# How to relax?



## Emptyhand (Oct 2, 2007)

I find myself to be very rigid during the execution of my movements/techniques can anyone offer some ideas that I might employ to "relax" my body so that I can feel more "fluid"?

Thank you in advance.


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## Kacey (Oct 2, 2007)

Relaxation comes from practice.  The more you practice, the more confident  you will become in your techniques, and the more you will be able to relax.  However, there is one caveat to this (one of my favorite quotes from my sahbum):  "The problem with "practice makes perfect" is you have to be sure that you practice correctly - practice crap, perfect crap - only perfect practice makes perfect."  And, of course, if nothing else... practice _enough_ and you'll be too tired to be rigid... sometimes that's what it takes to understand what "relaxed" feels like.


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## still learning (Oct 2, 2007)

Emptyhand said:


> I find myself to be very rigid during the execution of my movements/techniques can anyone offer some ideas that I might employ to "relax" my body so that I can feel more "fluid"?
> 
> Thank you in advance.


 
Hello,  "Learn to breathe"  easier to say than to do...breath slower, inhale thru the nose, exhale thru the mouth.

Knowing when to inhale and exhale while doing your techniques/movements....takes practice.  Many people in the beginning do not breath or breath improper way.

It takes awhile to built up the the lungs too.  Focus more on your breathing till you can do it without thinking about it!

Learning how to breath is art by it self....to correctly breath in/out and to learn to breath fast or slow.....study this well.

Look at how you are breathing....try to make ajustments and study how you are breathing in all your movements and techniques.  BREATH!

Aloha ( found out breathing underwater is NOT a good idea).


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## searcher (Oct 2, 2007)

I have found Yoga to be a huge help in this area.   You might give it a try.


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## Kirjava (Oct 3, 2007)

I agree with still learning - breathing is very important!


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## Kennedy_Shogen_Ryu (Oct 3, 2007)

Everything that has been said is great advice!  I personally find that with forms, a lot of people, especially beginners, place their technique.  I think of it less of "placing" my blocks or strikes where they need to go but snapping them.  Breathe in before the execution, and as you exhale snap the technique out.  Above all don't give up and just keep trying!​


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## kalikg (Oct 3, 2007)

Relaxing during training is something that I have struggled with  for a long time.  I agree with all of the above...especially...breathe, breathe, breathe!  As you exhale, feel your shoulders relax and drop, feel your abdominals relax and drop, feel your butt relax and drop.  Your legs carry your weight and should be relaxed too (don't worry, they'll hold you up)  and you should feel your weight in the bottom of your feet.  I have been told that eventually you can feel your weight in the ground below you...I'm not there yet.

As far as "practice crap, perfect crap"  ...Oh so true.   Try doing your forms at what a friend of mine calls a "Baby slow" pace.  Breathe with every movement and make each movement slow, steady and without end; in other words, one movement should lead directly to the next.  Be sure that you feel your muscles relax until the moment of impact and then relax again.  Do not stop your motion at impact...relax, hit, relax while continuing your motion.  There's no need to tighten your entire body while doing this exercise.  Only tighten the muscles you need for the moment of impact and only for that super brief moment.  Remember, power is mass plus velocity  NOT mass plus tension!  With tension there is no velocity.

Even if you are in a hard style you can practice forms in this manner (with the exception of Okinawan sanchin which must be performed with every muscle tense and with a very specific breathing rythm).  This slow method of training with correct breathing and concentration will (in my opinion) help you learn to relax.  Good luck!


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## Emptyhand (Oct 3, 2007)

I appreciate all the replies to my post. There is a lot of great advice.  

Currently, I am training in Chinese Kenpo and thoroughly enjoying it.


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## TheOriginalName (Nov 8, 2007)

Hey mate,

This is something i have struggled with until really recently. 
I use to find myself rigid and all my instructors commented on it and i struggled to relax. 
It was suggested to me by someone on this forum (i can't remember who but i owe them a beer i recon) not to clench my fists but to keep them relaxed slightly. I've found that doing this everything has relaxed a heap - to the point that my Sempai came up to me just last session and told me that i'm looking 100% better and to keep up all the good work (yes, you could imagine how pumped up from that i was). 

Perhaps give that a go. I'm not suggesting it's the ultimate fix but it worked for me. 

The most important thing - don't let it stress you out too much. At the end of the day you have to enjoy your MA....and keep up the training, it does all pay off!!

Best of luck with it


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 8, 2007)

Start with trying to relax your shoulders first and... as already suggested... breath... naturally. 

After that, if you try and it helps, let me know and then there is more to do.


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## Steel Tiger (Nov 8, 2007)

I once had a student who was so tense that he couldn't remember something he had just been taught.  He was very determined to learn but his own body was getting in the way.

What I suggest to solve the problem is very similar to what Kasey said.  Confidence is the key.  You can breathe, focus on relaxing and this will help to learn the material, but once you have learned it to a certain degree it should just flow.

A techniques I have used with some tense students is to get them to do forms without any tension in them at all.  Flowing in a very relaxing, unfocused manner through the form.  After two or three runs through they are usually comfortable enough to do the form properly.


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## grydth (Nov 8, 2007)

When my daughter tenses up before a karate promotion test or tournament, I go through a set Qi Gong with her.... works like a charm.


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## jks9199 (Nov 8, 2007)

I've got an exercise I use to loosen up, especially when tension's been building for a while during a class.

Bounce.  Like a rag doll.  Just bounce up and down, flopping around and deliberately NOT controlling any of it.  It looks silly, feels silly, and shakes tension out of folks pretty good.


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## grydth (Nov 8, 2007)

jks9199 said:


> I've got an exercise I use to loosen up, especially when tension's been building for a while during a class.
> 
> Bounce.  Like a rag doll.  Just bounce up and down, flopping around and deliberately NOT controlling any of it.  It looks silly, feels silly, and shakes tension out of folks pretty good.



My youngest daughter did that just tonight - I told her the cold medicine label read," Shake well before using."


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## tntma12 (Nov 8, 2007)

I also used to have this problem.  When my instructor would notice that I was getting to rigid, he would make me stop and breathe deep and close my eyes and clear my mind, bringing my breathing to a calm state, then opening my eyes and trying the technique again, but slow and controled, then working up to doing it quicker and stronger.  I found this helped alot with making the movements more fluid, and becoming more relaxed.


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