Part 1 of 2: So You Want Skills?
Before we jump into skills, what they are, why we want them and how to best achieve them – let’s first understand Fitness in a broader sense.
True Fitness comprised 10 General areas.
- Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance – The ability of the body’s systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen
- Stamina – The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy
- Strength – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force
- Flexibility – the ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint
- Power – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time
- Speed – The ability to minimize the cycle time of a repeated movement
- Coordination – The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement
- Agility – The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another
- Balance – The ability to control the placement of the body’s center of gravity in relation to its support base
- Accuracy – The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity
You are as fit as you are competent in each of these 10 skills, and a regimen develops fitness to the extent that it improves each of these 10 skills.
Improvements in endurance, stamina, strength, and flexibility come about through training.
Training refers to activity that improves performance through a measurable organic change in the body.
By contrast, improvements in coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy come about through practice.
Practice refers to activity that improves performance through changes in the nervous system.
Power and speed are adaptations of both training and practice.
If your goal is optimum physical competence, then all 10 general physical skills must be considered and developed.
What Are Skills?
Here are some examples of movements that can be deemed as skills within fitness.
The Double Under.
Rope Climb.
Kipping Pullup.
Butterfly Pullup.
Chest to Bar Pullup.
Bar Muscle up.
Ring Muscle up.
Toe to Bar.
Kipping Handstand Pushup.
Handstand Walking.
What Is The Prerequisite For Skills?
Within the gym not all movements are created equal.
Movements range in terms of the demand.
So do the abilities of all the people around you if you train in a group fitness environment.
It’s very easy to see a neighbor who you feel is in a similar fitness realm as you, do a movement and tell yourself, “I should be able to do that too.”
And that simply is not the case.
The foundation of all movement is a requirement of a certain amount of strength.
Let’s take those 10 movements listed from above and break down what’s required in more detail.
THE 10 SKILLS AND THEIR PREREQUISITES
The Double Under
REQUIREMENTS:
-Pain free knees, back and ankles.
-100 Unbroken Single Unders
-25-40+ Unbroken Power Jumps
The Double Under.
Jump rope passing under your feet twice, while you’ve only jumped once.
Some pick it up quick.
Some it takes months or years of practice.
Why is that?
Outside of the physical capacity needed: repeatability in bounding, baseline stamina and conditioning and calf endurance…
We need more adaptations within the brain to take place.
Timing.
Coordination.
Rhythm.
Accuracy.
Wrist dexterity.
This deep mind-body connection of understanding the jump is steady and slightly taller while the wrist and rope speed doubles.
One slow and steady – one fast. Two separate occurrences simultaneously happening in sync.
Achieving one double under isn’t incredible hard.
Multiple unbroken double unders becomes a feat.
Incorporating them within a workout under fatigue and taxed muscle groups and elevated heart rate is next level.
Double Unders become an active rest station within a workout? You have arrived at double under mastery.
However, to get there, the basics must be mastered.
Jump timing.
Consistency.
Improving upon inefficiencies that waste a lot of energy (ie: the kick back, the extra tall jump, the in air-knee tuck, or the fly-away arms.)
Skills are built in non stress settings.
They are tested within a workout/training.
The Rope Climb.
Strength Requirements
-The ability to lower yourself up and down the rope with upper body strength several times.
-The ability to support yourself in a bent arm hanging position anywhere from :10-:20+ seconds
-The ability to support your weight with your upper body for at least :05, multiple times.
All of these are required before any person can comfortably connect the dots of the necessary footwork a rope climb takes.
The footwork in itself is connecting the brain and the body.
It’s learning a pattern you can do, on repeat.
But before you learn that pattern, you need baseline strength.
Once you have baseline strength, you need TIME to learn and engrain the pattern.
Practice, Practice, Practice.
Toes to Bar.
Strength Requirements
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-Lat strength.
-Hamstring Flexibility.
-Grip strength.
-5-10+ Kipping Knees to armpit/triceps.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
Can you reach down and touch your toes? Step 1.
Can you hang from the pullup bar for :20-1:00 min plus? Step 2.
Can you do 10-20+ strict knee raises while hanging from that pullup bar? Step 3.
Do you have the mind and body connection to understand how to use your upper body to kip swing? Step 4.
Once the kip is down, can you bring your knees to your armpits as you push your upper body behind the bar? Step 5
In that same push back of your kip, with your knees up towards your chest can you quickly extend at the knee and hit the bar with both feet between your hands? Step 6.
One toe to bar can be one of the easiest skills for most people to achieve.
With the steps above listed out and all being doable – it can feel like you unearthed something special.
Because you have.
Linking multiple toes to the bar though, that’s a different story.
That takes more than just the 6 steps listed above.
It takes tremendous lat strength.
It takes mind-body connection in the rhythm, timing and accuracy.
It takes grip strength.
It takes abdominal strength.
Hip flexor strength.
Flexibility.
All things that take time and practice.
So if you can achieve one, congratulations.
You are on your way.
Multiples take time.
And getting your lats stronger is going to be a key component in unlocking more.
The Kipping Pullup.
Strength Requirements
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
–Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-At least 5-10 Strict Pull Ups with bodyweight.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
Why the 5-10 strict pullups? What If I have 1 strict pullup?
That’s great you can do 1 strict pullup. That’s actually a HUGE milestone achievement.
For the health of your shoulders and joint tissue, you’d be better off building much more strict strength before adding the dynamic loaded range that kipping pull ups can demand on the body.
Can people with 1-3 strict pullups possess the strength to kip? Yes.
Is it likely safe long term? No.
Health and longevity trump’s initial wants and desires.
Keep building.
The Chest To Bar Pullup
Strength Requirements
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
–Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-At least 5-10+ Strict Pull Ups with bodyweight.
-At least 10-15+ Unbroken Kipping Pullups.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
The chest to bar pullup adds about 4 more inches of pulling power required than the traditional chin-over-the bar target.
It demands more hip power and more upper body pulling strength.
It is much more demanding than a traditional chin over the bar.
Once mastery and consistency in the kipping pullup has been achieved, adding in this next layer is your next step.
However, don’t be alarmed if it feels like you’re starting over again.
The extra effort required is humbling.
And almost all new skills take even the most advanced back to the humble beginnings.
Always remain a coachable student to the game of fitness.
The Butterfly Pullup.
Strength Requirements
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
–Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-At least 5-10 Strict Pull Ups with bodyweight.
-15-20+ Unbroken Kipping Pullups.
-5-10+ Unbroken Chest to bar Pullups.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
We should learn and strive for mastery of kipping before butterfly pullups enter the equation.
It’s steps up ladder.
Ring Row → Bar Hang → Chin Over Bar Hold → Negatives → Strict Pullups → Kipping Pullups → Chest To Bar Pullup → Butterfly Pullups
Butterfly Pullup is the fastest variation of a pullup. Like kipping, recruits upper and lower body in a maximum power output. And done elegantly, looks pretty dang cool.
However, skipping the pre req steps is a surefire way to set your shoulders up for a possible injury.
Butterfly is a whole other level of coordination. The upper body is moving in a circular fashion while the lower body is actually moving in reverse.
Done incorrectly and without the necessary foundation in strict strength and kipping development it is a lot of energy or torque dumped onto the shoulders.
Health and longevity trump’s initial wants and desires.
Keep building.
Note: Those who have 10-20+ Strict Pullups, 15-30+ Kipping Pullups aka the rare upper body ninja’s never leave a skill behind. Mastery in all forms is the ultimate pathway to gymnastics success.
The Bar Muscle up.
Strength Requirements:
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
–Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-At least 5-10 Strict Pull Ups with bodyweight.
-15-20+ Unbroken Kipping Pullups.
-5-10+ Unbroken Chest to bar Pullups.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
Ah the sexy bar muscle up.
Done correctly it is beautiful.
Done muscling, wrestling our way to the top, “chicken winging” as they call it, is a recipe for not treating your shoulders well.
The bar muscle up is a further advancement of pulling and hip power.
A person needs to be able to possess incredible pulling power (as we will be aiming to pull our HIPS to the bar) and a neurological (mind-body) connection of timing, rhythm and understanding of the basic body in space.
A breakdown of drills best helps any trainee here understand the magnitude of versatility and demand that’s required.
And just when we think that’s the mecca…enter it’s bigger more bad ass bigger brother…
The Ring Muscle up.
Strength Requirements:
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
–Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-At least 5-10 Strict Pull Ups with bodyweight.
-15-20+ Unbroken Kipping Pullups.
-5-10+ Unbroken Chest to bar Pullups.
-5-10+ Strict Ring Dips.
-1-5+ Bar Muscle Ups.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
Most people would benefit from learning the strict ring muscle up before kipping.
The strict ring muscle up is one of the hardest upper body pulling exercises you can do.
And it demands a lot.
Pulling strength to the sternum.
Ab and core strength and control.
Timing and accuracy of turn over.
Pressing strength out of a deep ring dip.
And not to mention – fearlessness as you’ll be 8-10ft in the air.
It’s sheer demand and challenge scares almost all who try away.
Its kipping counterpart (with the appropriate pre-reqs in place) can be easier to wrap our minds (and bodies) around.
The kipping muscle up is a beautiful movement.
Its full body.
Pulling strength. Pressing strength.
Hip power.
Ab strength.
It is at the top of the food chain for a reason.
It is extremely difficult.
Getting 1 is a major milestone in any person’s journey and even getting there should not be understated.
Linking many requires a whole new level of strength, power, skill and one-ness with your body.
The Kipping Handstand Pushup.
Strength Requirements:
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
–Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-Healthy pain free wrists.
-Healthy pain free neck.
-5-10 Strict Handstand Pushups.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
Before we kip – always master the strict.
It’s a crucial step for the safety, health and preservation of joint health.
Strict Handstand Push Ups do not come easy.
We first need a handstand hold.
Which demands wrist flexion, scapula endurance, shoulder and tricep strength.
We then need stability and comfort upside down.
This is built via time under tension. Aka more holds.
For the strict handstand pushup…
We need tremendous strength in multiple areas including:
shoulders, scapula, triceps, upper back and our core.
Deficient in any area and you can be dead in your tracks.
Sometimes it’s not even about competency in a given movement as much as it is deficiency in a particular muscle or muscle group.
Once we have 5-10+ strong strict handstand pushups.
We can learn how to kip these.
Which adds the hip power into the equation which will help us produce more power. More power = great results.
Kipping demands the comfort of a brief rest on our heads (on a mat.)
It’s positional and body awareness while our bodies are upside down.
That’s next level awareness.
Technique is important here as to not over extend at the back during the upward kip, which can create irritation in the back.
Or excessive resting on the head, creating neck discomfort.
Hand placement, head placement, it all matters.
Handstand Walking.
Strength Requirements:
-Healthy pain free shoulders (this is a must if you care about your body.)
–Healthy pain free lower back (this is a must if you care about your body.)
-Healthy pain free wrists.
-Healthy pain free neck.
-:30-1:00 Hollow Hold.
-:30-1:00 Handstand Hold
-20-30+ Wall Facing Shoulder Taps.
-Full range of motion in shoulder flexion (to avoid causing injury.)
Walking on your hands.
Outside the pre-reqs for a moment – you need immense self trust.
Trust in your body, your abilities and a willingness to get outside your comfort zone.
Humbling in the beginning stages.
Practice, practice, practice.
It’s almost like we are transported back to being little children walking.
Yet when we are learning to walk we aren’t upset with every failed attempt at what can feel like progress.
Yet, we are pro’s now at walking.
Handstand walking is no different.
It takes time.
Best done starting on the wall and slowly working away from it.
Every new distanced walk from 1 ft to a 6ft mat should be acknowledged as a personal victory.
Important here is positions. Best done not over extending at the low back or that can become a hefty price to pay to “look cool.”
That’s why flexibility and mobility are rooted within all of these skills.
Otherwise we are over reaching our bodies capabilities and that will soon catch up with sensations that do not feel good.
In Part II: We’ll break down
Why do they take so long to build/achieve?
Knowing why you want a skill.
→ And serious about what you’re willing to do.
Good, Better, Best and Worst Ways To Achieve Skills:
Success Stories
In love & Service,
Coach Shawn
