tango and fitness

Marino said:
I know people who do folk-dance and the first part of their usual two-hour training is just doing plain physical exercise.
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I know several instructors with that exercise approach. They are all professors of physical education too.
 
Some of you are trained in marshal arts and you maybe had some information about natural falling routines! :)

Does the fall-down training build up something new in your body?
or
Does the training activate already existing routines to fall safely?

This question has also some tango connection! A few years ago I was going to take a side step to my left but the foot was glued to the right leg (wide trousers were involved here) and I fell down; 90degrees down! The follower was standing, dancers around were frozen, the dj was looking at us and I was on the ground checking up the damages. But there was not any and we continued the tanda.

This spring I took a walk and managed to step on the last hidden icy spot on the pavement and fell. I was walking and at the next moment I was on the ground with my legs and lower part of my back. Shoulder blades and head curving up safely with no pain anywhere.
 
LadyLeader said:
Does the fall-down training build up something new in your body?
or
Does the training activate already existing routines to fall safely?
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What I remember most about this was learning how to use my arms and hands safely to avoid injuring them.

That mostly meant not using them too catch myself, but instead breaking my fall by slapping the ground straight-armed. That definitely wasn't my instinct before.
 
Memories from one judo course way back in college.

There was a lot of roll involved, we didn't want to slam straight down. The slapping David mentioned was with the fore-arms and hands, at the end of the fall, not just with hands which might encourage slapping too early and taking your full weight on the wrist.

More advanced falling included rolling more so you wound up back on your feet, ready to continue. Judo throws usually gave some horizontal motion in addition to down.
 
The only deliberate falling I've done was the parachute landing fall, in which you curve your body away from the direction in which you're going to hit the ground, to roll rather than slam.

 
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I'm a believer in weightlifting to help support the joints and bones. If you dance a lot, sometimes you can have a lot of repetitive actions, and strengthening the muscles around the joints can be very beneficial to your long-term success. And having a stretch routine to get everything loosened up before you dance is also very important.
 
DanceMentor said:
I'm a believer in weightlifting to help support the joints and bones. If you dance a lot, sometimes you can have a lot of repetitive actions, and strengthening the muscles around the joints can be very beneficial to your long-term success. And having a stretch routine to get everything loosened up before you dance is also very important.
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I've been doing yoga at home for years (not intensively but I get to stretch) and a general exercise routine (calisthenics I guess you'd call it) also for years. Some years more, some less. Both are helpful.
 
DanceMentor said:
I'm a believer in weightlifting to help support the joints and bones. If you dance a lot, sometimes you can have a lot of repetitive actions, and strengthening the muscles around the joints can be very beneficial to your long-term success. And having a stretch routine to get everything loosened up before you dance is also very important.
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Weights are a new thing I am adding to my activities! My bones are getting fragile and olympic weightlifting is the only thing I have heard to have reversed the process for someone. I am watching videos and training with broomstick to get an idea of the technique. When better I will go to someone who can check my process before I add load. My eyes cannot take heavy weights so there will be more repetitions with low loads instead.
 
I always recommend people cross-train in some other discipline (I'm not sure it matters precisely what that is) as social dance in general isn't a balanced exercise "diet".
 
To do some workout is MUST for Tango dancers. I remember my begginer mistakes, aspecially when I walked step 2, 3 and 4 with hip pushed to left side. I ended up with prolapse of spine plate. But I cannot blame only bad Tango technique. That time I was part of Dragon Boat team and I raced even I have hard pain. I refuse surgery and start to exercise. I prefere TRX suspension training. Is intense and targeted to core muscles. Since 2008 I never have major issue with spine and I keep myself fit.
 
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