Today we’re going to go through another fundamental Indian club exercise.
This one is an alternating outside mill, a continuous outside mill performed on both sides of the body, similar to last week, except this week we’re going to be performing an outside elbow circle, which takes us into that outside mill.
Start in the front stack position.
With your feet, you can have them in the V military stance. If you don’t find that stance very comfortable or feel that your hips are not properly aligned, you can have your feet facing forward, quite close in.
With your grip, we’re in that hammer grip with three fingers on the handle, pinky on the pommel. For now, our knuckles are facing the ceiling, wrists are neutral, and elbows are tucked into the ribs. Keep your chest up nice and proud, stay relaxed with a nice straight spine.
We’re going to initiate the movement with an outside elbow circle, bringing that elbow across, making a big outside elbow circle into the sword in sheath position.
From here, we’re going to cast one club out into the Y position, which will initiate the movement.
Now, perform an outside elbow circle with the left arm and let the right arm swing down simultaneously.
As soon as the right bicep reaches the ribs, bend the elbow and bring it back into the front stack position. Alternate the movement on the other side of the body.
This time, perform an outside elbow circle with the right arm while the left arm swings down.
As the left bicep reaches the ribs, bend the elbow and bring it back into the front stack position on the left side, while the right arm reaches the Y position.
From here, keep the club and arm nice and long in the Y position. In the front stack position, keep the elbow tucked into the ribs. That’s basically the movement.
As you become proficient, speed up the movement. If you lose your timing, stop the movement.
You should have one club in the front stack position and one club in the Y position. Make sure you’re performing a big outside elbow circle, moving the club from the front of the body to the back of the body.
Once you feel comfortable, start speeding up the clubs so the movement is more fluid and flowing. Each time you stop, ensure you’re in the correct position.
Now, let’s go through some common mistakes. The first mistake is reaching too far across the body. When coming down from the Y position, as soon as the bicep hits the ribs, bend the elbow and bring the club back into the front stack position.
What we don’t want is swinging the club across the front of the body with a straight arm.
The next common mistake is not moving the club with the outside elbow circles, instead using the wrist to move the club around from the front of the body to the back. From the front stack position, make sure to perform a nice big elbow circle, finishing in the sword in sheath position.
The last mistake is losing position. Always bring it back in, ensuring one club is in the wire position and one club is in the front stack. If your timing is off, reset by making sure one club is in the Y position and one club is in the front stack position.
Going through the movement again: outside mill, front stack, elbow circle, sword in sheath, Y position, swing the club down, and as soon as the bicep hits, bring it back into the front stack position.
