10/12/2017
Sound advice from Jim Armstrong, (Raw Combatives ) if you can't stay on your feet you're "fooked" as he would say. PS if you're in Aussie do yourself a favour and go train with him...if you don't learn something cool, you'll at least have a lot of laughs with him..
This is something I wrote a while ago and posted on here but I thought it was worth a re-post.
Nose over toes
If you have been trained in combatives then you should be familiar with this term. But what does nose over toes actually mean and what does it give us? Well, basically it is a guide for you to get correct posture which in turn gives you good structure which in turn gives you what we all need……balance!
Nose over toes is a simple way of telling you to get correct posture. Here are a couple of things that will also help:
1. Be in your centre. This simply means that your body weight is set between your feet and not off to one side nor the other. Your nose should be equal distance to your feet, yes left to right and not straight down : ) Sounds simple and it should be but most people muck it up. Knowing where your centre is takes training and most of that training is about you thinking and feeling until it just becomes your norm. If you’d like to see if your body is naturally centred then next time you get out of the shower simply look in the mirror and see if everything is in line. I have no wish to see any pictures so keep them to yourselves! Are your knees directly in-line above your feet? Do they point forward or off to the side? Is one hip higher than the other? Is one shoulder higher than the other? There are many things to look out for but I’m no posture specialist so go and see one. After all structure beats strength and if your structure is off and your answer to this weakness is to keep adding muscle to it you’re setting yourself up for injury and/or possible joint replacements.
2. Chest, Belly, Bo****ks. Yes the last word is interchangeable but it’s just there as it’s amusing and very easy to remember : ) This actually means that you need to have those body parts in order. By this I mean that your chest should be in front of your belly and your belly should be in front of your bo****ks…or whatever bits you have there! This should give you a natural forward lean which is the start of good posture. To start with it may feel unnatural and that you’re about to fall forward but it’s the best way to be once you own it. You already use this posture when you’re in a hurry. Don’t believe me? Well, walk forward quickly with intent and a destination in mind and you’ll see that you’re all chest, belly and bo****ks, unless you’re from the ministry of funny walks! Obviously this lean, which obviously starts at the feet and ends at the head, is quite shallow and not exaggerated as that would just be silly : )
Yes, there are other things to remember and improve, head position for one, but this will do for the time being.
Now nose over toes is not just a combatives term as it’s used by all and sundry. Any coach worth their salt will talk about it e.g. get your head over the ball. Health care workers who look after the infirm and elderly use it, it’s what they use to help the infirm/elderly sit down and get up. Just try it for yourself and see as you’ll be surprised how often you use it without even knowing.
As with anything you train to do it should be something natural, something that you’ve done your whole life. Don’t become a style or system become a better you. Learn how to operate your body correctly and how to communicate with it. Nose over toes should be practised everyday as it will improve not only your own structure and physical abilities but will also change how people view you.
Why that picture? I have no idea but it reminds me of Germany and my adopted family x
Try less, do more!
