Cerebral palsy can have its impact on different parts of the body. Sometimes only the upper half or lower half. Other times the disability might influence only the left or right side. In my case, cerebral palsy has an impact on my entire body. The left side is more impaired, but cerebral palsy can be … More Ten Bounces
It pays to be a winner. This has been a phrase used by Bernard. He has utilized it the entire time we have worked together. With many aspects going into the phrase. It helps activate one of the most important concepts needed in training, focus. When the mind begins to wonder inside the gym or … More Repetition Penalty
The time had arrived to move on from the lacrosse ball in our bouncing exercise. Life had found me beginning to play tennis regularly. That play gave Bernard a couple new ideas for our sessions. One was starting to work with the tennis ball in my hands. It was going to be a more challenging … More Tennis Ball Bounce
Catching any type of object in my hand is challenging. Especially in my left hand, which seems more impacted by CP. One of the goals of Bernard has been to work on hand dexterity. Working on not only the left, but right hand as well. It has also been important to work with each hand … More Lacrosse Ball Bounce
We have been throwing different size exercise balls lately. Tossing them against a trampoline in a movement we call rebounding. The exercise also involves practice with targeting. The trampoline rebounds the ball back to me, where I’m required to make the catch. The ball then gets thrown back against the trampoline, repeating the cycle. For … More Heavier Exercise Ball
Many exercises we work on find a progression. They become more challenging as time passes. If we are getting better at performance, things need to become more difficult. After working for years with the soft-sided exercise ball, we moved forward. Inside the rebounding movement of throwing the ball against a trampoline. The trampoline sitting at … More Hard-Sided Exercise Ball
One of the most productive exercises in training has been rebounding. Throwing a ball against an angled trampoline. For years, we have been using a ten-pound exercise ball for the movement. From a distance of about five feet away, throwing over my head. Taking the ball in two hands and releasing it from over my … More Soft-Sided Exercise Ball
In my view, the movement felt like coming from one side. We worked on it earlier in this week. An exercise I had not done in almost two years. Stepping up onto a platform about two feet off the ground. The platform I was stepping onto might have been a couple feet in diameter and … More Side Step Up
The word has been attached to my thoughts. The thoughts going through my mind daily. Being different has always carried a negative connotation in my cognitive stream. If something was out of the norm, it often seemed to be wrong. Though being different can also be something positive. A person might be exceptionally skilled in … More Different
Jacobs ladder has been a piece of exercise equipment used for cardio work. The ladder also helps with coordination and balance. Jacobs ladder is exactly what you are thinking. It is a never-ending ladder. Climbing onto the ladder causes the rungs to move under your feet. Set at an approximate forty-five-degree angle. The concept involves … More Taking A Spill
