The Absence of Strain
The greatest enemy of the manual therapist is strain - it directly correlates to career length, effectiveness, injuries, and quality of touch. And as the therapist strains to perform, the same energy is imparted to the client. How do we eliminate strain?
We start from the ground-up.
Footwork
In the realm of manual therapy, the hands of the therapist are often the center of focus for self-help information. Yet for proper mechanics, it is the feet that will largely dictate how well the hands may be applied.
While this may seem counter-intuitive, consider another hand-focused activity -- boxing. In boxing, the punch by the fist is merely the culmination of a complex motion that begins with the feet, twists through the core of the body and ultimately whips through the hand. By itself, a punch is pretty much useless unless the boxer is in the proper position to both deliver the blow and escape and counter-blow from the opponent. The footwork and how well the feet are positioned will determine the speed, strength, and accuracy of the punch.
The greatest enemy of the manual therapist is strain - it directly correlates to career length, effectiveness, injuries, and quality of touch. And as the therapist strains to perform, the same energy is imparted to the client. How do we eliminate strain?
We start from the ground-up.
Footwork
In the realm of manual therapy, the hands of the therapist are often the center of focus for self-help information. Yet for proper mechanics, it is the feet that will largely dictate how well the hands may be applied.
While this may seem counter-intuitive, consider another hand-focused activity -- boxing. In boxing, the punch by the fist is merely the culmination of a complex motion that begins with the feet, twists through the core of the body and ultimately whips through the hand. By itself, a punch is pretty much useless unless the boxer is in the proper position to both deliver the blow and escape and counter-blow from the opponent. The footwork and how well the feet are positioned will determine the speed, strength, and accuracy of the punch.
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In manual therapy, while the footwork will be different than in boxing, the same fundamental understandings apply. Without proper footwork, the hands and body will be straining, the techniques will lose effectiveness and therapist will lose clients. There is no "magic touch" without good footwork and proper body positioning. You must be relaxed and strain-free yourself in order to give that to your client. Your footwork and your positioning will determine whether or not you are working from your core or simply straining through your arms and hands.
Force Vectors and Footwork
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Rocky Marciano lands a perfect punch on "Jersey" Joe Walcott, 1952.
The punch is perfect because the feet are perfect.
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