When the head wraps around the instrument
We don't realize it by playing, but over the years, a silent transformation sometimes occurs. The head projects forward and wraps around your instrument.
What you sometimes perceive with fear on photos or videos — that neck that seems to fall forward, that buffalo hump that appears at the top of the back — or that you notice in your child, is a postural strategy that your body installs to support a weight that has become too heavy. It is an imbalance which has its origin at a distance, far from what is observed at the beginning.
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Muscle exhaustion
The starting point is mathematical: a head projected of only 3 cm forward increases the load on your cervical column about 50 %.
To stabilize this weight, your superficial muscles are activated (e.g. trapezes), asphyxiating very quickly, because they try to compensate for the work of deep muscles that have become inactive and the long-lasting postural chains that are not recruited.
I — Internal conflict
By winding around the instrument, one can have a sense of relaxation, of rest. But deep postural muscles inhibit. There is then the dynamic muscles, made to produce punctual force on a movement and not endurance on a posture, which try to hold as long as possible.
Self-test: Lying·e on the back, pull in the chin and take off the 2 cm head. If you tremble before 10 seconds, your deep muscles must be reeducated.
II — Why? « standing straight » does not work
Stretching by force will activate these dynamic, superficial muscles, pulling the head and shoulder blades back. By rebound effect, it throws your head even more forward as soon as you release your attention.
Cheating with gravity - project your trunk forward: The head only returns to its place when the trunk is well placed and the balance is built below. Instead of arching the back, we are looking for a slight hip bending to activate your posterior chains naturally. Gravity does the rest, it is an economic chain that can hold over time.
III — Ground anchor: the root of your neck
Your body is a network of uninterrupted muscles and facias. A postural chain connects your toes to the base of your skull.
If you play « Cut·e soil », your brain perceives instability and finds stability in the nearest segment: your neck will seek to rebalance the weight of your body and all muscle tone will be reported on the forearms and hands. Finding an active anchor finally allows the neck muscles to relax. This seems remote, but can easily be felt by being accompanied during the sessions.
Moving from concern to understanding
The body can « Unlearn » if it regains the right support and is voluntarily activated key muscles. The idea is not to judge your technique, or to remove aspects of your game but rather to activate new perceptions, to understand how your body works, to put your muscle tone at the service of your game.
Do not stay with your doubts, let's discuss it: send me a short message, a photo and I will be able to present you a first proposal to accompany. If you're ready to come see me, go to Onedoc!
