"Brainy What-Why-How"
Your weekly nibble of science-backed goodness to help you move better and feel unstoppable.
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What (the TL:DR)
The most useful thing I've learned recently is that I might be wrong about quite a few things.
I've been training in Mallorca with a handstand coach* who's new to me, and some of his suggestions have been completely contrary to what I've been taught before.
But when I ask him "why's that?" he can explain, so I'm satisfied to take on his advice.
It got me thinking about how easily we can become attached to information we already have.
We find a teacher, a method, a way of doing something that works, and before long it becomes the lens through which we see everything. Meanwhile, there's a whole world of other perspectives that might be equally useful.
Why (the geeky PSYCHOLOGY)
In psychology, there's something called Cognitive Flexibility -- the ability to shift between different mental strategies, perspectives, and ways of approaching a problem.
It's less "think about another solution" and more "disengage from the solution I'm currently attached to".
This often takes humility, vulnerability, and discomfort. Once our brains have developed a reliable model of "how this thing works", they can become rather attached to it.
But let's take this example:
If you've been trying to get into a handstand using the same strategy for 6 months, perhaps the answer isn't to do another 500 repetitions of exactly that same thing.
Perhaps you need to change the task, the constraint, the position, the cue, or even the way you're thinking about the movement.
Learning isn't just about adding new information. It's also about being willing to revise the information we already have.
How (apply it to your life)
1️⃣ Change your source of information
If you always learn from the same person, discipline, or type of content, deliberately introduce a different perspective.
2️⃣ Ask WHY
Don't just collect instructions. Understand the reasoning behind them, so you can decide for yourself how much you want to absorb into your life. You don't have to agree with everything you hear, but I think being curious enough to investigate is crucial.
3️⃣ Try a different approach.
If you've been practising something for ages without getting anywhere, why do you think repeating the same things will make a difference?
An example:
I was doing this with my straddle flag handstand (where I side bend so my legs go off to one side). I would always fall because my legs would pull me down. I knew I needed to counterbalance it by bringing my shoulders in the opposite direction. But I could never get my shoulders in the right position. This week with Pepo, he taught me to move my shoulders FIRST, instead of waiting until my legs were pulling me off balance. Guess what: success! And I can't wait to teach something similar in Puppy Press Handstand Club:
Try a new way to handstand
Puppy Press and Straddle Handstand Foundations
4️⃣ Notice when you're defending what you already know
Sometimes the most interesting learning happens when something initially sounds completely wrong to you.
To seeing things from different angles,
Adell xoxo
*his name is Pepo Llabres and he's great.
**P.S. It would mean the world to me if you got in touch to let me know you read this. I am just curious if anyone reads these. Thank youuuuu
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