Help with tensed shoulder

[bleeblue]

I've been fencing with my wepon arm shoulder tensed for as long as i can remember - it was never picked up by any of my earlier coaches and so i never corrected myself. My recent coaches have noticed it and i'm trying to correct it. I'm finding it hard to correct myself after fencing so long with a tense shoulder for so long, can anyone give me some recomendations on how to try and correct this.

[telkanuru]

The way it was taught to me was 'extend with your tricep', if that helps.

[kalivor]

Try coming to en garde in 8 instead of 6, and extend from there.

[Mr Epee]

have you tried relaxing your shoulder?

If someone is telling you your shoulder is tight, then that someone should also be able to help you learn to relax it.

The problem with relaxation exercises is that it is usually a mental technique specific to the individual. So what helps me relax, may not help you at all, and might cause extra tension.

The tricep extension mentioned above is good, but I would also spend a lot of time alone, lying on your back, and also on lying on your off side, moving your your shoulder through its full range of motion, then reaching and stretching. This behavior may help you to become more aquainted with the construct of your shoulder. The developed awareness can be usefull for learning what/how to relax. It's a mapping skill.

[kalivor]

If someone is telling you your shoulder is tight, then that someone should also be able to help you learn to relax it.

Nice thought, but sometimes it's easier to see the error than it is to correct it.

[achilleus]

Thread.

If you do a search, you'll find previous threads discussing the same subject.
Enjoy.

[shlepzig]

Practicing relaxing is a good start, but probably not what is wrong.

Look for other things about your technique or stance that may require you to tense up. You are probably tense because you are fighting your stance in some way.

1. If you are trying to hold a pose that is unnatural to you, or you aren't flexible enough to hold easily. This is common with newbies trying to hold the coiled scorpion pose with the off arm. Flexibility comes with time and a new pose becomes natural and more relazed with practice, remember to stretch those tense muscles regularly before and after fencing.

2. Stance too wide can cause your legs to tense up to maintain this pose, this will lead you to slow clumsy footwork. Again, with practice you may adapt to this pose, or you may find a more comfortable pose.

3. (Personal lesson learned) Rotating the hand too far on extension was causing my shoulder to make up the difference. That took it out of a natural position and made it tense. Other positions of body parts can also take their toll on whether everything is going to be loose.

4. Feet, hips and shoulders aligned right, misalignment brings them out of postion and makes you tense up to compensate. The whole body is one unit, the on guard starts with the toes and goes up, or with the head and works down, everything needs to work together.

Watch a person whose toe is out of alignment (15 deg or so) when they lunge, first the knee compensates to correct the direction. Then the hip, which pulls on the spine, which will direct the shoulders, which in combination with the neck will throw the tip off. The person will drill their hand day after day, but it's not a hand problem, it's a foot problem.

Shlep.

[Teme]

One of the things to look for is your free hand. Try to keep the fingers relaxed. Any tension there will transfer via elbow to shoulders and to weapon arm. Dunno why, but that's how it is.
As corrective exercises, you could try to jumping feet together and arms bend so that fingers touch shoulders. Then, either in the rhytm of jumping or arhytmically, throw your arms straigh (but like boiled spaghetti) up, sideways, forward and bend them again. Get your body used to legs doing the work while arms remain relaxed. Then do some footwork, letting your arms swing freely by your side, just hanging there. And finally, balance your weapon on it's tip on your palm in on guard position, and continue the footwork while letting you free arm to hang and swing along.
This way you should be able to notice when you start to build up the tension and relax your shoulders conciously.

[A Fencer]

I've been fencing with my wepon arm shoulder tensed for as long as i can remember - it was never picked up by any of my earlier coaches and so i never corrected myself. My recent coaches have noticed it and i'm trying to correct it. I'm finding it hard to correct myself after fencing so long with a tense shoulder for so long, can anyone give me some recomendations on how to try and correct this.

I recommend smoking a big bowl before you fence. Has worked wonders for me...

[flying foil]

I struggled with the same issue and found a couple of things to be very helpful-

1- make sure that you are breathing - I found this to be one of the biggest problems- I would kinda stick in an inhale and then fence - not only does it tense up my shoulders- but it makes me turn red and become exhausted!

2 - really think about dropping that weapon arm shoulder and feeling a stretch between your neck and shoulder - but make sure you aren't sucking your elbow back in too much - there should still be at least 5 inches or so between the hip bone and the elbow.

3 - I do shoulder circle swings - you know like a windmill - this is a good one for stretching out those tensions

4 - my hubby/coach will put my arm on the top of his shoulder and then kinda crunch around on my shoulder area - it is a good pain

Hope this helps!!

[Rodeo79]

Do footwork and blade work facing a mirror...
Watch your shoulder and make sure you keep it relaxed...
Its not something you can do once and fix it will take quite a while to fix..
Another thing is do drills on the wall and after each touch correct yourself and make sure your shoulder is nice and relaxed...