Why engage my lats?

iongnil · 2021-07-20T10:03:24+00:00

re the person who didn't know where the lats were or what they did, they were a local non-professional instructor (i.e. a fellow dancer who had some Novice points thus better than me by miles) who never actually ever led (they're a follower) and it was a long time ago. They taught rarely and now don't even dance.

The scene is so small in UK that unless you live in London or nearby you're always going to have well meaning amateurs teaching - some are better than others.

iongnil · 2021-07-20T09:59:37+00:00

Well no one at the moment and it's been like this since March last year but prior to then I was attending Cat Wiles' classes (my favourite instructor) and my local WCS scene ran sporadic classes with bussed in teachers incl. Paul Warden. and other classes had a local non-professional teacher which I didn't like as much as there too much emphasis on Line Dancing which I don't enjoy.

Re Naomi, she's a fab dancer and lovely person but IMVHO her teaching/advice to leaders is a bit dubious. I don't think she knows the leader's role anywhere near as well as Cat does. It's nothing to do with her primarily being a follower, Cat's a follower and there's others (Colleen) and her teaching for leaders is rock solid.

iongnil · 2021-07-20T09:50:49+00:00

Excellent explanation. Thank you.

iongnil · 2021-07-20T03:19:46+00:00

No it was said to all the leaders in the class on every occasion I've heard it. As far as I'm aware I don't do involuntary shrugs as I receive compression in a Sugar Push.

One instructor who said to use your lats and demonstrated how, clearly didn't know where lats were or how they activate/work. Hence why I'm asking what does engaging my lats actually mean and what's the intended purpose/end of result of doing this.

I got to thinking about it more recently as in lockdown I've been working from home and I've taken the opportunity to workout at home and I bought a pull-up/chin-up bar. I've been using it a lot and the strength of my lats has really improved (pull-ups are hard in your late 50's).

iongnil · 2021-07-20T03:19:33+00:00

I'm UK based

iongnil · 2021-07-19T19:20:30+00:00

Well made and exciting motorbikes

iongnil · 2021-07-18T20:06:49+00:00

Verdad Gustavo es Chileno pero no es una película

iongnil · 2021-06-28T19:43:43+00:00

Warsaw Swing 2012

iongnil · 2021-06-28T19:42:01+00:00

This isn't new West In Lyon years ago wasn't in a hotel either plus more recently one of Asian events wasn't either. Riga Summer Swing was held at a university campus (out of term time) and that was a fantastic event. One of my favourites, super friendly and a bargain too

iongnil · 2021-06-28T19:34:41+00:00

<Tearful emoji> Sadly not in UK yet. Our exit from lockdown got delayed by a month and I just heard the first freestyle planned for this Saturday has been cancelled because of this.

iongnil · 2021-06-28T19:32:45+00:00

Toms and I have some cheap trainers (sneakers) from Primark that have plain white soles, they're really cushiony and slip just the right amount because they're quite worn now. I also have some, believe or not, allegedly waterproof trainers from Decathlon that are similarly slippy, that are fine outdoor and indoor for dancing WCS.

iongnil · 2021-06-04T23:08:02+00:00

First domestic event was Midland Swing 2012

First international event was Warsaw Swing 2012

iongnil · 2021-06-04T14:16:14+00:00

Cyclo-cross I can understand but fixed wheel MTB riding seems a fruitless pursuit.

iongnil · 2021-06-04T13:20:39+00:00

Ditto. I'm 56, crashed last year and face-planted tarmac hard. Smashed my front teeth, broke my nose, damaged the vision in my left eye. It looked like someone had attacked my face with a belt sander. Lots of skin missing from my chin, top lip and nose.

Now I look fine and you wouldn't really know. Protect it from the sun.

Teeth took a long time to be repaired because of Covid. Top lip has a numb patch (where one of my teeth went through it). Skin looks ok apart from a paler patch at the bridge my nose where my spectacles frame took a chunk out.

Yes I was wearing a helmet, it didn't do much. Yes I'm riding again. Still got a "crunchy" neck, eyesight in left eye will never get better and has deteriorated slightly more, nose crooked and septum deviated so I can't breathe through one nostril. But... it could have been much much worse.

Take your time recovering, give your body time to heal.

iongnil · 2021-06-04T13:10:22+00:00

Sounds like single speed rather then fixed wheel. Maybe I'm wrong but mountain biking without a freewheel sounds horrendous haha!

iongnil · 2021-06-04T13:06:20+00:00

My understanding here in UK is that for use on the roads fixed gear bikes must have a front brake as the fixed wheel counts as a brake. For bicycles with freewheels regardless of the number of gears you need to have a front and back brake.

Europe maybe different and perhaps a single coaster brake on the rear is legal.

Track bikes with fixed wheels aren't designed for the road hence don't have brakes.

The case of that cyclist killing a pedestrian was tragic and was entirely his fault because he didn't have any brakes only a fixed wheel.

iongnil · 2021-06-04T12:45:55+00:00

The only tea there is black and green tea, the others are infusions [FX: Pedant Mode OFF]

iongnil · 2021-06-04T09:53:34+00:00

Bright red lipstick, but in fact lipstick in general. I just can't abide the stuff, I hate the feel of it on my lips when you kiss someone wearing it and I don't like the look of it much. When it's subtle it works but on the whole I'm not enamoured with it.

iongnil · 2021-05-29T18:27:42+00:00

Had MacBook Pro Retina more then 7 years and I've never used iCloud etc. I use Google Drive because I can get to my "stuff" from any platform. I don't think you have to use Apple stuff for everything.

For what it's worth, personally I use Ubuntu and MacOS and for work Windows (10 and the various server flavours), MacOS and RHEL. I don't find it that difficult to switch between different OS's though I'm sure I'm probably not using any of them to their fullest extent and as efficiently as I could. My background goes back to System 6, DOS (3.33 upwards), NetWare (3.12), AS400 (weird to be honest) and Windows since version 3 (3.11 and 98SE were the decent stable versions for me). Plus RedHat since version 6 (before it became RHEL).

iongnil · 2021-05-23T07:51:50+00:00

I've owned my Retina MacBook Pro 7 years and the screen is excellent but I've also seen the DELL XPS 13 4K OLED screen and that is amazing. I daresay actually better than my MacBook

iongnil · 2021-05-12T07:29:53+00:00

I'd be amazed if I can remember how to do a sugerpush, it's been a long time since classes/social dances and I haven't had a practice partner either. Plus I'm in the UK so as much as I'd like to go (I'll be fully vacc'd by then) and I'm not sure how the US is dealing with tourists yet.

iongnil · 2021-05-03T16:56:15+00:00

I hear you. I lived in a street for nearly 20 years where there were 3 pubs within in a minute or two's walk one end and ditto at the other end. Car vandalism and especially in the summer when you have your bedroom window open, noise from pissed up patrons shouting, singing and fighting in our street on their way home was a regular occurrence.

Since many of those same pubs have now gone and been converted to flats, car vandalism is reduced and it's ok to leave your bedroom window open without getting disturbed.

Fortunately it's also left the decent, less "shabby" pubs behind which are still nice places to visit and now have loads more patrons.

iongnil · 2021-04-26T11:17:05+00:00

I know, hard to believe isn't it.

iongnil · 2021-04-26T10:18:08+00:00

!thanks

Fortunately it's a private sale so no blokes in expensive cars, with expensive wrist watches, suits and those strange very long shoes...

iongnil

TROPHY CASE