Hip flexor stretch?!

Does any one here do regular hip flexor stretches? Do you thing they are important? Do you want a flexible hip flexor? does stretching this muscle reduce or increase your chances of injury?

Bretty

Weak hip flexors (muscles that raise a thigh for every kick) inhibits your kicking ability.... lack of strength, height in the kick and kicking endurance.

Exercising hip flexors is one of the most important conditioning exercise a martial artist can include in their training workout .... and if it isn't included in yours..... than get to it!!

In my fav book "Stretching Scientifically" .... Kurz explains that if possible, you should do even your general strength exercises in the same movement pattern as your technique. For example, in a general hip flexor exercise for kickers, lying down on a bench, let your left leg hang below the bench (to put it through the same range of motion as when kicking "with the rear leg in a fighting stance), and as you raise your left leg simultaneously press your right leg to the back and extend your left arm to the back while moving your bent right arm forward into a guard position. This is the pattern of limb movements synchronization in the front, side, and roundhouse kicks. Thanks to spinal cord reflexes, these additional movements of the arms and the other leg increase the tension of muscles lifting the left leg.

Strengthening the hip flexors ....the main kicking muscles:

The strength and endurance of the hip flexors (the iliopsoas muscles) determine both the power and the height of your kicks.

http://www.stadion.com/column_stretch23.html

The hip flexor stretch that we do is a horse stance stretch:

feet as wide apart as a good center stance/back balance, bend at knees and waist, put elbows on knees and press outwards. Basically trying to make a straight line instead of having your butt sticking out

Then some left and right stretches from the horse stance:

Shift weight to where you're in an entirely long front balance to the left. Left knee bent, right leg straight. Knee should not go past toes, back up straight. Weight should be on right hip, pressing it towards the left leg.

Repeat on other side.

Pretty good stretch when done correctly.

If I am understanding those stretches correctly monkeygirl....the first stretch is a groin stretch ("bear in the woods") and the second is a hamstring/calves stretch (which are both important also!)

.... actually I thought of another I do to stretch out the class before kicking.

Doggies:(a good dyanmic stretch exercise also)

Kneel on a mat on all fours with your knees hip-width apart, your hands placed slightly wider than your shoulders, and your fingers pointing forward. Keep your back straight and your head up. Keeping your leg bent at a 90-degree angle, exhale as you raise your right leg out to the side (like a dog at a fire hydrant). Hold for 1 second. Inhale as you slowly lower your leg back to the starting point. Do one set with your right leg, and then switch sides. Here is where you can add a weight to the leg to "burn" your hip flexor muscle.

You can also extend leg out upon lifting and do sidekicks keeping leg up to that side. Then do roundhouses (pointing toe). As you extend that leg out into a roundhouse, try and keep toes nose level... your goal is to get and keep that leg up high and work the hip flexors.

You can then extended the leg to the back and flex the foot and drive heel up to ceiling ... this actually feels good after doing the other kicks from out to the side. This is a small movement (and it helps to pretend you are lifting say, a cement block up to the ceiling with that foot.

Uh oh sounds like Bretty's asking silly questions.

The reason i asked this is one of the instructors at my club makes use do hip flexor stretchs as part of the warm up routine. Exercises like standing in a long front to back stance with your both feet facing forward like a lunge and stretching your hips (near the first belt loops would be on your jeans)

I don't know if i like doing this, yes as Kickchick said I think it's important to strengthen your hip flexors but i've found stretching them makes my hips crack and pop more and loosens the joint making it more prone (sp?) to injury.

I know also people say not to static stretch before some exercises (not to static stretch before dynamic stretching, i think thats on that stadion.com website) as this can effect your muscles reflex and again lead to injury.

Just wandered if anyone else has any trouble? (or is it just me? ) because as far as i can see there is absolutely no need to stretch you hip flexors anyway? so why put unnecessary stress on your hips?

So why do you need a flexible hip flexor?

Bretty

...I'm not being funny.

I've been doing TKD for a long time and i think it's taking it's toll on my body. I want to be able to do TKD for a few more years yet so just want to look after my joints. I know i'll miss them when they're gone!

Cheers

Bretty