hank

Chin up. Where there's a will, there's a way. Seriously, take up boxing - great for self-defense with real sparring and great conditioning - no kicking.

thomas kurtz is one of the stretching gurus: http://www.stadion.com/

as someone else mentioned, do NOT do STATIC stretching before physical activity. It has been found to be ineffective in preventing injuries. I'll look for the reference later. It DOES reduce strength and speed immediately afterwards. Not what you want before training. AFTER training (and while thoroughly warmed up) then do static stretching. WARMUP thoroughly and do DYNAMIC stretching BEFORE training. Do NOT do ballistic or bouncing type stretching.