Rotation Into Bridge With QDR Exit
This is a very beautiful fusion movement, that may take a while to develop. Stay focused, make sure your wrists are warmed up and do extra wrist prehab at the end of your sessions.
A strong and stable Static QDR together with the QDR Rotational Push Ups are essential here. Go back to them and practice them often. If you do not have the control to do these, choose the beginner workout and perfect those movements first.
First one should learn the Head Bridge To QDR Push Ups.
Lay on your back. Lift into a back bridge and slide your head back, leaning on it. This will allow you to 'free' one of your arms. Lift it and bring it as far back and to the side as you can - towards your waist, placing the palm in such a way the elbow is pointing up waiting for the body to descend from above into QDR. Move your waist from above (dont collapse) and place the waist on top of the elbow in a QDR position. Make sure the elbow is firm and the wrist, lower arm and upper arm are active and resisting.
Push back up, place your head on the floor and support some weight with it. Free your QDR supporting hand and bring it back to neutral bridge position. Start over on the other side and repeat for reps.
This movement will allow you to 'oil' the lowering down process from the bridge into the QDR. Practice it until it is easy and flowing. Do not neglect this stage, it is essential for futher development.
The next stage is the Head Bridge Lower To QDR And Leg Swings.
In this stage, while lowering down from the head bridge into the QDR we will be using a cross step, from behind the knee, similar to the cross step previously used in the QDR Circles.
After lowering down and cross stepping, and when in a solid QDR position, we will swing the free leg back and forth, while maintaining balance and control, simlulating the future exit.
After 2-5 leg swings, return the swinging leg from in front of the support leg and recross backwards the support leg into the neutral back bridge position, support on the head and change the arms to the other side. Repeat for reps.
The last stage in this developmental practice will be the full Head Bridge Lower Down to QDR and Leg Swings to Slide Out.
After a couple of leg swings in the last stage final position, use the momentum created by the swings to pivot out on the supporting elbow, while changing the orientation of the legs - from one bent and the other straight to the opposite position, and push sideways into the Squat.
I cannot highlight enough the need for strong wrists and arms in the positions above. Starting this practice too early, without the proper joint preparation and strength training specific to this practice, will lead to injury. No matter how strong you think you are, I have seen ex elite gymnasts, weightlifters and dancers hurt themselves trying to learn this movement. Be humble.
The next progression after being comfortable with the Head Bridge Lower to QDR Slide Out is to add a Rotation Into High Bridge at the start.
Start with a Rotation Into High Bridge, when you reach the bridge position, lower down to your head and continue with the last exercise sequence.
After being able to do the complete combination, take away the leg swings before the slide out, to make it even smoother.
The final product is the Rotation Into High Bridge to QDR Exit.
The only difference here is taking away the head lean in the middle of the exercise, making the two movements - rotation into high bridge and QDR rotational push up and blending them in a completely seamless manner. Notice the quality of the movement, smoothness and flow. Those are main concerns in our practice. Dont just do it. Do it with flow.
Corta Capim Rotations
This is a very ancient and traditional movement pattern in many cultures. You can see the Corta Capim movement in Russian Cossack Dances, eastern martial arts, african rituals and more. It is also used in a very sophisticated way in Floreio flow work. (This is only the tip of the iceberg concerning Corta Capim variations and uses in fusion movements... Stay tuned)
From a squat, shift your weight towards one leg, transfering to the ball of the foot and opening up the knee to the side. Straighten the opposite leg sideways and place both hands on the floor in front of you.
Bring the straight leg from the side towards the center, while lifting each obstacle in 'its path' when it arrives at it, and placing the obstacle back down right after it passed.
The first obstacle would be the first hand, then the other hand, and then the opposite foot - the one that supports us on the ground.
In order to lift the foot, we need to momentarily shift the weight off it - to the hands. The body will lean forward, the inside of the supporting leg would lean against the elbow, and the weight shift will allow us to lift the supporting foot up, pass the opposite leg below it and come down into the supporting foot once it has passed.
When you finish the complete rotation either continue into another one or when reaching the original 'legs sideways position', pull your straight leg back and shift into the flat foot squat at the same time.
This whole process needs to be practiced until it is smooth and seamless. It will take some practice, start slow, and 'oil' the movement as you advance.
Other improtant details:
1. The rotating foot will slide on the floor on it heel first, then the side of the foot, (knife of the foot) then the top of the foot, the inside of it and finaly back to the heel.
2. Completely extand the leg at all times during the rotation. You want to create the biggest circle possible with the rotation, there is an special tendency to shorten the arc in the back - making it easier but not complete. Dont fall into this trap.
I have seen many movement artists, athletes and sports man trying this skill, teaching it and.... doing it with very bad movement quality - not a full circle, jerky weight shift and an obvious lack of understanding of the movement details. Dont join them, please. Take notice of the video demonstration, study it and reread the details. The devil is in the details. (and so is God)
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