Hey guys, Dan here from Dangerously Fit. In today’s video, we’re going to go through the Indian Club outside mill, aka… the reverse mill.
This is the exact opposite of what we did in last week’s video, where we performed an inside elbow circle.
This week, with the outside mill, we’re going to perform an outside elbow circle.
The outside elbow circle takes the club from the front of the body to the back of the body. Last week, we did the inside mill, which takes the club from the back of the body to the front of the body.
This week’s video is all about the outside mill, going from front to back.
To get started, you can position your feet in a military stance (V-position) or in a stance where your hips feel properly aligned.
From here, we’ll use a hammer grip, with three fingers on the handle and the pinky on the pommel, starting in the front stack position.
Knuckles should be facing the ceiling, the club should be parallel stacked, the chest up nice and proud, and the elbow tucked into the ribs.
To initiate the movement, start with an elbow circle. Draw a big circle with the elbow, bringing the club around into the sword in sheath position. Make sure you create a big outside elbow circle, keeping the wrist in a hammer grip the entire time.
As you reach the sword in sheath position, set the scapula back into position.
From here, cast the club out to the side into the saber position, reaching long through the arm into the Y-position.
Swing the club down, and once your bicep reaches your ribs, bend the elbow. Be sure not to bring the arm across the front of the body. Instead, as soon as the bicep hits the ribs, bend the elbow and bring it back into the front stack position.
Let’s go through the movements again: front stack, outside elbow circle, sword in sheath, Y-position, swing, bend the elbow, and return to front stack.
This is the basic movement, but now we’re going to speed it up. Again, it’s outside elbow circle, sword in sheath, Y-position.
As you become proficient, you can increase speed, but always return to proper positions to ensure you’re not missing any part of the movement.
Now, let’s go over some common mistakes when performing the Indian club reverse mill (outside mill).
First, keep the hips and shoulders facing forward. Unlike the steel club reverse mill, where we need to counterbalance the weight to avoid being pulled off balance, Indian clubs are much lighter, so we keep the hips and shoulders still. The torso should remain stable, with all movement coming from the shoulders and arms.
Another common mistake is bringing the arm across the front of the body. Remember, as soon as the bicep hits the ribs, bend the elbow.
Another mistake is not using a full elbow circle. Try to draw as big of an elbow circle as possible when performing the outside elbow circle.
That’s it for today’s video. Next week, we’ll cover double movements, using a club in each hand.
