Increasing speed while maintaining grace in your routine

[ushma_t]

I have always faced this issue where the grace and even the form of the routine is compromised at higher speeds. How do you train your body for this coordination required at high speeds?

[savithas]

Hi Ushma. Speed is a critical function of a subset of muscles you have (endurance being the other subset). These muscle fibers need to be challenged in order to make you really fast. If you are training regimen is the same, you will not be able to progress towards your desired goal – which is one of the issues with randomn schedules of dance practice sessions, not based in goal setting. You will also more importantly need to train the energy system that responds the fastest to speed bursts (there are three different energy systems in your body!). This will ensure that you can increase the ability of your body to cope with increased oxygen demands, more blood supply, more turnover of energy compounds and so on… in a very short time. Also, you need to understand how to position those speed units in a choreography so your body can actually deliver them (build recovery etc). There are limits to human performance that come into play. Your question is making me think! Perhaps a video series on this concept may be useful… thank you for this inspiration.

[ushma_t]

Wow, I did not realise there were so many aspects to speed! I kept blaming my lack of practice for not being able to match up to faster beats. A video series on this concept would be a tremendous eye opener. Thanks!

[admin]

Certainly Ushma – will put it in my list. Keep writing – it lets the Inner Circle be more relevant to all of you. And that is my purpose for creating this portal.

[Lali]

I loved to read about this!
I would like to add from my short experience and advising that I am not yet good at my movements in third speed, something that specifically in my practice helps me a lot: try to find which breath corresponds to each movement, as when in Yoga we do Vinyasa, movement consciously accompanied by breathing, I mean: it is not the same to do the “attack” of an arm forward than backwards, and for each movement I have tried to find the breath to accompany it. That is what I repeat many times at first speed until my body learns to do the movement together with the breath and slowly, when passing at slightly faster speeds, the body remembers movement + breathing and flows better.
It is my humble contribution, which is only my experience. I am open to read what you think!
Thanks for this question and for the answers!

[admin]

Hi Lali,

Thank you for your very thoughtful message. If your approach works well for you, you should definitely use it. Breath and movement are intrinsically connected but I am not so sure about processing breath beyond a conscious ‘slowing’ down – the result of a meditative/objective distancing from the physicality of the movement itself. I say this because choreography is complex and may not be manageable in terms of conscious processing of the breath. If you are training for speed in Bharatanatyam, cardiovascular fitness would be a part of it. I find base training and interval training to be best in getting me to my cardiovascular goals. If I am fit to handle the stress of the oxygen demand, my mind is free to relax in the movement. Please do write in with more such inspiring ideas! It might be useful to many on the Inner Circle.

[Author]

Posts