Youthful Movement | What Is Youthful Movement

Youthful Movement In a nutshell

Youthful Movement was founded on the idea and inspiration of capturing the dynamic, mobile, and capable nature often associated with youth.

While it's true that many individuals experience increased strength and improved mobility with age, a significant portion of the adults I've coached tend to reminisce about their childhood ease of movement. This recurring narrative often involves statements like, 'I used to perform that movement effortlessly as a kid.' This observation is what drives the mission of Youthful Movement — to assist and empower students in rediscovering these foundational movement patterns, especially if they've been lost over time. Our approach focuses on nurturing these essential skills while concurrently pursuing each student's unique personal goals. Below, you'll find a selection of these fundamental movements...

HANGing

Our arms and shoulder joints share similarities with chimpanzees, who swing from one branch and tree to another regularly. The many ways in which you can hang from a bar mimics this natural movement, offering various benefits: spine decompression, deep shoulder, arm and back stretch, shoulder stability.

Squatting

This stance predates the widespread use of chairs and remains prevalent, particularly among young children today. It serves as a foundational posture and proves useful when engaging in activities such as accessing low-level cupboards or lifting heavy objects from the floor.

Sitting

Very useful when chilling out on the floor with friends and family. This seated position in particular is a sign of generally good glute flexibility and hip external rotation.

Folding

The ability to fold from the hips with straight legs is a sign of good hamstring flexibility and can offer more ease and options when lifting/picking things up from the floor.

Balancing

Maintaining a good level of balance is an essential component to moving with ease. It’s a fundamental requirement in most athletic activities and when missing could result in more injuries (especially in fast/chaotic sports).

Lifting

Lifting objects off the floor with good awareness of how the hips and pelvis are organised can help preserve the lower back as well as strengthen it.

Crawling

Crawling tests your wrist/hand strength and flexibility and also indicates how well you can stabilise your core while moving your limbs.

Extending

Healthy shoulders allow a wide range of movement in multiple planes and directions. Yet, when assessing the mobility of newcomers, this specific movement often requires attention. It serves as an effective stretch for the front shoulders and chest, while also aiding in reaching for objects behind you.