Is there a reason for protracting shoulders in Maltses and Planche? I mean, is it because you want to protect your shoulders or is it because it's easier or something like that? Jus curious...
Reason for protraction in Planche and Maltese
Started by Guest, February 15, 2013 · 7 Replies · 4,476 Views
It's because you can have full body tension and that's the hardest position that generates the most powerful force.
Protraction positions the shoulder socket more directly behind the ball (head of the humerus), which stabilizes the joint by centering the forces on the center of the socket.
This helps a lot with horizontal straight body positions like PL and ML.
I am not entirely sure about what is meant by protraction. From the reading I've done it just means I should be pushing my shoulders forward whilst in the planche position (and by forwards I mean towards the floor). Is this right? Retraction would be pulling them backwards.
Exaclty! @Joel Tomkins
I don't know if they're supposed to pushed forward AND down, though... Because that's how you would do in a planche
Protraction is bringing the scapulae apart and retraction is squeezing them together. So your shoulders would be pushing down towards the ground in a planche or maltese and don't mistake this as shoulder flexion in a planche as shoulder flexion is pushing your hands down and forward which is also in planching.
Joel Tomkins said:I am not entirely sure about what is meant by protraction. From the reading I've done it just means I should be pushing my shoulders forward whilst in the planche position (and by forwards I mean towards the floor). Is this right? Retraction would be pulling them backwards.
Think of it as taking the upper back into the 'hollow' position.
Sure. Thanks everyone, I think I'm doing this already but I can now focus on it.