d nice
09-12-2003, 01:44 AM
Frame...
What is it?
Do I have to have it?
Frame is created by relaxing and tensing you chest and back muscles the teres (major and minor), the infraspinatous, the supraspinatous, the multiple pectoral muscles and lastly the latissmus dorsi. All torso muscles. Since most people have little to no understanding of the human body (there is SO much to learn, and I learn new things everyday), I have found it best to simplify and refer to them collectively as the pecs and lats, since it gives a general idea of what muscle groups are being dealt with.
The human body is designed so that the major muscles above (determined by the relative distance to the torso) a joint control the joint. The muscles below and around control the segment in exterior to the torso.) These muscles control the shoulder joint and are responsible for how much your arm moves before your entire body begins to move with the momentum/energy being applied by your partners movement.
Biceps and triceps are NOT frame.
The more tense your arm, the less useful your frame is.
An example of the natural use of frame:
Stand, with your arms fully extended about five inches from a wall
Without moving your feet allow yourself to fall face first towards the wall
There are two mistakes your body can make. Your body thankfully will allow each mistake only once, and chances are you committed both of them many many years ago when you learned how to walk.
The first mistake is not to brace your fall at all. End Result: You kiss the wall, and your dentist can pay for another year of his kids college.
The second mistake is you brace for the fall sticking your arms out, but locked so as to keep your pretty face as far from the wall as possible. End Result: You end up with severe damage to both elbows and your general praciticioner put the down payment on a new porsche.
What happens if you do it correctly?
Your hands make contact with the wall first, your pecs and lats engage and slow your descent in a nice and controlled manner. These muscles act as shock-absornbers for your body. This natural reaction is exactly what we try and use on the dance floor.
The "springy" feel that comes from good connection is in fact both partners having a good frame and using "Dynamic Tension"... meaning that at either end of the spectrum the pecs and lats are more fully engaged than they are in the middle of the spectrum.
Think of a spring. You push the ends of spring in, at the relaxed state it is easy to do, but as the coils get coser and closer together there is more resistance and it becomes harder to do. If you pull the ends of the spring away from each other again it is relatively easy to do at first but it gets more difficult as the coils get further and further apart.
What do you do as a follow when the leader is rough?
A follow simply needs to keep her frame when dancing with a bad lead. The problem is when a follow gets jerked or muscled about she'll usually try and do the same thing, use her arm muscles or tense her whole body, to protect herself that the lead is doing to hurt her... which is wrong. She needs to relax her arm as much as possible and keep that shoulder locked down with tight pecs and lats.
A stiff arm only provides the leader with a perfect lever with your loose shoulder as the fulcrum... result... OUCH! Rotator cuff injuries are not pleasant.
The worse your partner the better you need to dance.
What is it?
Do I have to have it?
Frame is created by relaxing and tensing you chest and back muscles the teres (major and minor), the infraspinatous, the supraspinatous, the multiple pectoral muscles and lastly the latissmus dorsi. All torso muscles. Since most people have little to no understanding of the human body (there is SO much to learn, and I learn new things everyday), I have found it best to simplify and refer to them collectively as the pecs and lats, since it gives a general idea of what muscle groups are being dealt with.
The human body is designed so that the major muscles above (determined by the relative distance to the torso) a joint control the joint. The muscles below and around control the segment in exterior to the torso.) These muscles control the shoulder joint and are responsible for how much your arm moves before your entire body begins to move with the momentum/energy being applied by your partners movement.
Biceps and triceps are NOT frame.
The more tense your arm, the less useful your frame is.
An example of the natural use of frame:
Stand, with your arms fully extended about five inches from a wall
Without moving your feet allow yourself to fall face first towards the wall
There are two mistakes your body can make. Your body thankfully will allow each mistake only once, and chances are you committed both of them many many years ago when you learned how to walk.
The first mistake is not to brace your fall at all. End Result: You kiss the wall, and your dentist can pay for another year of his kids college.
The second mistake is you brace for the fall sticking your arms out, but locked so as to keep your pretty face as far from the wall as possible. End Result: You end up with severe damage to both elbows and your general praciticioner put the down payment on a new porsche.
What happens if you do it correctly?
Your hands make contact with the wall first, your pecs and lats engage and slow your descent in a nice and controlled manner. These muscles act as shock-absornbers for your body. This natural reaction is exactly what we try and use on the dance floor.
The "springy" feel that comes from good connection is in fact both partners having a good frame and using "Dynamic Tension"... meaning that at either end of the spectrum the pecs and lats are more fully engaged than they are in the middle of the spectrum.
Think of a spring. You push the ends of spring in, at the relaxed state it is easy to do, but as the coils get coser and closer together there is more resistance and it becomes harder to do. If you pull the ends of the spring away from each other again it is relatively easy to do at first but it gets more difficult as the coils get further and further apart.
What do you do as a follow when the leader is rough?
A follow simply needs to keep her frame when dancing with a bad lead. The problem is when a follow gets jerked or muscled about she'll usually try and do the same thing, use her arm muscles or tense her whole body, to protect herself that the lead is doing to hurt her... which is wrong. She needs to relax her arm as much as possible and keep that shoulder locked down with tight pecs and lats.
A stiff arm only provides the leader with a perfect lever with your loose shoulder as the fulcrum... result... OUCH! Rotator cuff injuries are not pleasant.
The worse your partner the better you need to dance.