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Kotegaeshi.
Another of the core wrist stretches in Aikido. Just remember - it's not only about your wrists. It's about your whole body.
Double click the black & white picture above to play a video of Kotegaeshi, single click to stop. If the mini-video didn't download automatically, you can get it while you're reading. It's only 71 K.
(Get the most recent Quicktime plug-in for best performance.)
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How to do it. |
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Hold your left hand in front of your chest, palm up, wrist curled. |
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Grip the base of your left thumb with your right fingers. Put your right thumb behind your left ring finger. |
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Bend your left wrist slightly using your right hand. |
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Drop both hands down toward waist level, increasing the stretch in your wrist as you go. Repeat 5 times, then switch sides. |
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Tips.
- Don't grip tightly with the hand that's holding. Feel like it's simply stuck there with glue.
- On the hand that's holding, the pinky and the thumb do most of the work.
- Don't hurt yourself! This should feel like therapy, not pain. If you grimace, you're not doing it right.
- Remember to have correct posture in the rest of your body, too. Stand on the balls of your feet with your heels just lightly touching the ground. Look straight forward, not at the ground.
- Try counting out loud to five as you do this exercise. Project you voice far forward (unless, of course, you happen to be in a crowded office environment as you read this.)
- Do ki exercises like this one in the morning to get your day off to a good start. But also try using them when something makes you feel anxious.
- Enjoy the feeling that comes from doing this exercise. Inhale it. It comes naturally from doing these ki exercises - it's not something you have to wait years to experience.
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