Self-Massage with Finis Jhung

BACKGROUND: I am an adult ballet beginner. I discovered Finis Jhung’s work over a year ago, when I searched Amazon for introductory level ballet DVDs for adults. Initially, I was apprehensive, as his DVDs are rather expensive. However, after reading many reviews of the few introductory ballet DVDs that Amazon offers, I bought one (“Ballet Barre for the Adult Absolute Beginner”). My experience with that DVD convinced me not merely of Finis’s deep knowledge of ballet as an art, but of his unsurpassed pedagogical ability to make is accessible to adults with no prior experience of ballet. Since then, I have subscribed to his website and been working (slowly) through subsequent ballet DVDs in the "red series."GENERAL COMMENTS: The “Self-Massage with Finis Jhung” DVD is NOT a ballet-specific production. Rather, this is a full-body oriented DVD. Its individual chapters are devoted to various muscles groups and the massage tools that is most effective in reaching and working them. I am not going to list here all the muscle groups covered (because they are listed in the online description of the DVD), but I want to emphasize the fact that Finis covers them not at random but in a very systematic way: taken as a whole, this DVD addresses all of the most problematic regions of the body (back, hips and legs, neck and shoulders, etc.)—not just for dancers, but for most people in the contemporary world. The last chapter features a helpful summary of all tools reviewed.The tools he covers (once again, listed in the online description of the DVD)—and on his website, Finis also has each tool linked to Amazon, making it very easy to find them—range from the common household items (a “ball in a sock”) to the specialty pieces that you would see at the physiotherapy office (like “terracane” or “foam roller”). I did purchase a couple of items, after reviewing this DVD, but I do not buy them all. This is important: because Finis so thoroughly explains how the tool works on the body part, and what it helps to achieve, I have been able to figure out what other things I could use instead (for example, I am using a long French pastry rolling pin in lieu of the “stick!”).The important thing to note about this DVD—in comparison with his other DVDs—is that it is primarily an educational piece. It does not feature the “Do-Along” option: that is, it does not give you a “45-min massage-session” to follow. This may seem to be a drawback. However, if you think about it, such “lack” is understandable, indeed necessary. The bodily state and the trigger points for every person (or, even for the same person, on a different day) vary widely. Therefore, a generic massage session could hardly be imagined. But I believe there is a deeper reason as well: here, as in his other DVDs, Finis teaches a skill that goes far beyond the mere use of the massage tools; he teaches the art of listening to and honoring your body, on day-to-day basis. This DVD is an introduction to some highly effective tools, but making time to use them, under the guidance of your own body, is an ingredient that is required of the viewer.POSSIBLE OBJECTION—REFUTED: Because the primary purpose of the DVD is educational, an important question must be addressed: could somebody just head on to the you-tube and watch some videos on different massage tools, thereby sidestepping the purchase? The superficial answer is “yes”: because both the muscle groups and the tools are all listed in the description of the DVD, such course of action is indeed possible. The more thoughtful answer is “not so fast”: first, watching videos on youtube, for each group of muscles and tools, would require a tremendous investment of time; second, and even more importantly, there are a lot of self-proclaimed experts online, and I would prefer to learn the tools from the teacher I can trust, because (a) he is not trying to “sell” them to me and (b) he has a life-long experience and deep knowledge of the body. The bottom line: if you have an unlimited amount of time at your disposal to sift through the videos and reviews of various tools online, and if you possess a good musculoskeletal knowledge, then the option above may work for you. But for me, even on my student budget, I consider the purchase of this DVD the money very well-spent, and I strongly recommend it to others.A CONCLUDING RECOMMENDATION: if you are really serious about caring for your body (or have a medical condition that requires you to do so in a gentle but effective way), I recommend Finis’s “Meditative Stretching” DVD as a companion volume to this one. This latter DVD does have a “follow-along” function. I often use “Meditative Stretching” first, and then follow it up with self-massage using the tools. And for those who are, like me, adult beginners in ballet, these two DVDs together have helped me to advance in stretching my legs more than anything else I tried (no, I cannot do splits yet—I am a 40 y.o., who for years used her body just to carry her head around!—but I am able to retain the stretch much better, and my Extensions` and Developpes` are getting higher).

I love Finis Jung’s straight forward, sincere way of speaking! He is an excellent teacher!It would have helped to show the exercises without long pants or shorts; that way, muscles would have been more apparent during demonstrations. We dancers, will eventually figure it out. Loved knowing where to order the tools used!

Worth every penny. I'm feeling stronger and pain is much less of a problem. Thank you so much Finis.

This DVD has 13 sections which I will break down for you below. In overview, Finis is alone in his apartment showing how to use the various physical therapy items, where, and what muscle groups they are for. Very personable, helpful to anyone struggling with arthritis or injury rehab. Helpful advice includes: "Every day is another day," and "Get up from sitting every 15 minutes."1. Foam Roller: Hip flexors, quads, adductors, iliopsoas.2. Air Filled Balls & Solid Balls: Glutes, trochanters, rotators, hip flexors, iliopsoas, adductors (the turnout muscles).3. Air Filled Ball: Greater trochanter, glutes, piriformis, IT band.4. Hand Tools: Hip flexors, glutes, IT band, quads.5. Stretch Strap: Hamstrings, adductors, glutes.6. Ma Roller: Spine, back.7. Soft Ball, Hand Tool: Shins, calves, fibula area8. Rollers, Solid Ball: Foot9. Rubber Ball on Stick: Shoulders, neck, back, glutes, IT band, head, sinus10. Stick (flexible): Neck, shoulders, glutes, greater trochanter, IT band11. Thera-Cane: Neck, back, greater trochanter, glutes, IT band.12. Tennis Ball in sock: Glutes, piriformis, back.13. Door Bar: Full body stretches, also uses stretch strap for some of this.I am waiting for some of these items to arrive from Amazon, but the explanations by Finis are very informative and crystal clear. The DVD can be used for either instruction or work-along demonstration. A nice personal touch at the end is when he lets the viewers know that the whole video was shot in his apartment, and it is not only the first video of this type (rehab) he has ever made, it's also the first time for a father-son collaboration with his son Jason (who briefly appears on camera to say hi at the end). Cannot recommend this video highly enough, this is what I have needed for years.