Done Kneeling Jumps (68/366)

"Can I load up the hip, can I explode out of that hole?"
~ Coach Carl Paoli


Yesterday the 12.3 WOD for the CrossFit Open was released:

18 Minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible):
15 Box Jumps (20 in. for women)
12 Push Presses (75 lbs. for women)
9 Toes To Bar

Since I've registered for the Open and have to submit videos of my workouts, I've been making sure to get tips on efficiency of movements in the upcoming WOD. Some awesome sources for this are the CrossFit Journal, MobilityWOD.com by mobility master Kelly Starrett, and of course, GymnasticsWOD.com, home of the awesome gymnastics guru (and a coach of 2011's Fittest Woman on Earth, Annie Thorisdottir), Carl Paoli. Today, Carl uploaded a video with his breakdown of 12.3 and tips on keeping good form and not leaking energy.

Here's the video:


In the video, Carl starts out with a hip-loading exercise to warm you up for powerful box jumps. He gets into a kneeling position on the ground (both knees down), and talks about loading the hip, then in one movement exploding out of the kneel, onto your feet. That's where the quote above comes from. He does the movement several times.

Okay. Yeah.

I remember in "The Karate Kid" movie how the bad guy Johnny did these jumps from his resting kneel at the competition matches, and I always thought they looked cool, but come on, that kid did karate. Check it out in this clip from the movie, the jump is right at the beginning ... but you know, you can also watch the whole thing for the epic "Crane Technique" kick at the end, too. 80's Pop Culture FTW:


These jumps are pretty scary. What if you can't get to your feet in time and you fall on your face? But like when I decided to try clapping push ups, I decided that (especially with some information on the loading and points to execution from Carl) I should just try these today. They're not pretty, but here's what I got:


Like I said, these were not pretty. I think I don't quite have the strength to execute these properly yet, which is why if you notice, I do kind of a "double wind-up" like a softball pitcher before I jump. I also might not be loading the hips properly. But practice makes perfect. If you can do these, box jumps should be no problem for you!

Related Links:
GymnasticsWOD.com
Games.CrossFit.com
MobilityWOD.com
Journal.CrossFit.com