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Post by maico18z on Aug 19, 2016 0:07:44 GMT
I'm getting a little older, 62 and for the past couple years, have been having problems with balance. Not sure if its an age thing or diminished core strength or both. 1st kyu, supposed to test for Shodan in the next few months and balance is one thing were tested on, not a big part of the test but there nonetheless. Anybody with any experience dealing with this, maybe from an older guys perspective. I'm looking for some specific excercises I can do. Thanks Guy Coulston
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Post by Bob Davis on Aug 19, 2016 20:42:37 GMT
Hi Guy, Not sure what to say really, it could be any number of things (or nothing). I'm not quite your age, but not that far off (just coming up to 59) and I've had a few things in recent years that have thrown my balance out on occasions, all I can do is tell you about them and see if anything sounds familiar. Problem 1, I have dislocated my right knee a number of times over the years and as a result the joint isn't very stable and unless I do a lot of specific work on the supporting muscles (stance training does NOT help with this) around the joint the whole thing is a bit "wobbly" when I try and stand on one leg, this throws out my balance in some circumstances as I'm trying to correct for and protect the joint. Maybe you could do some specific weight work on those muscles (I find seated leg extensions work really well in a fairly short time). Problem 2, poor core strength? (possibly), I've been in better shape in the past but don't really find this to be much of a problem in my training (other than that my back suffers on occasions), the muscles that I've been using for years of training seem to do their job well enough without a lot of extra exercise, although I don't do a lot of kicking above waist height these days (can do, just don't feel the need for the type of training I do now, so that ability will fade with time). Problem 3, I've had a couple of occurrences of BPPV which can lead to balance issues and is something that becomes more likely with age, I suspect you'd know if you had this but maybe not if it's mild.... try standing on one leg with your eyes shut and move your head around a bit see how your balance goes without visual feedback for correction to see if it's an inner ear thing (do it somewhere safe and away from sharp edges if you are likely to fall over ). How do they test for "balance" in your grading? back when I took my Shodan it was simply as case of standing on one leg and kicking Mae Geri (Chudan) - Mawashi Geri (Jodan) - Yoko Geri Kekomi (Chudan) - Ushio Geri (Chudan) a set number of times without putting the kicking foot back down. Can you do a sequence like this without problems? If you can do it at speed can you still maintain your form and balance if you do it really slowly? Without more detail on what you are having problems with I can only take guesses but if it is something like this and you can't do the techniques slowly then it's because you need to work on the correct muscles for each technique. People tend to try and "fake it" by doing the techniques fast using momentum, trouble with that is it throws your balance out and you start to wobble very quickly when you have to do them in combination. De-couple the muscle work from balance by doing the techniques really slowly through a full range of motion whilst supporting yourself for balance (e.g. hand on a doorframe or back of a chair), once the technique is good and muscles strong you can reduce (or remove) the support and just work on the balance. (Apologies if you already know all this BTW ).
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Post by garage on Aug 20, 2016 12:26:43 GMT
If you look at tightrope walkers their supporting leg is slightly bent, if your supporting leg is straight you will sway like grass in a wind. Bend your supporting leg and you can control your balance even if you strength is poor. Should get you through a grading.
There is a flu this year that affects the sinuses and screws the balance, the chambers in the ears can becomes inflamed and this can take out the balance, this is common when you get over 60. A wide spectrum anti biotic might fix this. Shut your eyes shake your head if it feels like it is still moving after it stops this would point to an inner ear problem
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