[Eryx]

I just got an offer from my gym that they'd love to have me as a BB-instructor because I'm so young, I'm male and also they said BC-instructors usually make great BB-instructors. Problem is, however, I haven't done BB much the last two years. I used to do BB32-BB33 once or twice a week and since BB34 I haven't done much BB, only twice I think.

I'm afraid my technique will be a problem. I can't show all the hard options, cause I'm not THAT flexible and I think instructors should be role-models. That is my big concern. I'm looking for input here. Is it really necessary to SHOW all the advanced options in BB? Does it matter if I'm not that flexible (I'm not like an elephant, I'm very agile but I can't do splits, for example)?

I need to make up my mind fast, the training is 14th of March - 16th.

[grandnat]

No you don't have to be able to do all the options as long as you can explain them.

In the current Balance (39) - there is the splits pose - I'll never be able to do that fully but I can explain how to progress from where I am.

I trained on BB32 and in Track 4 I couldn't do the pose where you stick your leg out to the side and hold it high by the toe.......(I can now because of all the practice) - but I couldn't then - but the trainer was fine if you could explain the options. On the training I thought that the trainer was being very picky with me - really pushing me on my technique - even to the point where I thought I would fail - but he passed me because he thought I had really worked my butt off (perhaps more than those who were more flexible).

I agree that combat and balance are a good contrast - especially the thai chi feel - often the katas in combat are quite similar. You have to develop a Balance personal - so screaming Ninja in Combat and calm serene in Balance.

In the end I got a distinction in my Balance video.

I started this whole Les Mills journey just wanting to do Combat. Hadn't really thought about Balance - but doing it was the best thing I ever did. You can really make a strong connection with the people.

Do it. It's awesome.

[Alexander]

grandnat, on Feb 18 2008, 02:44 PM, said:

screaming Ninja

that's an oxymoron :biggrin:

[Eryx]

Thanks Roger. I feel a bit more confident now, if I don't have to do all the options if only I can explain them.

Still worried about not passing the training due to my technique though, I dunno how my tech is - if it's bad or good - but I just know I'm not flexible enough for all options. But I guess the training is there to help me as much as possible...

[melanie]

you should go for it, balance is great to teach. I done the course last year and i was only 19yrs old. I have back problems but that never stopped me and i was worried about technique but remember that they teach you everything and help with technique. Also you will learn to develop and become better through time as i have even thou i still get problems with my back. Even after a year teaching balance i feel i am doing good and improving. Go for it you will be fine

[Special]

Remember that the training is just a training. You don't have to come out of it perfect and ready to teach a perfect class.

You have a great opportunity and you sound enthused. Do the training and really take in all you can about technique, then go home and work on it. Do classes, shadow classes, team teach classes and by then you'll know if you are ready (and I bet the answer will be yes)

Balance is a very rewarding class to teach - and I say that after not even liking Balance as a participant.

[Eryx]

But I'd take anything but a pass as a bad thing. I set high goals for myself and if I don't accomplish them then I feel unsatisfied. I know I shouldn't but I can't help it.

I want to train in Balance but I've got so tight hamstrings (thanks Mel) that I can't go really low and such... Think the trainer would fail me due to that.

[grandnat]

Eryx, on Feb 19 2008, 03:36 AM, said:

I want to train in Balance but I've got so tight hamstrings (thanks Mel) that I can't go really low and such... Think the trainer would fail me due to that.

Only if you use it as an excuse for not working really hard and trying.........

I reckon Lee Boy got me 6 inches deeper into Warrior 2 after 3days.........

And what a great way of stretching your hamstrings.........

[*~Crazy~*]

Go for it! Balance is great, I've just recently completed the module and had a really good time-dont worry about technique, they do pick you up on small things during your training but hey..think of it as going for perfection. Nobody is going to fail you if you work hard! x

[Eryx]

Of course I wouldn't use it as an excuse to not do my best but it really makes it tons harder, mind you.

[Mel]

As Eryx has indicated, I've already chatted with him about some of this (on msn), and when he expressed his concerns about his technique I mentioned that his major problem sounded like his hamstrings. I vaguely remember him doing a wide leg adductor stretch in a video snippet Eryx posted and that's the first thing that came to mind.

I think like any of the programs you need to be able to demonstrate excellent technique, but this doesn't have to be limited by flexibility. Being inflexible just tends to make it harder, and I find inflexible people tend to have less awareness of posture..........but that doesn't mean it's impossible. It's important not to lose sight of the goal of alignment and posture.......for the sake of trying to get further in a stretch.

Cuz I'm someone who's had a previous disc injury in my back, I guess that makes me extra aware of the impact poor posture has during stretches, so I'm pretty relentless about posture in my teaching. It doesn't matter how far you go in a stretch, what matters is how well you do it. I'm sure my participants get sick of me rambling and rambling about this over the years, but I think it has made a difference. It frustrates me when I see super flexible instructors say "you can do the option if you want, but it's better if you try this" and the result is a bunch of participants trying to do stuff that they can't do very well (I also apply this philosophy to the pilates moves aswell).

Anyway, enough rambling, to sum up, I think severe lack of flexibility can make it harder, but does not rule out becoming a BB instructor. I just think that you have to work extra hard on being self aware and understanding the stretch and how/why the muscle is stretching. This is actually an example of where extra fitness qualifications come in handy (for those who believe extra knowledge isn't necessary to teach Les Mills programs). If you know the insertion points of the muscle it makes a whole lot more sense in the right way to stretch it!

I didn't ramble quite this much to Eryx on msn, but I

DID promise him I'd take some piccies to demonstrate hamstring stretches and the right way to do them. I was going to send them to him, but I thought I'd post them here cuz someone else might get some benefit out of them? I've also added a couple of BB poses specifically..........one's that I think Eryx is likely to have trouble with. As I'm actually 6 months pregnant now it's not as easy to demonstrate some of it, so ignore the belly and hopefully what I'm trying to demonstrate will make sense!


 downdog.jpg (68.77K)
Number of downloads: 25

Make sure the hands and feet are the right distance apart. When setting up, find the distance between hands and feet by doing a plank first, then without moving hands or feet push back into downdog. Getting the heels down is not essential and should be the last thing you're trying to do.

With really tight hamstrings there's a tendancy for the pelvis to be tilted back slightly. This is due to the insertion point of the hamstring on the pelvis (or maybe it's the origin, but I forget the details and don't want to get too technical!), which pulls the back of the pelvis down, hence ended up in a rounded hunched back. To get deeper into the pose try bending the knees and lifting the heels, press the chest down, lengthen the arms and tilt the pelvis upwards........THEN from there trying lengthen the hamstrings and deepen the heels again. The heels probably won't touch the floor, this takes years and plenty of flexibility!

 flat_back_extend.jpg (63.96K)
Number of downloads: 23

Many people do this one with a rounded back, despite the name! Some people just don't have the body awareness to know how to find a "flat back". Even if they can see in the mirror they don't have a flat back, I still get participants come and ask me how to do it. I usually use cues like push your chest out, lift your kneecaps (to encourage engaging the quads and lengthening the back of the leg), shoulders away from the ears. Sometimes I get them to do a shoulder roll to feel the feeling of setting the shoulders back and down.

With tight hammies, it's important not to try and go too low........get the alignment first. Bend knees slightly if necessary. Again there's going to be similar restrictions with the hamstring as described in downdog, particularly in reference to the tilting of the pelvis. Try to counteract the hamstrings tilting the pelvis by backing off the stretch and THEN getting the alignment first.

 kneeling_hamstring_stretch.jpg (61.1K)
Number of downloads: 25

This isn't really a common balance stretch, but it's another example of alignment and is a common stretch in other programs. You want to keep the back as straight as possible and again, think about lengthening the back of the leg (as well as the pelvis alignment) rather than just trying to get the chin down. Getting your chin and chest down doesn't help improve the stretch and just encourages poor posture due to the way the hamstring shortens and pulls on the pelvis.

When the back curves like this it also puts incredible forces on the disc's in your lower back. When I say massive forces, I can't remember the figures, but it's hundreds of kilo's. Any time there is flexion through the spine these forces occur.

Bending the knee can help avoid the sometimes painful pull behind the knee joint.....especially for those who have knee issues.

 lyring_hamstring_stretch.jpg (59.76K)
Number of downloads: 20

In this piccie it's even clearer what happens if you just concentrate on "getting further" rather than the quality of posture and the stretch. I see this so much in participants who try to stretch too hard. As you can see in the "wrong" picture my pelvis has lifted up off the ground.......this is the effect of the hamstring pulling and tilting the pelvis up. Instead it's better to keep the back flat, butt down, push the heel away and create length down the back of the leg.

Again, bending the knee a little is ok in this one.

Eryx, if you can't reach your leg, use a towel, or do this with your foot resting on a wall, or get a friend to lift your leg for you.

 seated_hamstring_stretch.jpg (60.07K)
Number of downloads: 20

You can do this with 1 or 2 legs, again as for the kneeling hamstring stretch watch out for a straight back and avoid back flexion. Again, bending the knee a little is ok in this one.

 standing_wall_stretch.jpg (45.68K)
Number of downloads: 21

This is one I personally like to do cuz I am very restricted through the chest. It helps with the alignment for flat back extend and also opens the chest while stretching the hamstring. If you are really tight you can avoid the hunching by just taking your hands higher up the wall. The back needs to be straight, but it's doesn't HAVE to be horizontal. Just take it to whatever angle maintains a good posture.

 wide_leg_adductor_stretch.jpg (65.65K)
Number of downloads: 20

This stretch will get the adductors as well as some of the hamstring. Again watch out for maintaining a straight back (no flexion). Flexible people can begin to lean forward, not so flexible people will need to stay straight in order to maintain posture. Again, bending the knee a little is ok in this one.



Difference between pointing toes and flexed heel


In the seated and lying stretches it doesn't matter too much whether the heel is flexed or if toes are pointed instead. The main difference between the two is that flexing the heel will also add the stretch into the calf muscle. This can also create a painful pull behind the knee so it's always important to keep the knee joint "soft" rather than locked straight. But basically the flexed heel can create a deeper stretch, but if you're trying to work on the hamstrings then it could pay to sometimes stretch with the toes pointed. It might be worth alternating aswell?

Bascially it helps to understand the difference and then choose whatever works for you.


geesh, this has become quite an essay! I wish I wasn't pregnant in these piccies, cuz then this could be a handout I could give to participants I think!
hmmm, maybe I'll stick it into a word document anyways?

btw, everyone feel free to comment on or clarify anything I've said I haven't quite got right. Sometimes I don't explain things how I meant it or I could have a difference understanding of a particular topic.

I hope this is useful to someone!

[melanie]

:-D Thats brilliant mel, what you have wrote is true. I understand exactly what you are saying as i have a back injury aswell so i also make sure i have good technique when stretching. This info that you have provided is brilliant.

[Special]

Awww, what a cute belly! You look great Mel.

[Eryx]

THANKS A LOT, Mel! :mrgreen: Really helpful and gonna take all this into consideration!

Mel, on Feb 23 2008, 07:43 PM, said:

standing..._stretch.jpg

This is one I personally like to do cuz I am very restricted through the chest. It helps with the alignment for flat back extend and also opens the chest while stretching the hamstring. If you are really tight you can avoid the hunching by just taking your hands higher up the wall. The back needs to be straight, but it's doesn't HAVE to be horizontal. Just take it to whatever angle maintains a good posture.

This is the "bend over in the shower"-stretch? :biggrin:

[Eryx]

Just to let you know, I went for it and completed day 1 of the module today. My legs are heavy and sore from all those technique drills, more so than I ever was with Combat-training! Two days to go, I got the easiest track (imo) - Lift Me Up! Love the song though.

[melanie]

cool thats fab that your going for it, good luck with day 2

[Mel]

good luck Eryx!

I hope all the stretching has helped

[Eryx]

Yoo, I passed!

[melanie]

congrats mate, even thou we spoke on msn and i told you but thought i wood say it again

[Mel]

congrats eryx!!!!