giridas

I'm 40 and have been challenged by flexibility issues since I began martial arts training in my 20's. It's only just recently that I'm finding really effective ways to improve. I can tell you what's worked for me but the key thing is you have to be aware of your own particular issues and how you address them. 1. Stretching isn't enough, it's how you stretch that counts. Don't go in too deep too fast, and make sure you breathe through your stretch. Often during in-class warmups it's impossible to get a good, productive stretch - things are just too rushed. Take some time on your own to stretch your tight muscles mindfully. Find that point where the stretching sensation transitions into pain and back off a bit. Stay there and play with your body position & breath to make sure you're relaxed & have good structure. Don't just do a stretch, know it in all its phases. 2. One cause of chronic muscle tightness can be chronic weakness in antagonistic muscles. I saw this all the time when I was a massage therapist. In my case as a karateka, I think my tight adductors (groin muscles) are worsened by weak abductors (muscles that raise the leg out to the side. As I've worked on strengthening the abducotrs, my flexibility in getting my legs apart is improving. Remember, the body keeps muscles tight protectively if it senses that it's moving into an unstable/potentially dangerous position. So by increasing your overall strength & stability, you create the conditions for your body to open up more. 3. Keep at it. To really change your flexibility requires discipline & patience, but you can do it. And in the meantime, keep kicking & working on your technique. Though my static flexibility is still relatively poor, I can maegeri to the level of my own chin, and mawashigeri to the level of my ribs, easily.

Yes, Mike Spain is my sensei.

I study JKF Wadokai in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Should be testing for 5th kyu soon. Obviously I'm not very experienced in Wado but I have trained other styles (Filipino, Thai & Chinese) for years and I love what I have found in Wado.

My instructor usually has us do slow, easy reeling hands for a while before we do push hands. Then if he finds that our push hands is getting to be too much of a strength contest, we go back to gentle reeling hands to reinforce the need to be soft and sensitive.

I am far from expert in this area, but Chonan sounds similar to Channan. I've been reading a bit about the "lost" Channnan kata recently. According to what I've seen, Channan was either the old name for the Pinan/Heian series, or it was a Chinese-derived kata from which Itosu created the Pinan/Heian series (along with Kushanku?). The sources I've read refer to Channan as a corruption of a Chinese name, something like Chang Nan, either the name of a man or of a martial style. But then Channan doesn't sound like it was a basic or beginner's kata, so I'm not sure it's related to your Chonan. It's possible though that the name could be even if the movements are not.