Girls, middle school, posture, martial arts, and you

[JusticeZero]

Had to do some serious repair work yet again on my female student's posture. Certain basic structural tests were being failed, muscle pain was being reported, and we simply had to stop and work on fixing it.

Posture is critically important to martial arts in power generation, power absorption, and general health. She has complained in past about back pain. This has often been associated with particularly prominent features of female anatomy; her body form is overall near the median in any given measurement, though, and this is no exception. When we worked on trying to perfect certain aspects of form and power, certain problematic features of her spinal alignment - which were testably correctable - became quite clear.

These are all habitual alignment issues that affect her posture any time i've ever seen her around, even while she is doing other non-social things and hasn't yet become aware of my arrival, such as when I stumble across her studying on campus. They are specific breaks from a natural posture that are ingrained. Furthermore, she is not in the least the only female I see with similar posture issues in either direction.

Around the middle school years, females are suddenly encumbered by a certain body form change which has social effects, particularly on the middle school boys that they have to spend a lot of time around. Through specific posture changes, this effect can be enhanced or repressed, and the effects are a double-edged sword no matter how much or how little is applied.

There are different strategic effects of either strategy, and it is not at all unreasonable that one might learn to default to one strategy or the other for all situations and adjust other social tactics to fit. At this same time this is happening, everyone is also experiencing shifts of limb length and weight distribution which force them to have to re-adjust and relearn how to walk and move. If both of these are combined, the postural shift becomes ingrained as "normal" in spite of being out of actual alignment.

Increasing "display" involves the drawing back of the shoulders out of it's neutral position. Several back muscles are activated to pull the shoulders back, and remain continuously flexed. The rib cage is raised, bringing it out of alignment. This also causes the head to adjust to counterbalance, by being bent forward. This causes it to be more difficult to create a solid link of force through the body to the feet without relying on the muscles of the torso instead of normal skeletal structure, and can cause muscle pain created by fatigue from muscles forced to be flexed continuously. increasing "display", however, causes the illusion of increase, which might cause an illusory "mass" association with pain.

Decreasing "display" reverses the process, activating different muscles in the torso, but placing a load on the back muscles to hold the torso upright in lieu of using the structure of the spine. Again, back pain can result. This posture also has been associated with large mass, though this association need not be strictly necessary; again, this may add to a false correlation with pain symptoms.

Exercises where the pelvis is held slightly forward and underneath the body, over hip-width feet weighted over the ball of the foot, with the spine raised up solidly, shoulders slightly concaved, where one attempts to relax into the posture while managing it are well known and associated with Chinese internal arts such as Taijiquan. They are easily researched, but rarely seen outside of this specific set of arts.

In Capoeira, this effect is found through endurance ginga, for the simple reason that bad posture in ginga quickly becomes painful. Nonetheless, I prefer to ask students to stand around and practice posture on their own, rather than to simply inflict repeated backaches on them until they improve.

These postural elements are critical for other arts. If a student's spine is out of alignment, it robs power from her techniques and causes her to seem physically weaker. Any punch comes from the power chain from the back foot; the back foot is solidly in contact with the floor, and a structural connection can be made through the knee, hip, spine, and shoulder which blocks the force of the strike from rebounding her back off of her target. If her spine is tilted back or forward, this chain of force gains another serious leakage where the muscles of the torso are required to maintain the spine in position, while fatigued and flexed out of their optimum position.

Therefore, posture is important, and this is a specific issue to be aware of and address in ones own training. This attention to structure and balance creates a more "grounded" feel to the posture; one where the student is creating a posture which is more ready and strong as a human being rather than a posture which is appealing or deferential as a viewed female. The first possesses inherent power, where the second merely attempts to co-opt the power of others; the power of onlookers can be withdrawn, where the power of the self cannot.

[Harkon72]

I've joined a Yoga class to improve my posture and flexibility; so far it has been a success!

[Tzu-Logic]

Very interesting read. Posture makes a world of difference in MA and many other aspects of life. Thank you for your insight.

[DWx]

Interesting post Justice.

Posture is definitely important. I'm currently undergoing some physio and have had foot orthotics to try to correct my own posture and sort out my back/spine. When I studied Tai Chi Chuan a lot of emphasis was place on trying to tuck the pelvis under and it's the same sort of thing my physio is trying to get me to do now.

[sensei8]

Great post Justice!!

I've joined a Yoga class to improve my posture and flexibility; so far it has been a success!

Possibly you could add Yoga and/or the like to combat the posture problem...possibly. No posture; nothings valuable!!

I don't know if your posture problem is a girl only problem, however, I do know that only girl students of the MA complain about their hip-pointer when trying to do a side kick.

Still sounds to me like you've got the pulse of your situation way under control and that in time, you'll find that final solution.

Good luck Justice!!

[ps1]

I've joined a Yoga class to improve my posture and flexibility; so far it has been a success!

Same here.

[JusticeZero]

I just pointed out that specific issue since it's a common and recurring theme I see. There are a lot of other problem areas that people have with their posture, and those are important too. "hip-pointer"?

[sensei8]

I just pointed out that specific issue since it's a common and recurring theme I see. There are a lot of other problem areas that people have with their posture, and those are important too. "hip-pointer"?

I first heard about hip-pointer injuries in 1991.

Hip pointer contusion can be painful when walking or moving around. This type of injury is more common when a MAist is kicking up head high, and while this type of injury can occur to both women and men, I've never heard a complaint from any of my male students. That's either because men don't suffer that type of injury or men don't want to bruise their male egos.

Hip pointer injuries aren't only for MAists. However, I've never suffered from a hip pointer injury.

[JusticeZero]

Hmm. It looks like those are normally caused by an impact to the hip, not from a movement. I assume a female hip is just a more prominent target if a force is directed at the side of the body.

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for sharing this. That is some very interesting information, and important to keep in consideration as an instructor. I hope it goes well for you in fixing it.