Resource contents:
0:04 - Open hip-roll enter & exit
0:45 - Closed-chain sequence (CCS) open-hip roll

THE WHAT & HOW:
A fundamental floor-entrance & exit pattern complete with a locomotive phase injected between, the body passing through prone position as it rolls across the anterior “circle of the hips”. In its full integration it forms a ‘closed-chain sequence’ (CCS), implying its potential to feed back into itself and repeat infinitely. The pattern does indeed follow a never-ending ‘figure-8’ trajectory, simultaneously the boundless lemniscate which, along with circles, spirals, and arcs (ultimately all pieces of one and the same), are prolific in locomotion & floor-communication patterns in general.

As the name of the integration implies, toward developing the ‘quality’ sensation & aesthetic of seemingly effortless floorwork in which the body “melts” into, across, and reconstitutes back out of the ground, the anterior ‘circle of the hips’ (i.e. across the front of the pelvis from one side to the other) must be opened MAXIMALLY into the floor and the half-wheel of the hips “mapped” as the primary line across which the roll occurs. Whilst the upper-thighs do also touch when transitioning through prone, it is undesirable to feel the “clunk-clunk” of the legs in turn, normally occurring when they are given too “lazily” to the floor and the lower-thighs/knees contact heavily with both a visible & audible lack of quality. Again, the practice here with such a seemingly “simply” pattern cannot be enough.

Whilst the action of the arms in this pattern is similar to that in the ‘Fundamental lateral floor-roll’ (the floor-contacting side of the body is “opened” to expose the ‘circle of the ribs’ and the same-side arm extended overhead), because the exit back to seated is immediate there is no action from the second arm. Further, it is notable here that the floor-entrance phase is significantly different to that in the ‘Fundamental FEN/FEX from seated’ in that it turns directly into the SAME side as the direction of the roll, as opposed to entering into one side, and then travelling back the other. For this reason, the body is facilitated softly into the floor by a pseudo-eccentric-pushup pattern, rather than the “folding” arm-action common to both of the other isolated FEN/FEX forms.

As a general prescription, it is recommended to introduce this integrated floor-entrance/exit and locomotive pattern early into floorwork practice as it not only opens the logical connection of FEN/FEX’s with locomotive floor-contact patterns, but also quickly introduces a new floor-entrance method which is in-keeping with existing vocabulary. It is recommended, then, that this “existing vocabulary” should be minimally the ‘Fundamental FEN/FEX’ from both seated & squat, and also the ‘Fundamental lateral floor-roll’.

With these patterns all learnt over a course of 2-4, 6-8-week phases (practicing 1-2x per week), they can be integrated into a very simple self-directed sequence, and practiced for ‘reps’ each side, or, for a more open context, practiced for 60-90” sets of NON-STOP movement incorporating other floorwork patterns into the mix. In the initial stages of isolated practice, 3-4 sets of 4-6x each side practiced ideally in a dedicated floorwork session, or in a round with complementary patterns, is recommended.

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