I enjoy working a new exercise that feels out of the ordinary. The trainer I currently work with is talented with that creativity. Coming up with things that keep me interested and challenged. A few weeks ago, he brought out a couple blue rings. They were shaped in a circle about medium in size. The blue rings were set flat on the turf to be used for an exercise. During that workout session, the blue rings would serve the function of providing a target. To help work on jumping into a specific area. The target would be landing inside of the blue rings. This idea of target jumping had been something I had seen prior. When working with previous trainers, but the targets weren’t as specific. Some examples would be jumping over a row of small hurdles, sitting just a few inches off the floor. Another might be bunny hoping down the length of the turf. Which could also be called broad jumping. When I would jump on two feet, moving myself with stationary jumps, down the turf. Another example using one-footed jumping, involved jumping out diagonally onto one foot, then diagonally onto the other foot, moving myself in a forward direction down a floor. This movement was also a form of targeted jump. Though, in most all these cases, the target wouldn’t have the specificity of a blue ring. These jumps would require an imaginary target, I might look towards, on the floor. The hurdle jumping would probably be the strictest target. As the I would want to land between the hurdles.
In my experience, one of the most challenging aspects of my cerebral palsy has been coordinated movements. The communication of the brain with other parts of the body. Instructing the muscles within my body to work in a specific way, has always been a challenge. A tool involved with trying to improve that connection has been this concept of target jumping. My eyes identifying a place for my feet to land, following a jump. While, my brain goes about attempting to send the correct message sequence, in order to make everything happen. Remembering my work on jumping over short hurdles, like a bunny. Those jumps might have been some of the more challenging target jumps, I have performed. The challenge being felt was first, a test of clearing the small hurdle, then landing in the space between the hurdles. Which, would be like hitting a target. My anxiety during the exercise came from those facts. Questioning my ability to find enough explosiveness to clear the small hurdles, was my first concern. The second would be landing inside the given space, between the hurdles. Making the difficulty with hurdle jumping, a double parted challenge. Getting the explosive force right to clear the hurtle was difficult, as I didn’t want to fall short, and trip. However, maintaining balance in the air felt tricky. Jumping too much of a length could mean falling, as well. If I were to land on the next hurdle in the sequence, a fall was probably inevitable. The hurdles forced all of these variables to be front of mind. The landing in between the small hurdles took planning from the liftoff of the jump. Making sure I retained enough body control to clear the hurdle and land safely between each small hurdle.
Jumping over the hurdles hadn’t been worked on for some time, not for a few months. I hadn’t really done any kind of jumping for a while, come to think of it, when the blue circles appeared. For the first exercise with these circles, two of them were used. They were placed apart at an average distance, resting on the turf floor. During my first look at them, I hadn’t the faintest idea of what might be coming. Knowing it would be some kind of exercise, but unable to anticipate the concept. The assigned movement would be one of familiarity. With the idea of hopping side to side using one-footed jumps. The blue circles would act as the landing place of a single foot. The exercise would be a one-footed lateral jump, with a targeted landing. The target being to land on a single foot, inside of the blue circle. I jumped back and forth in a lateral direction, making sure each jump concluded with a foot landing inside the circle. The only worry inside of this exercise was the maintaining of balance. There wasn’t anything to be tripped over, like would have been the case, in jumping over the small hurdles. However, the lateral jump felt more challenging. Attempting to generate explosive power off one leg, instead of making the jump off both legs. Along with making the explosive movement to the side, rather than in a forward motion. The same kind of challenge would occur when landing inside the circle. Landing on just one foot reduced the stability that could be found from landing on two feet. Placing a significate challenge on landing on the one foot inside the blue circle. The movement of lateral jumping to a target provided a good variety of challenges to contend with.
Working on the lateral target jump carried some real-world implications. The exercise would help with one of my hobbies outside the gym, if not with both of them. When I was working on lateral jumping back and forth. The motion reminded me of something an ice skater would work on. Shifting their weight from one skate to the next, while allowing each foot to glide with the movement, before shift to the opposite foot. They move energy from one foot to the other in an explosive pattern. Relaying on the planted foot to absorb the energy into the skate. Using it to help propel them down the ice. I will probably never be mistaken for a good skater. Might never be mistaken for a skater, at all. However, because of my enjoyment for downhill skiing. I can understand the concept of transferring weight onto a single foot and calling upon it to maintain balance, as the body moves. Skiing can also make the dependence of the one-footed balance happen quickly. When a bump in the slope might go undetected. The terrain on a ski slope rarely feels predictable. With my body weight having to shift at a moment’s notice, or sometimes unexpectedly. Having confidence in my ability to steady momentum on one foot comes in handy on skis. Making the lateral explosion from one foot to the other, a helpful exercise for the summer. Helping me improve my catching of momentum and stabilizing it on one foot.
The same drill with the two blue circles helps my golf, being played in the summer. Controlled weight shifting feels like an important part of executing a good golf swing. As my weight rotates onto my back foot, then onto my front foot, to complete the swing. The weight shift from back foot to front foot, is the explosive movement most responsible for generating distance. Like landing on one foot in the middle of the circle. The front foot of the golf swing has to create stability following the explosive movement. Strength in the balancing foot, whether completing the golf swing, or completing the turn on the ski slopes, helps me become a better athlete. The lateral jumping drill helps the challenging of finding balance during explosive movements. Helping work on the coordination throughout my body for my hobbies to improve. Cerebral palsy has hampered that mind-body connection, so important to improving our athletic endeavors. Without truly knowing how much improvement we can find. The most important aspect seems to be continuing to try getting better. Like the athletes, I come across in the gym, who have amazing genetic gifts, but continue working tirelessly to improve their mind-body connection, even just slightly. I draw inspiration from them to work harder in trying to improve mine. The scale between their elite athletic ability and my challenges of cerebral palsy, are dramatically different. However, we both seem to be working hard, chasing whatever improvement we can find.
A Journey With Cerebral Palsy 