I will be doing a short video which focus exclusively on how to do PNF patterns, but in the meanwhile–and for those of you who don’t/can’t watch videos online–here’s a little primer on how to do PNF patterns. You can find my post on why I recommend PNF patterns here.
Two keys to getting the most out of PNF patterns are being a mime and distal initiation. The first simply means that you really pretend you are grabbing and pulling in one direction and pressing in the other. The second, distal initiation, means that you are starting the movement from your fingertips, toes, or heel. This can be a bit tricky to get the hang of. If you’re having trouble with this, find someone to give you some resistance—a finger to grab for the grab and pull, a hand to press against in the other direction. Doing that a few times on one occasion can really help clarify matters.
For lower body PNFs, it also is very important not to twist the knee of your standing leg. That is why we start with the image of the barber shop pole, spinning from the inside of the knee up and out across the front of your thigh and round the back. This is to (hopefully) prompt the relevant muscles that cross the knee and/or hip to engage and to prevent the knee from being twisted. That said, practicing these holding on to something also protects the knee.
Lower Body Pattern A
Standing on one leg, get the barbershop pole going. Other leg crosses your midline in front of you. Like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Grab with your toes and turn your toes in, pull what you’ve grabbed back and wide from your body. Like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Then wrap your little toe out and around, toes spreading to press your heel back to the starting point.
Put another way: Start with internal rotation, return with external rotation.
Also, if you were standing on your left leg in the center of a square room, you would reach your right foot to the left/front corner of the room.
Then trace a straight line to the right/back corner of the room.
And then return to reaching your foot to the left/front corner.
Lower Body Pattern B
Stand on one leg and get barbershop pole going. Other leg crosses your midline in back of you. Like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Grab with your toes and turn your toes in, pull what you’ve grabbed front and wide from your body.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Then wrap your little toe out and around, toes spreading to press your heel back to the starting point.
Put another way: Start with internal rotation, return with external rotation.
Also, if you were standing on your left leg in the center of a square room, you would reach your right foot to the left/back corner of the room.
Then trace a straight line to the right/front corner of the room.
And then return to reaching your foot to the left/back corner.
Upper Body Pattern A
Arm high and wide, palm flat towards ceiling. Like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Curl fingertips, knuckles, and wrist in to grab and pull down and across your body. To end up like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Press your fingernails back through space to your starting position.
Upper Body Pattern B
Arm high and crossed, with pinkie towards your cheek and wrist bent. Like this:Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Unfurl your pinkie and spiral it out as your hand goes down and wide from your body, fingertips toward floor, palm facing the wall behind you. Like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Curl pinkie then fingers in to grab and pull up and across your body back to your starting position.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
