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Walk Exercise with Pauses

Relearning the walk? It is important to understand a walk movement which otherwise occurs subconsciously.

Preface
Through out the exercise one has to bear in mind to relax as much as possible, and to find a shortcut to ease out in the pattern without sacrificing the basic requirements for the particular exercise. This is so as each person is different and has a unique identity. Thus as one practices a general movement to adapt to self, the basic feature of an exercise remains the same however a different style is born that is unique and characteristic of the individuality of that person.

A straight line is the shortest distance between two points. Thus if one moves along it the energy expended is the least and thus the pattern looks and feels more effortless.

Draw a straight line on the floor or imagine it there, on which one would be walking. The line should pass through the centre of the foot for every step. Stand erect with the stationary foot on the line and the other foot close on the side and just off the floor.

When driving a truck it's easier to carry cargo that is secured with fasteners and ropes, unlike the unsecured cargo that keeps shifting continuously, when the truck is moving. Such is certainly very inconvenient and it could be hazardous also. Similarly one has to be very conscious of the posture for good balance and least expenditure of energy.

Keep steady the posture taken here at the start for the entire exercise. The arms are stretched to the side for balance. The knees are kept relaxed and definitely never rigid.

To shift a light object, say a chair form one end of a room to the other to patterns can be applied. One is to simply shift the chair by pushing it and dragging it along the floor. The second method would be to lift the chair and carry it a foot away and then to keep it down again and to repeat this till the chair is moved to the other end. This is very logical and every one would agree that the former pattern is the most convenient one. However in our actual Walk we use the latter pattern, where a person is continuously moving up and down with every stride. The upward movement is as good as lifting ones self and working against the gravity and thus doing extra work. Thus in a walking race the centre of gravity is shifted from side to side with the hip movements to compensate for the bobbing action in a normal walk.
"During normal brisk walking the head and shoulders may move up and down about eight centimetres. Race walking reduces this bobbing movements to less than three centimetres." Extract from THE FIT BODY - BUILDING ENDURANCE.

The knees need to be bent such that the body-weight vertical force acts through the knees and the balls of the feet. For this stand against the wall with feet apart at convenient stride length. Mark one's height on the wall. Now stand with feet together and relax the knees such that the height is maintained. Feel this position of bent knees, as this would be the position of knees when feet are together. Thus as the feet are moved for the Walk the knees straighten such that the overall height remains the same.

The Forward Walk
For the purpose of this exercise only we will consider that the stationary foot is the Right foot, which is kept flat on the floor that is carrying the entire body weight and the other is the moving foot.

This is done to four counts and at every count one must pause briefly to get the feel of the position and balance. The longer the pause the better is the expertise.

For the first count, let the body move forward so that the weight shifts from the heel to the ball of the Right foot. In this process the knees are pushed forward along with the body and simultaneously the ankle raised such that one's height from the floor remains unchanged. At this moment the vertical line of force due to body weight acts through the centre of gravity of the person, and travelling through the knee and ball or the Right foot. Pause in this position for some time, say for counts from 1 to 10.

For the second count of the exercise, swing the left foot forward from the hip, and simultaneously push by straightening the Right knee the force of which is felt exclusively in the ball of the Right foot. As a result of this the weight of the body is distributed equally on the Left heel and Right ball only, as the Left toe and the Right heel are well off the floor. Now both the knees would be more straight but not rigid. The vertical line of force through which the body weight acts is between the two feet. Pause in this position as given above.

For the third part of this exercise, move very slightly back to relax the right knee slightly, and once again push to move forward. This push is necessary since the exercise is being done with pauses. With this push let the body weight shift on to the flat foot from the heel of the Left foot. And simultaneously the push brings the Right foot along side the Left foot, which is kept off the floor.

For the last part, shift the body-weight forward so that it is mainly felt on the ball, however the heel is not lifted of the floor, as yet.

Now the exercise can be repeated with the Right foot as the moving foot.

The Backward Walk
For the purpose of this exercise only we will consider that the stationary foot is the Right foot, which is kept flat on the floor that is carrying the entire body weight and the other is the moving foot.

This is done to four counts and at every count one must pause briefly to get the feel of the position and balance. The longer the pause the better is the expertise.

For the first part, keeping the knee bent shift the body-weight to act from the heel and lift the toes lightly off the floor. This is achieved by the whole erect-body moving back.

When dancing one must resist moving back as given here. The partner "bulldozes" forward and assists one to achieve this position. Care should be taken not to alter the posture, and the resistance comes only from one foot and mainly acting around the ankle.

For the second part, push by straightening the knees and the pressure is felt at the heel of the Right foot, and simultaneously swing the left foot backward from the hip with the toes stretched back. It is important to get feel of keeping the left foot a little longer in the air, before it lands on the floor. Now the position should be such that the weight is balanced equally on the Right heel and the left ball.

When dancing the person moving back, touches the floor with the moving foot only after the forward moving partner has done so.

For the third part, move slightly forward to slightly flex the Right knee to get a strong push to move further back. This results in the body moving back. Care should be taken to ensure that the Left heel is not lowered and the backward movement is compensated for, by the relaxing of the knees. In this position the feet are together with the weight on the Left ball only.

This push would not be necessary in a normal walk that is continuous, and unlike this exercise, which is with pauses at every stage.

For the last part the Left foot is relaxed and the weight is taken on the flat foot.

At this position the both the dancing partners should be exerting and maintaining a light push-force against each other.