Move The Arms

and Maintain Your Stack

Maybe you see the theme here? Last week we explored maintaining the stack as we move the legs. Now let’s do it as we move the arms! Both movements are designed to tone the abdominal muscles for stability and promote independent movement of the four limbs. Think of it as an exercise in liberating arm and leg movement!

Last week we invited the ball located at the upper end of the upper leg bone (femur) to move in the socket located on the pelvis increasing the natural leg mobility. Similarly, this week we invite the ball at the upper end of the upper arm bone (humerus) to move about the socket on the shoulder blade's outside. Combine this ball and socket movement with shoulder blade movement over the rib cage and you have healthy arm movement. This means string players can bow and navigate the fingerboard, keyboard players to navigate the keys, wind & brass players can support their instruments (and breathe efficiently), and singers to have freedom in the shoulder region for sound - all more easily!

A little more detail about the arms…

The underside of the shoulder blade is rounded and designed to move over the rounded ribs (see: Moving Arms, Moving Shoulder Blades). If the rib cage is pivoted forward the rounded shape of the rear and side of the rib cage flattens.

Cue rounded underside of the shoulder blade on the flattened rib cage - ouch!

The stack positions the rib cage beautifully supports healthy arm mobility.

Here is a Movement of the Week or MOW as I call them in my classes NEC and Longy to move the arms and maintain the stack.