Piano and sport at the same time

[faa2010]

One day, someone told me that if I play a sport where I need to use the hands (volleyball, basketball, karate, boxing, etc) I am not going to improve and instead get worse at playing piano, that the ligaments become stiffer, the fingers become dopier and the coordination decrements.

However, I saw a person whose parents have excused her for PE and taken too much care with the hands and one day she got a little fracture in one of her hands. So I think that doing exercise instead of making the things worse, it can give more endurance and strength to the hands.

What is your opinion?

[richard black]

Personally I take no care of my hands at all. I ride a bike (pedal bike) very fast, which means gripping the handlebars quite hard, and if it needs repairing I do it myself. I also fix my car, and do quite a lot of manual work. My hands feel much better after a day's work with the spanners, and frankly I wish I had reason to do it more often. I don't wear gloves until the cold gets completely unbearable.

Frankly, if you wanted to take care of your hands you wouldn't be a pianist.

[tea cup]

[lostinidlewonder]

People who are right handed find playing with the RH easier than the LH. Who those are LH find the LH easier than the RH. Why is this? Because they have practice with that hand many other complicated movements (eg: writing) more so than the other hand. So this highlights to us a point that complicated movements with our hands helps with piano playing indirectly and predominantly on a beginner level regarding coordination.

[john11inc]

If you're so serious about being a pianist that you're worried a little karate is going to ruin your perfection, you should probably be using that time to practice your scales, not your tiger kick or whatever.

But really, I doubt it could do much damage.  However, if you suddenly decide to become like, a professional tennis player or start trying to chop through cinder blocks with your palm, that's probably going to have some sort of effect on the way your hands work from a purely physiological point of view.  But like, playing some tag football with your buddies isn't going to do anything, assuming you don't slip and break your wrist or catch a ball improperly.

You mentioned boxing; I wouldn't recommend it if you're serious about being a pianist, unless you've already got a pretty huge catalog of one-handed works.

[thalbergmad]

Who those are LH find the LH easier than the RH.

I am LH but play piano better with my RH.

When i used to play cricket, i batted right handed and bolwed with my left. I could actually bowl with either arm. Fast medium with left and offspin with right.

I am sorta screwed up.

Thal

[ghchopin]

Idk, before I broke my leg, I used to go to the track at my school every saturday, to test my self on the mile run, and every time I got back, after being very sweaty and tired, I played piano, and I played all my fast songs, like Volodos turkish march, I could play it way faster than when I just get off PC, or when I get up, and I played it very acurately.

[indianajo]

Impacts, like volleyball and basketball,karate, handball, might cause some cartilege damage eventually where the dozens of metatarsal bones are held apart. I ran in shock causing combat boots for years at the insistance of the US Army, and I certainly am missing a lot of cartilege right behind my knee where I really need it. It's called arthritis by me or "a white spot on the MRI image" by the orthopedic surgeon. I'm 59. General aerobic exercise like track, maybe tennis, raquetball, build up general muscle and ligament tone due to the hormones generated.  I worked as a factory mechanic 2000-2008, and using my hands turning drivers and wrenches certainly maintained my strength to get back into piano now that I am not employed.  Factory safety people tell mechanics all the time not to use their hands as hammers, use the actual tool to hit things with.  The shock causes joint pain.  Volleyball, Basketball, karate involve hitting heavy things as part of the sport.    Factory safety people also have a whole list of stretching exercises for hand and forearm tendons; I recommend piano teachers review the ergonomics texts.   

[jessica mendez]

well to tell you the truth it could be dangerous (if your clumsy like me.) i sprand my ringfinger 'cause i caught the ball wrong but thats me. and if you dont wanna take that risk then just do sports that dont really focus on your hands like soccer and track. if not just try to balance sports and music out. it works sowhat.

[nanabush]

For the post earlier about handedness:  I'm left handed, and the only thing my left hand is good for on the piano is pounding out octaves.  My right hand has way more dexterity, better double notes (other than octaves), and has a way better tone when it needs it.

I hold a hockey stick right handed, baseball bat right handed, throw with my right arm, I bowl left/right handed.  The only thing that classes me left handed is my writing, and brushing my teeth 


Also, most people who play sports don't often get hand injuries (unless you are really into a competitive sport with high contact, or you have really bad form and pull a muscle).  If anything, the biggest pain for my hand is writing essays.  I don't write too many of those any more, but when I do have to, my hand cramps up and is sore.  I guess I have bad form with my writing.