We are not mechanical
It is a common misconception that our movement is the outcome of our biomechanics, when in fact our biomechanics are…
MoreOn language and embodiment: choosing the words we feel.
When I wrote my end of year message this time last year, I could never have anticipated where we would…
MoreLet your body be your playground
Your movement starts with a thought, an attitude. What happens next has its genesis there, well before the movement begins….
MoreEven panthers pause
It is the weekend, and time to reflect and perhaps resource, recover, take a moment or more… This period…
MoreGrace is what transforms Power into Performance
Does a discus thrower have grace? Does a dancer have power? The very best performers have the fine tuned…
MoreUsing your own sounds to improve performance
Human actions often produce sounds. If you are a tap dancer, the sounds are intentional. If you are a hurdler,…
MoreDirection of the movement impulse
Have you ever thought about about what is happening in people’s heads in a yoga class? Let’s face it: many…
MoreWhen all under your feet is in motion, go lightly.
It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even…
MoreWhen do you give feedback?
Here’s an interesting thing to consider: do you tend to give feedback after successful or less successful attempts? When a…
MoreCapacity, capability and preference: what are you seeing?
I have taught on the subject of movement assessment for many years, and one of the tripping points that comes…
MoreNot Losing it
“I was doing so well, but now I’ve lost it.” I was sitting with a patient whom I had not…
MoreNo one is ever average who chooses not to be.
I came across a quote recently that gave me pause. “Be motivated by the fear of being average”, it said….
MoreTennis and upper limb injury: look lower in the kinetic chain!
It’s tennis season, and the wrist, elbow and shoulder problems are unfortunately going to start appearing in the clinic. This…
MoreLetting Go to Achieve the Flow: Secrets of Power and Agility for Racquet Sports
How do great players look so relaxed, yet cover and control the court so easily? Physically it does not seem to…
MoreIt’s Not All About Glute Strength: New Moves for Knee and Hip Problems
I have had some questions from my last Facebook post post regarding gluteal timing vs gluteal strengthening and this relationship…
MoreIs Hip Thrusting Getting in the Way of Your Lifting??
A couple of years ago, I was speaking about movement efficiency at a conference, and challenged the common cuing of hip thrusting…
MoreTime to Think: a Master Coaching Tip
Whether it is working with life issues, coaching or physical rehabilitation, it is a practitioner’ s role to create and…
MoreWant to Change Your Golf Swing? Get Your Brain On Board
Today during a performance movement coaching session at the driving range, my client, just going pro this year, said to…
MoreMovement Testing: The Dynamic Lunge
So you have assessed the Static Lunge, and it’s time to layer on a progression to take your movement testing…
MoreMovement Testing: In line Lunge or Not?
For a movement test to be relevant and specific, it should be able to clearly answer a question for you,…
MoreSki Body Tip 2: Finding Your Hips for Better Control and Posture on Skis
“Bend your knees.” It’s a ski instructor cliche, but is it a good instruction? You need shock absorption through your…
MoreSki Body Tip 1. Sensing the snow: are your feet the key to better control on skis?
How well can you sense the qualities of the snow beneath your skis? Do you realise that the best skiers…
MoreMovement assessment: the vulnerability of being seen
This week I had an interesting but important moment with a patient. The person is a performer, someone who stands…
MoreCan your training approach increase risk of injury in multidirectional sport? The mysterious tale of a team’s need for ankle strapping.
On a recent course I was discussing issues of sensory processing, with particular reference to the feet. In alpine skiers,…
MoreGiving a Child a Foot to Stand On
I am frequently asked by worried parents about their childrens’ feet. Are they normal? Are they flat footed? Should they…
MorePositive Focus in Movement
Recently I had a patient come in for a follow up session. She was a talented young violinist, who struggled…
MorePostural Lessons from Buenos Aires: JEMS, tango and the plank
Those of you who know us well are aware that Kent and I met over a rumba at the Cardiff…
MoreReclaiming the feet by reshaping the brain after chemo
Chemotherapy – it’s such an assault not just on a cancer but on the whole rest of the body. My…
MoreEmotions in the body: a small tale of thoracic mobility and caramel buttons.
I just wanted to share a little story from clinic, as it was rather beautiful and highlights the need to…
MoreFor better posture, be the river.
When thinking about your posture, imagine gravity acting on your body like water in a down hill stream. Gravity likes…
MoreReset your wiring to enjoy better firing…
When our electronic gizmos go on the blink, what is the first advice we get? “Try switching it off, waiting…
MoreHow Many Reps?
How many reps? I have been asked this countless times over the years when teaching JEMS courses. What is the answer?…
MoreAristotle and Our Role as Educators
It is often disparagingly said that “those who can, do and those who can’t, teach”. While we all know of…
MoreA Little Less Trying: Notes on Language in Client Interaction
Recently on our JEMS Facebook page I uploaded a video of Yoda speaking to Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars swamp…
MoreThe Shift from Seeing to Feeling
Video feedback can help someone to see what they are doing, but is more meaningful when used to help them…
MoreWhy do we work with movement?
Some of the questions which are frequently quite validly raised during our courses are “don’t we all have potential movement…
MoreControl Ain’t the Goal
We see a lot of physiotherapists and Pilates teachers with low back pain in our clinic. Many of them have…
MoreIs there such a thing as “optimal movement”?
A new website brings opportunities to review content and retrieve some of the more popular blogs! Here is one that…
MoreEmbrace your uncertainty
So another year of being on the planet has clicked over for me, and this sparks a certain amount of…
MoreRunning for joy
It is wonderful to just run spontaneously for joy, without judgement, with no expectations about distance or time, and with…
MoreGlobal Factors in Solving an Asymmetrical Squat
The ability to squat has different purposes for different people. For some, dropping the centre of gravity smoothly and easily…
MoreRelaxation and Child Athletes
Last night I had the pleasure of working with some great kids aged 13 -16 and their athletics coach down…
MoreFollow the Injury Story to its Source.
I had the pleasure of working with youth elite weight lifter Ryan Baugh. Winner of the Under 20 62 kg…
MoreMaking a comeback from the cancer experience
This is my Mum. She is 70, and is two years down the track after surgery and chemo for a…
MoreIndividualise To Optimise: Golf
There is nothing like analysing people performing the same function to appreciate the diversity of human movement strategies. An afternoon…
MoreJEMS® Kids In Motion
Whether they grow up to be athletes, dancers or everyday people with busy lives, children need a variety of movement…
MoreJEMS® Movement ART (Analysis, Rehabilitation and Training) Course series
JEMS® Movement ART is a course series which elegantly connects the interdependent factors which lead to fluent, effective, movement relevant…
MoreStriking a Balance
One of my much repeated mantras is that if you want to secure your future confidence and independent movement, invest…
MoreFA Conference and a Bit of Overhead Squat Comment.
Just back from the FA National Game conference, a multidisciplinary football focused event which was brilliant to be involved with….
MoreIs a weak looking upper limb performance always due to weakness?
This past week during one of my seminars, I observed a pair of course participants struggling to improve a basic…
MorePodcast: Perry Nickelston interviews Joanne on her book and concept
This week I finally got my technology act together and took up Stop Chasing Pain’s Perry Nickelston’s invitation to join…
MoreEffective Movement for Everyone
JEMS is about beautiful, effective movement for everyone. Take a look at this photo: determination, engagement and challenge are clearly…
MorePilates Tree Comments on the JEMS “Functional Foundations” Course
Pilates Tree, an amazing web resource for professional Pilates teachers, has very kindly sent us a copy of their review of…
MoreSimple Things Can Help The Good Be Even Better
“During my time as a professional cross country skier, people always told me I had the most beautiful and most…
MoreGolf Musings
I recently found myself at the Celtic Manor Resort (if you watched the Ryder Cup, you can picture where this…
MoreStaying True to Quality
Just writing up the second edition of “Stability, Sport and Performance Movement”, with inspiration breaks from the Olympics. It seems…
MoreRelease the Tension to Unleash the Movement
Much of the movement dysfunction that I see has its roots in tension. Sometimes I see athletes who have fixed…
MoreMay the Force be With You…
I’ve just returned from presenting at the Pre-Wimbledon combined conference of the International Society of Science and Medicine in Tennis(ISSMT)…
MoreLondon JEMS Certification: The Bar Has Been Set High!
We are really excited to welcome twelve new practitioners onto the register of JEMS Certified Rehabilitation Professionals (CRP) as a…
MoreSquash musings
Great day this week at Elite Squash with top coach and JEMS fan Hadrian Stiff and his squad. Nothing better…
MoreControl, Pilates and Moving Beautifully
We humans love to be in control. This is often a pleasant delusion in many aspects of our lives, nevertheless…
MoreJEMS Scores with the FA
To round off a busy and interesting year, Football Association Head of Medical Education Mike Healy was kind enough to…
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