Groundwork: foundational patterns & conditioning
THE WHAT:
‘Groundwork’ outlines an area of floor-communication characterised by transitions & locomotion patterns which oscillate, in, out of, and through the ‘squat’ form whilst innately shifting weight between the hands & feet. This area differs from ‘quadrupedal-locomotion’ firstly in that it is greater squat-dominated (the hips generally transitioning between high & low ‘levels in space’, e.g. the ‘Role’, as opposed to predominating one level, e.g. the ‘Bear Crawl’), and secondly in that patterns generally elicit and follow a more ROTATIONAL trajectory (both in FRONTAL rotation, as in the travelling ‘AU cortado’, and TRANSVERSE, as in the global ‘High-bridge rotation’); if ‘Locomotion’ patterns were the Castle and Pawns of the chessboard, allowing forward, back, left and right movement potential in space, ‘Groundwork’ provides the combined potential of the Knight and Bishop, offering potential for more CIRCULAR-trajectories of movement. Despite these differences, the patterns can, and ultimately should, integrate seamlessly with other areas of both ‘Bi- & quadrupedal-locomotion’ and ‘Floorwork’ toward developing a wider, integrated, and more fluent vocabulary of ‘Floor-communication’.
LEARN MORE (subscriber-only):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C8OgMVfQNckYpbjUhSt0Qu597PXyB1Hg/view?usp=drive_link
-
The fundamental 'Role'
THE WHAT:
The 'Role' (ho-lay) is a fundamental movement for transitioning into and over the floor. It comes from the world of the fight/dance discipline 'Capoeira', where it is used as an integral evasive and linking movement and expressed in a variety of forms and variations. For the purposes of... -
Sissy 'touchdown'/ to Role
THE WHAT:
A fundamental integration between the capacity-development context ‘Sissy squat’ and the basic ‘Role’ pattern, connecting the world of standing to the world of ‘Groundwork’ through a controlled transition into the floor. The variations are simply from isolated “touchdown”, to either a ‘... -
QDR isometric hold
THE WHAT & HOW:
The 'QDR' ('queda de rins'/"elbow on the kidneys") is an upper-body support predominantly used in the practice of Capoeira for catching a fall/evasive manoeuvre, and transitioning through a range of dynamic forms.Whilst it is essentially a very efficient support in that the bod...
-
The QDR rotational pushup
THE WHAT & HOW:
*7 progressions for QDR rotational pushups (numbered incorrectly from 4) as preparation toward 'QDR circles'.The 'QDR' ('queda de rins'/"elbow to the kidneys") is an upper-body support predominantly used in the practice of Capoeira for catching a fall/evasive manoeuvre, transiti...
-
High-bridge rotation (HBR)
THE WHAT:
A progressive mobility form developing global extension and (other than 'Posting') a rotational pattern which facilitates seamless entrance & exit from a back-bridge position.As with its shorter brother, the 'Low-bridge rotation', this intrinsic rotational quality opens up immediate c...
-
Low-bridge 'slide' & Low-bridge Rotations (LBR)
THE WHAT:
The 'low bridge' is a context which has the dual benefit of developing mobility in the anterior chain, as well opening up movement possibilities. As the lumbar spine is also in a much more neutral position than in a high-bridge, for example, it can still be practiced even by those with ... -
'Back-switch' variations
THE WHAT:
The 'back-switch' is a basic arm transition which switches from side-to-side through a reverse-support position. It is ultimately plugged into floor-communication sequences as a transition which takes the body from a quadrupedally prone position (belly facing floor) through supine and b... -
'Scorpion Tail' (mobility & patterning)
THE WHAT:
The 'Prone tail-reach' & 'Scorpion tail' are isolated movements which will assist in the development of hip-flexors & trunk rotational mobility and range. It also develops the patterning for what is ultimately a TRANSITIONAL tool which can be incorporated into locomotion and low-floor w... -
The 'AU Cortado' (progressions & variations)
THE WHAT:
Whilst having roots in the game of Capoeira, the 'AU Cortado' is a essentially a "short" cartwheel with ancient origins unknown. The 'A' refers to the shape of the body when in a squat/standing position - the 'U' (although perhaps more exactly a 'V') refers to the shape of the inverted ... -
'AU Cortado' (AUC) circles & 'Role to AUC'
THE WHAT:
As an ultimately dynamic movement travelling through inversion, with practice the 'AU cortado' (or, "short cartwheel") can be used to with efficiency for travel through space. It can also link seamlessly with other 'cartwheel' forms, such as the fundamental 'Travelling cartwheel' or 'St... -
'Negativa pushups' (lateral pressing mechanic)
THE WHAT:
The 'Negativa' pushup explores a fundamental pressing pattern which has its roots in the art of Capoeira. It has been abstracted here for the value it has in teaching LATERAL bent-arm pushing mechanics. This essentially means that the press is performed sideways in the FRONTAL/CORONAL P... -
‘Corta-capim’ transition (internal circle)
THE WHAT:
In translation “cutting the grass” - a basic momentum-generating squat pattern which, when integrated within locomotion & 'groundwork' contexts as a transition, also transmits kinetic energy from the previous movement into the rotational swing of the leg.From here it can either dull o...
-
Negativa leg-switch (NLS) & Role
THE WHAT:
A simple switching of the forward-leg in the upright phase of the 'Negativa' form. Note that all transitioning from side-to-side and movement through space in the 'NLS' takes place "sitting" on the heel with weight through the BALL of the foot, just as in the pivoting transition of the ... -
FS (front-side) LG (low-gait) spin
THE WHAT:
A charming little bipedal context for maneuvering and locomoting through space, the 'Low-gait spin' (front-side) is ultimately a progressive, rotational pivot performed on the BALL of the foot. Notice that the most significant challenges here is related to BALANCE. In working on this, t...
