Fast Twitch - Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers

[Jade Tigress]

I understand the perception issues mentioned. But I truly am slow. Not just on new things, when slowness is expected as you learn and perfect a technique.

Even when I was training the Sil Lum I moved slowest when doing forms, whether is was empty hand or a weapons form. I did the forms well and with more precision than the ones who went quicker for the most part though.

In my current art speed is a factor. I don't expect to be quick when learning something new. I'm wondering if there is anyway to improve my speed though, because I naturally move slower and end up losing quality when I try to go too fast.

The problem that women have is that they have, proportionally to body weight, far fewer fast twitch muscles in their upper bodies than men do. So there are certain kinds of activities involving arm or shoulder strength that women have a much rougher time developing the strength for than men have.

Below the waist, though, it's a different story---women have the same ratio of fast-twitch muscles to unit of body weight than men do. So with leg strength, it's a level playing field. Women can increase their endurance above the waist with no trouble, because most of their muscles in that part of their skeletal anatomy are slow twitch. But there are going to be certain limits there so far as strength, speed and power go.

So this would help explain why even though I have muscular arms, push-ups are still the most difficult exercise for me. I just cannot keep up with the guys no matter what. However, when it comes to sit-ups or horse stances I can compete.

 

[7starmantis]

Jade,
take your forms apart and work on speed in sections. For instance, say your form starts with a left hand grab, step through punch into horse stance. Just start your form and go as fast as you can over and over just grabbing. Then grab and add the step through, then the step through horse stance, then the punch, etc. This way you still maintain form and proper alignment yet you cna really start to build speed. This takes a long time. Do each piece over and over and over, I mean like hundreds of times. That should help, just remember, proper is better than faster.

7sm

 

[Bigshadow]

That should help, just remember, proper is better than faster.

That is a great statement. I would also add... When one has truly learned something and made it their own, they should be able to perform that fast or slow without any loss of quality. It has been my experience that if something breaks down or loses quality at speed, then I have either not learned it correctly or well enough, yet (which is one in the same I suppose)...

 

[exile]

So this would help explain why even though I have muscular arms, push-ups are still the most difficult exercise for me. I just cannot keep up with the guys no matter what. However, when it comes to sit-ups or horse stances I can compete.

Pam, what you describe here sounds like almost a textbook case of the difference in fast/slow twitch muscle distribution that women manifest. That doesn't necessarily mean that you can't further develop what ft muscles in your upper body you do have---most people have `reserve capacity' that they never fully exploit (partly because it demands very intense resistance training that many people find just too unpleasant physically to be able to sustain for long enough to do the trick).

But I have a sense, admittedly based on nothing very solid, that the slowness you describe, to the extent that it is physically real, is something that can be overcome. I have terrible problems with left/right side balance asymmetry, but over time I've begun to narrow the gap, and I figure that if I can do something like that, anyone can---I suspect that balance is even harder to train than speed. Bigshadow and 7*mantis' suggestions sound right on target to me. I'm sure there must be ways you can rev up your performance...

 

[Kenpodoc]

I understand the perception issues mentioned. But I truly am slow. Not just on new things, when slowness is expected as you learn and perfect a technique.

Even when I was training the Sil Lum I moved slowest when doing forms, whether is was empty hand or a weapons form. I did the forms well and with more precision than the ones who went quicker for the most part though.

In my current art speed is a factor. I don't expect to be quick when learning something new. I'm wondering if there is anyway to improve my speed though, because I naturally move slower and end up losing quality when I try to go too fast.



So this would help explain why even though I have muscular arms, push-ups are still the most difficult exercise for me. I just cannot keep up with the guys no matter what. However, when it comes to sit-ups or horse stances I can compete.

i've not seen you working but I doubt that you are describing a fast twitch/slow twitch problem. all Human beings are fast. to paraphrase Huk Planas just think of a stick flying at your eye. You will move unconsciously and quickly. I suspect the problem that you are experiencing is the conscious mind overriding the unconscious apllication. Wok on relaxing and moving fluidly and the speed will come when you don't try to push it. 7statmantis and Bigshadow are giving very good advise. Repetition helps move movement out the conscious to the unconscious.

Good Luck, learning to relax and not think is very hard for some of us.

Jeff

 

[Jade Tigress]

i've not seen you working but I doubt that you are describing a fast twitch/slow twitch problem. all Human beings are fast. to paraphrase Huk Planas just think of a stick flying at your eye. You will move unconsciously and quickly. I suspect the problem that you are experiencing is the conscious mind overriding the unconscious apllication. Wok on relaxing and moving fluidly and the speed will come when you don't try to push it. 7statmantis and Bigshadow are giving very good advise. Repetition helps move movement out the conscious to the unconscious.

Good Luck, learning to relax and not think is very hard for some of us.

Jeff

Thank you. I'll remember that.