Swift Movement Flow (And how to be good at movement)

October 10, 2016 by VAHVA Fitness

Swift movement flow and also talking about what it takes to be good at movement.

Like with everything else, becoming great at movement takes time, effort and perseverance.

The thing that makes movement amazing is the fact that it requires lots of different attributes to become great at (like general athleticism does as well).

Powerlifter can become a great powerlifter by just focusing on raw strength. When it comes to movement, you need to have a little bit of everything in order to be able to move well.

We talked a bit about this in Raw Movement Flow, but let's break it down into more detail.

How to Be Good At Movement

1. Strength

Many movements rely on strength and it's strength that allows you to move without difficulty and to control your body. The more controlled the movement, the more you will need raw strength.

This is the reason why half of the content of Movement 20XX is strength & mobility - without strength you cannot reach your full potential in movement or anything athletic.

Muscle gain is also the result of strength. The stronger you become, the bigger muscles you can have.

2. Mobility

Mobility and structural balance will add softness to your movements and allow you to grow to your full potential. Read this article to understand what mobility and structural balance really are.

Without good posture and structure, it's difficult to be in positions like the ï»¿handstand or even do simple movements that are challenging for flexibility and balance.

Balance isn't just neuromuscular - it's actually a lot about having good mobility and being able to posture & support yourself in difficult positions with your muscles.

Many movements require high levels of flexibility in your hips, legs, shoulders and core to perform them well. Strength then allows you to control these stretched range of motions.

Building sufficient levels of mobility will allow you to be in any position and control these positions with ease. You will have the flexibility and strength to be in control in the most inconvenient positions.

3. Technical Skill

To learn how to do different movements and do them well, you need to train your central nervous system to handle the task at hand. You need to learn the individual movements and build movement-specific spacial awareness, coordination and body control.

Perfection comes with repetition and that's what you need: you need to practice different movements until they become second nature to you.

First you practice different bits and pieces and begun adding movement after movement to your repertoire. 

For example, there are 40+ movements in Movement 20XX, but you won't master them all at once. You pick a couple you want to focus on and grind them until you've mastered them. 

Eventually you will have a big repertoire of different movements which you can string together into a real movement flow. 

4. Freedom

Moving well without restrictions and limitations isn't just about your body, it's a lot about your mind.

We all have limitations, but who cares? Movement is about how freely you can move inside these limitations. Maybe your arm is broken? You still have 2 legs and one arm!

Once you have mastered the basics and have built a great foundation, you can start breaking all the rules. You can start creating your own movements and start twisting different movements into "your" variations.

There is no one right way to do movement. Your way can be the right way. It's all in the nuances. 

You can eventually start playing with different hand/arm posititions, different speeds of execution and just different variations of the movements. 

In "Becoming the Animal" video just some basic monkey movements are turned into versatile and interesting movement patterns. The possibilities are as endless as your creativity. 

Freedom of movement is a lot about courage. You need to have courage to express yourself and not worry about doing something "wrong".

Be safe, but don't be afraid to try something new.



samuli jyrkinen

About the author 

Samuli Jyrkinen

Samuli is the ninja behind the scenes (photography, videography, websites, program platforms and more). He has been training religiously for over a decade and has a firm grasp of physical and mental fitness. You will find our story here.

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