stretch your arms forward, up, to the sides, perform various movements with your arms (as in exercises 3-5).

9. Perform the same movements with your hands, standing on the toes of one leg, bend the other leg at the knee and hip joints.

10. Perform head turns and various hand movements while standing, on your toes, with your eyes closed.

11. Standing on one leg, grab the foot of the other leg (in front) with both hands (Fig. 3).

12. Do the same, but grab the foot of the raised leg with the opposite hand.

13. Standing on one leg, arms apart, bend the other leg at the knee and hip joints, touching your forehead with your knee.

14. “Swallow”: spread your arms to the sides and, standing on one leg, take the other back, leaning forward (Fig. 4). Stay in this position for 2 - 3 counts, return to IP, repeat, changing the position of your legs.

15. Do a “swallow” and change the position of your legs with a jump.

16. Do a “swallow” and turn on your toes 90° to the left, then to the right.

17. “Side Swallow”: hands on the belt, move one leg to the side, tilt the torso in the other direction.

Starting position: crouching position

18. Stand up, straighten up, raise your leg bent at the knee, spread your arms to the sides. Return to IP, repeat the exercise for the other leg.

19. Perform the same exercise, but raise your arms up.

20. Perform the same exercise with different arm movements (forward, sideways, circular movements).

You can complicate the last three exercises by squatting and rising onto the toes of one leg.

21. Make a “swallow”, “side swallow” from the stop while crouching.

Starting position: feet one in front of the other on the same line, at a distance of a small step

22. Turns of the head and torso.

23. Various hand movements in this stance.

24. From the same IP - raising on your toes and various movements of the head, torso, and arms.

According to I. V. Milyukova, T. A. Evdokimova

Characteristics

Movements should be smooth, calm and wide. Most of the movements of this complex are circular. They stimulate the spine. The exercises coordinate the work of your arms and legs, so you won’t feel any strain while doing them.

These movements are aimed at relaxing the body and calming the mind, so when performing them, imagine flowing water or floating clouds. The movements should never be interrupted, as they balance the circulation of internal energy.

For complete relaxation, it is necessary to relax the muscles, ligaments and calm the central nervous system. Breathing should be even, the heart should beat calmly. Correct posture and body position play a very important role in relaxation. Relaxation itself must come from within, that is, first you must calm your mind and then your body.

You should only apply effort when moving from one movement to another. For example: in the exercise “To normalize the functioning of internal organs - raising the palms to the sky”, force is applied when moving the arms; “Shooting with the right and left hands in an archer’s pose” - when moving into an archer’s stance; “To normalize the work of the abdomen and spleen – one hand in the air” – when raising the arm; “To prevent illness and stress, look back” when moving your arms and head; “To relieve stress – shake the head and bend the body” – when moving into a horse’s stance; “To strengthen the kidneys - slide your hands along your back and legs and touch your feet” - when moving your hands; “To increase strength - gaze and punch” - when striking with a fist; “To cure diseases – rise and fall on your heels” – while moving your head and tensing your toes and buttocks.

Strength is required only to change movements. Otherwise, you should be relaxed.

The combination of tension and relaxation, dynamism and inertia maintains a balance between Yin and Yang (in traditional Chinese medicine - two opposite principles). This combination also improves Qi circulation in energy channels, blood circulation and joint mobility. Obviously, all this leads to strengthening the body and improving health.

Dynamism and inertia are external manifestations of body movements. Dynamic movements should be performed energetically, smoothly and naturally.

You must be absolutely calm while applying force from one movement to another, especially when performing the above movements slowly. The external pause does not interrupt the internal circulation; the muscles remain stretched at this time. Stimulation of the targeted parts of the body is achieved by rational application of force for a certain period of time.

Mind in Qigong refers to the mental state and consciousness, as well as body movements controlled by thought and mind. The body-mind connection is an interactive work that is characterized by harmony and symmetry seen in all movements. The peculiarity of Ba Duan Jing is soft, smooth stances and movements performed using internal strength. An energetic body and a focused mind combine softness and hardness.

The purpose of the exercises is to accelerate the circulation of internal energy through physical and spiritual exercises, which will lead to improved health and physical fitness of a person. An integral part of the exercises is deep, natural breathing.

Our body is perfect. It is designed to perform maximum useful work with minimum voltage, because initially energy saving was a priority.

However, over time, environmental influences spoil posture, and stress, negative life experiences and a sedentary lifestyle create muscle tension - constant unnatural muscle tension.

What does it feel like to move with minimal effort?

To clearly explain why economical movement is needed, here is a quote from Moshe Feldenkrais’s book “Awareness through Movement: 12 Practical Lessons.” The author compares the human body to a machine.

A machine operates effectively in which all parts are precisely coordinated with each other, everything that needs to be lubricated is lubricated, the rubbing parts fit tightly to each other without gaps and without dirt. Energy is not wasted on useless movements that take it away from necessary work.

Moshe Feldenkrais

The most effective movements are those that are devoid of random, unnecessary actions. Having eliminated excess tension, you begin to move as easily as possible.

It is important to learn how to transform movements that require effort and tension into good movements, that is, movements that are first of all effective, but also comfortable and easy.

To better understand what we are talking about, check it out for yourself. Try these two simple tests to see if you can move economically and efficiently.

Test your driving efficiency

Stool test

Sit on the edge of a chair, place your fingertips on your neck and try to stand up. Is your neck tense? Try standing up again, keeping your neck relaxed. Happened?

In the process of getting up from a chair, the neck muscles are not involved, but they automatically tense. This is that extra movement when you waste energy on something that actually requires very little effort.

Try to notice at what moment your neck tenses. My tension increases when my body leans forward and my chest hangs over my legs. To make sure that this tension was unnecessary, I tried to relax my neck in this position. I managed to do it.

This means you can stand up without straining your neck muscles when rising from a sitting position. We are just used to doing this, so it is quite difficult to relearn.

Test with scales

There is another good test from the Feldenkrais book for which you will need a mechanical scale.

Sit on a chair and place your feet on the scales. Now try to stand up as easily and smoothly as possible. Most likely, the scale arrow will first go beyond your weight mark, then roll back and after a few oscillations take the desired position. If your movement is smooth and efficient, the needle will slowly reach your weight mark, but will not go beyond it or wobble.

Muscle tightness, incorrect movement patterns, poor behavior - all this becomes a habit and is perceived as normal movement and body position. However, upon closer examination it turns out that this is not the case. You spend a lot of energy on useless movements, your muscles are in constant tension, and your body takes an unnatural position.

How can I change this? First, try observing yourself more often.

Watch yourself every free minute

To correct a misalignment, you must first notice it. Do you often pay attention to your posture? Do it right now.

Most likely, you will find pockets of tension where there should not be any. Check shoulders. Most often they are pinched and raised. Then pay attention to neck. Is she tense and forward?

Check facial muscles. Most often, they relax only in their sleep, and we do not notice how during the day the face freezes in a gloomy mask. What about lower jaw? Is she too tense? Maybe we should ease the tension a little?

Make a habit of assessing your body position and muscle tension throughout the day.

Pay attention to your body and try to relax all the muscles that are unreasonably tense at the moment. This will be your mini-meditation during the day and a great opportunity to improve your movement economy. As the body relaxes, mental stress is also relieved.

If you get used to paying attention to your body, you will be able to do this in any circumstances, including in stressful situations. Assess how you move when you are afraid, upset, excited after a quarrel or a heated argument. Try changing your body position in this situation. You will see how your psychological attitude changes.

Looking for ways to optimize movement

Any movement that requires effort from you can be optimized and made easier.

The human body is designed in such a way that the main effort is performed by the broad muscles located closer to the center of the body: the gluteal muscles, muscles of the hips, back and abdomen. They help us walk, run, and lift weights.

If the majority of the effort comes from your glutes and thighs when lifting weights, you won't strain your back and will be able to lift more weight.

To do this, keep your back straight, push your pelvis back, and perform a good squat as you rise. If you try to lift weights using your arms and back muscles, it will end badly for your lower back. Even in martial arts, a good punch is only possible with the participation of the hips. If you isolate your hips, you won't get a strong punch.

Don’t forget that you need to learn how to: lift weights, walk on elevated surfaces, and carry heavy objects with outstretched arms so as not to injure yourself.

By paying attention to your body and remembering the mechanics of movement, you can independently look for how to do something simpler and easier, how to connect large muscle groups to the movement and relieve the load on smaller ones.

Here is an example from life. I walk with a winter stroller with runners, which does not have an adjustable handle. Since I'm quite short, this handle is located too high, so my hands get tired all the time. I started looking for a better position to take the pressure off my arms, and found that if I lowered my shoulders and leaned them forward a little, and also extended my arms forward, the pressure was removed from them.

On the left - a position in which the arms do not get tired

I push the stroller with the strength of my core, that is, I use the same large muscles that I use to walk, and my arms simply transmit the force without straining.

This applies to any movements that cause muscle fatigue. Let's say you're carrying a box and your arms get tired. Try to hold her close to you. This way you will take the load off your hands and transfer it to large muscles that are ready for this.

Explore the movement. If you feel uncomfortable and difficult, don’t give up trying to make something easier. You can avoid injury and train yourself to move correctly.

Watch your breath

When talking about movement, one cannot fail to mention breathing. It directly affects how you move, how flexible you are, and how well you can perform a particular action.

It clearly and simply explains the connection between movement, emotions, feelings and the mind, and also provides exercises that will teach you to be friends with your body and perform habitual movements easier and simpler.

Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process, then you will improve life itself.

Moshe Feldenkrais