A todo esto, practicábamos la posición abierta.

Yes, literally it is something like to all this, but in real Spanish it is an idiomatic expression.

In context, A todo esto often means things like:

• meanwhile
• all the while
• by the way
• with all this going on
• in the middle of all this

The exact English equivalent depends on context. It usually connects what follows to a situation already being described.

So a learner should treat A todo esto as a fixed discourse expression, not translate it word by word.

Practicábamos is the imperfect tense of practicar.

The imperfect is used for things like:

• ongoing actions in the past
• repeated or habitual actions in the past
• background description

So practicábamos suggests we were practising or we used to practise, depending on context.

Compare:

• practicábamos = we were practising / we used to practise
• practicamos = we practised / we practice, depending on context and accent
• practicamos without an accent can also be present tense: we practise
• practicábamos with -ábamos is clearly imperfect

Here, the imperfect fits because it sounds like background information: while everything else was happening, we were practising.

The ending -ábamos tells you that it is:

• 1st person plural
• in the imperfect
• of an -ar verb

So:

• yo practicaba
• tú practicabas
• él/ella practicaba
• nosotros practicábamos
• vosotros practicabais
• ellos practicaban

Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action. So nosotros is not necessary.

Yes, often you could.

• practicábamos = imperfect simple
• estábamos practicando = imperfect progressive

Both can mean we were practising, but there is a slight difference in feel:

• practicábamos can mean either we were practising or we used to practise
• estábamos practicando focuses more strongly on the action being in progress at that moment

So if the idea is background activity, both may work. The simple imperfect is very natural and often preferred unless you really want to stress the ongoing nature of the action.

Spanish often uses the definite article more than English does.

So la posición abierta means the open position. In many contexts, Spanish prefers the article when referring to:

• a known position
• a specific technique
• a named posture or configuration

This is especially common in technical, physical, musical, sports, or dance contexts.

Leaving out the article might be possible in some special contexts, but la posición abierta sounds more normal as a complete noun phrase.

In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• posición abierta = open position

That is the normal order.

Putting the adjective before the noun is sometimes possible in Spanish, but it usually changes the tone, style, or emphasis. With a technical phrase like this, posición abierta is the standard order.

Because adjectives in Spanish must agree with the noun they describe.

Posición is:

• feminine
• singular

So the adjective must also be:

• feminine
• singular

That gives:

• posición abierta

Compare:

• el brazo abierto = the open arm
• la posición abierta = the open position
• las posiciones abiertas = the open positions

It can be.

It sounds like a term that could belong to a specific field, such as:

• dance
• sport
• music
• body posture or movement
• mechanics or spatial arrangement

In those contexts, posición abierta may function almost like a set term: open position.

Even if it is not a fully fixed expression, it is still a completely normal noun + adjective combination in Spanish.

The comma shows that A todo esto is a sentence opener or discourse marker, not part of the main clause grammar.

So the structure is basically:

• A todo esto, = introductory expression
• practicábamos la posición abierta. = main clause

This is very natural punctuation in Spanish. It works much like English introductory phrases such as:

• Meanwhile,
• By the way,
• In all this,

Usually it appears at the beginning, because it introduces or frames what follows.

For example:

• A todo esto, practicábamos la posición abierta.

That is the most natural placement.

In some cases, similar expressions can be moved for stylistic reasons, but with A todo esto, sentence-initial position is by far the most common and idiomatic.

Very often, yes, but it is broader than that.

Practicar can mean:

• to practise a skill
• to train
• to do regularly
• to carry out

Examples:

• practicar español = to practise Spanish
• practicar deporte = to do sport / practise sport
• practicar una técnica = to practise a technique

So in this sentence, practicábamos la posición abierta is perfectly natural if they were rehearsing or training that position.

On its own, the imperfect allows both readings.

• we were practising if it refers to an action in progress in a past scene
• we used to practise if it refers to a habitual past action

Because of A todo esto, many learners will feel a background in-progress sense more strongly: meanwhile, we were practising...

But the wider context decides the exact interpretation.

Yes, the sentence is natural Spanish.

What makes it sound especially natural is:

• the idiomatic opener A todo esto
• the use of the imperfect practicábamos for background action
• the normal noun phrase la posición abierta

The only thing that depends on context is posición abierta: it sounds most natural if the conversation is about a field where that term makes sense, such as dance, movement, posture, or technique.