Releasing tension in hips/ankles?

[FestiveFuzz]

In CT as well but wasn't getting a response so thought I'd ask the question in here too.

So H used to have a nasty habit of dropping his shoulder and spinning if he met something he didn't like or didn't want to do something. My desire to stay on board was vastly greater than my desire to retain any semblance of a classical seat and as such I adopted a defensive lean back, heels down waterski approach. This worked when it came to staying on-board but fast forward 18 months and I've lost the feel for where my legs should be.

I had a new trainer at the weekend but they were extremely negative/critical and wasn't very helpful in terms of telling me how to fix things/giving me homework. Our YO stepped in and has mentioned I'm holding a lot of tension in my hips and ankles which is making it harder for me to bring my leg slightly further back and put my weight through my knees. Telling me to pretend I'm kneeling just results in me leaning forward and gripping with my knees.

So does anyone have any tips on how to conquer my bad habits whilst I wait for my next lesson?

 

[Identityincrisis]

Not helpful as in a suggestion for riding but I think Yoga would be a big help. I found it very difficult as I'm not a bendy person! But I can see how it can benefit riders

Just get a nicer Yoga instructor than I did who just sneered at me

 

[Burnttoast]

Lunge lessons with a suitable sympathetic(!) instructor would be best, if you can manage them. Releasing tension is often quite hard to do psychologically and you do need to be able to work on it without worrying about proximal goals such as steering, stop and go. Simply being able to sit quietly with someone else controlling pace and direction will allow you to release the tension and drape your leg. But you do need to do this quite a lot to change muscle memory, and ideally not ride in your 'normal' fashion in between... Easier said than done, I know.

 

[Fruitcake]

Sally Swift Centred Riding books are great for this type of thing. I'm hypermobile and tend to 'hang onto my muscles'. I found these books really helpful. They give visual metaphors to help rather than making you focus on what your joints are doing which tends to make tension worse. One good example I found really helpful was to imagine your hip is hanging like a broken gate from one hinge.

Think the first one is out of print now but you can pick one up really cheaply second hand from Amazon.

ETA Second the suggestion about lunge lessons. Love this, especially with relaxing music and my eyes closed!!! Really helps with 'releasing'. Of course, you have to know /trust your instructor so you don't feel silly!

 

[pip6]

Pilates and try endurance stirrups which are shock absorbing and have give in them (think mine are called flexi ride). Not pretty but make life a lot more comfortable, don't recommend them for jumping though, you ping up again when you land!