4 classic Animal Flow moves that anyone can learn in less than 2 minutes and create their first Flow immediately!

We recently detailed the 6 components of the Animal Flow system . Among them, Transitions and Changes of Positions , these movements essential to the creation of Flows are for me the most interesting to learn when you start.

They present new motor patterns, work on your coordination, strength and core, and will allow you to create your first sequences of movement with fluidity: Flows.

Underswitch, Side Kickthrough, Front Kickthrough, and Scorpion. These are the four Animal Flow (Level 1) moves we'll learn in this article , and I think they're accessible to everyone.

I personally discovered the Animal Flow system in 2017 , then taught it to everyday people but also to athletes in grip combat sports and Mixed Martial Arts,

As a complement to training and even in general physical preparation . An excellent way to add diversity to your practice, to break out of the classic mold of fitness and bodybuilding and to reconnect with the ground and your creativity.

Very good reading my move.

Preamble: Crab & Beast

Before looking in detail at the 4 transition movements, it is important to properly perform the 2 static positions present in the Animal Flow Activation Phase.

In fact, it is from these 2 positions that you will be able to add the 4 transitions and change position.

These are like the most stable foundations of your Flow that you will be able to refer to at the end of a sequence.

These are the Crab and the Beast.

How to get into the Crab position?

The Crab position is practiced in quadrupedal position.

To get there, you start in a sitting position , with your legs bent in front of you, your knees facing the sky and your feet parallel and flat on the ground. All with a space corresponding to the width of your pelvis.

Place your hands behind your buttocks. Your fingers are facing backward . Your four supports are positioned.

Then lower your shoulder blades to pull your shoulders away from your ears. This action will lift your buttocks off the floor. Squeeze your shoulder blades together with a retracting motion.

Imagine placing a pen between them and you want to pinch it to prevent it from falling. Your shoulders will position themselves backward and externally rotate.

Finalize the position by placing your pelvis halfway between your feet and hands.

How to get into the Beast position?

The Beast position is also practiced in quadrupedal position.

The pelvis and shoulders are facing the floor. The hands are placed flat and their spacing corresponds to the width of the shoulders with the fingers facing forward.

Start by placing your knees on the floor. Position them under your hips.

The distance between them corresponds to the width of your pelvis.

When you are well positioned, you lift your knees off the ground by pushing with the front of your feet.

Move #1: Underswitch

This movement is so named because the moving leg moves under the body.

The Underswitch serves as a transition:

• From Crab position to Beast position,
• From Beast position to Crab position.

To get comfortable with the move, Mike Fitch, founder of Animal Flow, recommends learning it from the crab position.

The Underswitch movement can be practiced to the left or right. How you initiate the transition determines the direction.

Starting from Crab Position, raise one foot and the opposite hand (left hand – right foot, right hand – left foot). Keep them close to the ground.

With your foot on the ground, you begin the transition by “push on the gas.” You lift your heel off the ground and press down with the front of your foot.

The rotation starts from this position.

Bring your bent arm and leg back close to the midline of your body. This compact position will facilitate your rotational movement .

The rotation is done on one hand and one foot. We therefore have only two points of support on the ground for a short instant.

We pass the leg under the body while controlling the movement. The important points are stability and speed control .

You use both of your supports on the ground to manipulate your body. Your abdominal and core muscles maintain overall stability.

Actively push the ground away with your supporting arm to maintain shoulder stability.

When your shoulders and pelvis are facing the floor, place your hand and foot on the floor in Beast position.

If you give an instruction to someone or hear an instruction from someone, it always says to be preceded by the leg that you must lift off the ground.

For example, “Left Leg Underswitch” indicates that you must lift your left leg first to begin the rotation, and therefore lift your right hand and pass your left leg under your body.

We try to arrive directly in a correct position:

• Hands shoulder-width apart,
• Knees under the hips,
• Feet hip-width apart.

You can use your gaze to anticipate the placement of your supports. When your support hand appears in your field of vision, it tells you where to place the second one.

Be careful, it is IMPOSSIBLE to change position between Crab and Beast and vice versa while remaining on the same axis ...

So you can't stay in the same line on the floor without having to readjust the position of your hands and feet. So, there's no need to obsess over it; it's completely normal to deviate slightly from your starting position.

To perfect your Underswitch, place your hand and foot simultaneously at the end of the movement.

If you're transitioning from Beast to Crab, place your heel on the ground before your other foot and hand . This stabilizes your position.

Move #2: Front Kickthrough

The Front Kickthrough is a dynamic movement that starts from the Loaded Beast position and ends in a position that resembles a crab on two supports with one leg extended forward.

The Loaded Beast uses the Beast position as a starting point. Then you bring your hips back as if you were going to sit on your heels .

Your knees will spread apart and be placed a few inches above the floor.

Place your hands on the floor and bring your chest close to the floor. Place your head between your shoulders and lift them towards your ears.

This position requires shoulder flexion . If your mobility is still limited in this range , I advise you not to move your hands too far forward.

To initiate the Front Kickthrough, position yourself in Loaded Beast. Extend your legs to place your shoulders above your hands.

In the movement, you lift one foot off the ground and place it close to the hand on the same side, facing outwards. A few centimetres is enough.

Depending on the mobility of your ankles, this movement can be more or less difficult. I therefore recommend that you properly mobilize your ankles by flexing them .

To return to Loaded Beast, I lift my front foot off the ground. Then I push with my arms to bring my shoulders and pelvis back. I place my foot next to the other.

I keep my hands in contact with the ground and my arms outstretched at all times.

When you master this part, you integrate a simultaneous action of the hand and the foot.

When your front foot lands on the ground, lift your hand off the same side. Bend your arm with your elbow facing back and your palm facing forward.

The gaze is forward and the chest is out.

To return to Loaded Beast, follow the same principle. You place the hand that chases the foot and you return immediately to Loaded Beast.

The previous drill allows us to establish the window of movement. It facilitates the transition to the kick.

When my foot has replaced my hand, I lift my back foot off the ground. I bend my leg to pass between my two supports and finish in a kick.

In the Kick position, I point my toes forward , my knee is extended and rotated outward. I bring my free arm back into the guard position with my elbow close to my ribs and my palm facing my cheek.

Kick's return to Loaded Beast can be done in two ways.

The most advanced method is a dynamic form. The goal is to land both feet at the same time in the Loaded Beast position.

This requires good mastery of the transition.

You can also break down the steps. You bend the kicking leg to pass it between the supports and rest the foot behind. Then you bring the foot back and replace it with the hand.

These dynamic movements attract many practitioners to the Animal Flow system.

However, I would like to draw your attention to their impact on the shoulders. I advise you to work on their stability and mobility before going all out.

Again, the idea is not to rush into acquiring skills without taking into account your body, your current abilities , and your history of injuries or inactivity.

I always recommend starting with a mobility routine that will engage the area of ​​your upper back, behind your shoulder blades: your shoulder girdle ,

In addition to your wrist mobility routine before your Animal Flow session .

Move #3: Side Kickthrough

The Side Kickthrough starts in Beast Stance.

You lift one foot and the opposite hand and bring your arm and leg closer to the midline of your body. The lifted leg passes under the body and causes the body to rotate.

You stop the transition when your toes form a right angle to the fingers of your hand on the ground. To do this, you place the heel of your supporting foot back on the ground.

At this point, you are well positioned for the kick.

You straighten your leg, point your toes, and turn your knee outward . You bend your arm with your elbow back and above your shoulder. Your hand is at face level, palm outward.

The leg and arm movements are done at the same time.

To return to Beast, you bend your leg and bring your arm forward. The leg goes under your body to complete the transition.

If you want to keep the kick close to the ground, you have to move your shoulder forward while resting on the ground . This can be traumatic for the joint.

Listen to your feelings . You can adapt the movement by keeping your shoulder aligned with your wrist.

As always, performing these movements depends on your starting point and your body's capabilities in terms of strength and range of motion.

Different variations of this movement, more difficult and more aesthetic , will please those who have strength in their arms and master the manipulation of the scapula (depression, protraction, etc.).

We can introduce the “Levitating Side Kickthrough” , in which you balance on your hands while keeping your knees bent to keep your body a little more in the air.

You can also cushion the fall for a feeling of softness and control. Be careful, this variation is more difficult and therefore more stressful for the wrists in particular.

If you are familiar with Handstand training or Powerlifting, Gymnastics, Capoeira, etc., you will be able to tackle this variation without any problem.

Movement No. 4: Scorpio

The scorpion is another signature move in the Animal Flow training system.

Starting from the crab position, we initiate an Underswitch. We place our free hand on the ground and extend our supporting leg.

Push off the ground with outstretched arms with the intention of bringing the chest towards the back foot . The shoulders are close to the ears.

The free leg remains bent with the hip extended. I rotate with the intention of placing the free foot behind me.

Rotation changes the support at the foot. It moves from the forefoot to the edge and ends on the heel.

When I place my foot on the ground, my leg is bent. The other leg is straight, with my heel touching the ground and my toes pointing toward the sky. My free hand is in a guard position.

You can see from this visual that this position requires a lot of mobility in the shoulders in flexion, rotation of the thorax, hip in extension and the other in flexion, but also in the ankle and pelvis.

To ensure you approach these movements safely and can fully benefit from the Animalk Flow System without fear of injury,

And also be able to discover more advanced variations of movements like the Traveling Leopard, Crocodile Roll and Pop Switch, Pop Out, or even the Crocodile Crawl…

It is essential to build a strong, flexible and resilient body.

To get started with Animal Flow practice

Joint mobility is the foundation of a body that can do what you want it to do.

You can add our free mobility routine before your Animal Flow sessions to ensure you're engaging all of your body's joints.

Just 10 to 15 minutes to unlock your body, remove pain and stiffness and most importantly reconnect your nervous system with your joints to be fully present before your practice.

Animal Flow is coming to the MOVING DOJO!

We offer Animal Flow sessions on our online platform to help you get started with beginner flows and fitness sessions for all levels.

An opportunity to add diversity to your physical practice and develop your physical, artistic and expressive skills in a fun and playful way .

You can try our online training platform FREE for 7 days and enjoy Animal Flow sessions and many others like the Ido Portal Method , Locomotion , or Floorwork .

Let’s move better to live better.

Thank you for your attention, my friend.

Nomad Slim
Founder of MOUVERS