Thread: Home Exercises
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Old 01-31-2009, 02:34 PM   #6
mathewjgano
 
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: Home Exercises

Quote:
Srdjan Savic wrote: View Post
What you usually practicing at home during the day?
I need advice for some practicing, for strength,speed,endurance,etc....
I practice a kind of breathing meditation where I focus on having relaxed and full breaths as a way to generally relax. Then I shift my focus towards different parts of my body and feel how they move as my lungs expand and contract. Here I'm basically trying to balance the tension in my body. For me it's a centering activity before I practice kata or when my body aches from a tough day at work.
In practicing kata, my sense is that it is basically like shadow boxing. I imagine another person attacking and act accordingly. I did this a lot when I was trying to learn particular techniques and I found it helped a lot in learning the basic form so when I did practice with another person on the mat I could focus more on internal structure and balanced movements, etc.
Not that I'm particularly fast, but for speed I focus on relaxed movements and having good reflexes. It might sound silly, but I will take something lop-sided like a hammer and with my arm held in different positions, I will let the hammer fall off to the side of my hand and try to catch it before it hits ground. I like this kind of practice because not only do you have to be quick in response, but you have to use fine-motor skills as well. I credit this kind of practice for helping me to react quickly and appropriately when things have fallen at work (I work in finish carpentry so it's bad when most anything falls) and I think this has had a general benefit as well.
...For what it's worth.
Take care,
Matt

Last edited by mathewjgano : 01-31-2009 at 02:37 PM.

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