The Dragon Coils, a part of the BASIC EXERCISES, is a method of enhancing the flexibility of the spine, allowing the ninja to escape more easily when tied up. It also has other applications. Another important flexibility exercise is the WALK OF THE CRAB.
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USES OF THE DRAGON'S COILS
Dragon Coils is an excellent ninja training exercise that focuses on enhancing the flexibility of the spine. This can be extremely useful in evasions, where a flexible spine can mark the difference between a knife thrust finding your belly and your being able to evade it. As such, this is a crucial exercise in the ninja training of a newly initiated member of the Gyokku Ninja Clan.
Another application of this enhanced flexibility of the spine is that if your are bound with ropes, with your hands behind your back, a flexible spine and shoulders allow you to bring your hands under your body and in front of you, where unraveling the knots can become easier.
HOW TO MAKE DOING THIS EXERCISE EASIER
You should do this exercise carefully. The exercise itself is perfectly safe to do, but if you do not have a flexible spine, you might find it a little difficult to do at first. There are things that you can do to make it easier. You can start out by doing it on some stone or concrete blocks, at first, as this will give you more clearance for your legs, and require less flexibility of the spine. When you can do the exercise easily on stone or concrete blocks, then you can do the exercise on the bare floor.
HOW TO DO THE DRAGON'S COILS
The Dragon Coils are very easy to do. Stand in a basic position with your fists on your thighs and your feet about shoulder width apart. Then crouch down and place your hands on the ground. After you crouch down, kick your legs backwards, at the same time bending your arms to lower your chest to the floor, as shown below.
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Now straighten your arms, pushing up from the floor, and draw your legs in, and pass them under your body so that you can kick them out in front.
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Kick your legs forward until they are fully extended in front of you. Then draw them back again until they are under you, and you are in a crouch again. Finally, straighten to your feet. The exercise is complete.
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As you can see, this exercise is relatively simple. Nevertheless, if you don't have the requisite flexibility in the spine it might take some patience and practice. I must stress on the word PATIENCE. If an exercise is difficult at first, just keep doing it regularly, and it will become easier over time. Do not try to force your body to do things it cannot in a single day.
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DRAGON COILS
And now, please read and meditate upon...
'Strike at me,' said the master to the student, 'as if to injure me.' The student struck out at the master. Without deflecting the blow, the master gracefully moved his body out of the line of attack.
The student tried again. He struck at the masters belly - the master moved his torso only enough to allow the student's hand to not touch his body. The student struck at the master's face, at his legs. Each time, he was unable to make contact.
'This is agility of the body,' said the master, 'The ability to bend it out of the way of the attack, as a stalk of grass may bend in the wind. This agility begins with the exercise known as the Dragon's Coils.'
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