Please help with this question......

[savedbygrace]

I do not want to confuse anyone with my stupidity so I'm gonna try to explain this as best as my feeble mind will let me. I've been taking karate for almost 2 months and I can REALLY see a big difference in my stretching ability. It has really gotten better. I'm stretching no every, but almost every day and like I said its going well. My only problem is this......take this senerio I can do split stretches past 90 degrees with both legs and with each single leg and I can I lateral leg swings past 90 degrees but it continues to seem that (even after I am really loose and completely stretched) when I attempt to do a "regular" sidekick, mainly with my left leg, to a height of 90 degrees I'm still getting a feeling of a pulled groin muscle even though I am stretching and doing leg swings that are past 90 degrees. Can anyone help me out as to what I can do to help with this? Thanks for the help and I hope I dont confuse anyone.

[Shui Tora]

Getting the feeling that you are stretching the groin muscle when doing a Yoko-Geri Kikomi... I get that, and can just get leg swings past 90 degrees...

A simple solution (may be hard to explain); When you do a Kikomi kick, your back foot should be pointing the other way to the direction of the kick, unlike doing the splits... You can do the splits with no problem, that is because your hips are facing one way...

Think of it this way, instead of doing the splits, you sit normally, and you spread your legs, with your hips facing, say to the wall that you are facing... (that can be another stretch to stretch the groin muscle...) That is why you feel that stretch, as you haven't exercised (trying to find another word than Stretch ) the muscle...

Hope that helps, and doesn't confuse you!

[savedbygrace]

Getting the feeling that you are stretching the groin muscle when doing a Yoko-Geri Kikomi... I get that, and can just get leg swings past 90 degrees...

A simple solution (may be hard to explain); When you do a Kikomi kick, your back foot should be pointing the other way to the direction of the kick, unlike doing the splits... You can do the splits with no problem, that is because your hips are facing one way...

Think of it this way, instead of doing the splits, you sit normally, and you spread your legs, with your hips facing, say to the wall that you are facing... (that can be another stretch to stretch the groin muscle...) That is why you feel that stretch, as you haven't exercised (trying to find another word than Stretch ) the muscle...

Hope that helps, and doesn't confuse you!

Thank you very much for your reply and it does make sense.......but I think I am doing that exercise...I am doing splits on my own....then (this may not be what your talken about).....I will sit on the floor with my legs straight out in front of me, the I will spread them apart as far as I can then will have someone sit directly in front of me, facing me, and I will have them put there feet on the inside of my ankles and will have them come closer to me and push with their feet (man, sounds like Im describing a sexual position doesnt it ) out which stretches my legs out farther....If thats not what you talken about please let me know and thanks for your response....

[Shui Tora]

^ That is what I am talking about... You described it better that I could!

Another reason is that it is just a natural reflex/feeling... Anything else is beyond my unerstanding of biomechanics & Biology!

[Sohan]

Hate to be simpistic, but you have what is called a "pulled muscle".

The problem is that you haven't let it heal and it persistently raises its ugly head every time you use it. Sounds like an adductor muscle, which you're not helping by continuing to stretch it. You may have to bite the bullet and not stretch for at least a few days, let it heal, and then come back less aggressively until your muscles can adapt better.

With respect,

Sohan

[savedbygrace]

Hate to be simpistic, but you have what is called a "pulled muscle".

The problem is that you haven't let it heal and it persistently raises its ugly head every time you use it. Sounds like an adductor muscle, which you're not helping by continuing to stretch it. You may have to bite the bullet and not stretch for at least a few days, let it heal, and then come back less aggressively until your muscles can adapt better.

With respect,

Sohan

Gotcha...does make sense...the only thing that is weird Shoan is that I can stretch it and it doesnt hurt or anything..then when I kick not even up to the width of how far I can stretch it.....I still get the pulling feeling....i would have guessed I would have really felt it when I stretch esp. since I can stretch it farther than when I am kicking....but your point does make sense...and I guess deep down inside I figured thats what it was, but wanted a second opinion.... Thanks for your input.

[bushido_man96]

Hate to be simpistic, but you have what is called a "pulled muscle".

The problem is that you haven't let it heal and it persistently raises its ugly head every time you use it. Sounds like an adductor muscle, which you're not helping by continuing to stretch it. You may have to bite the bullet and not stretch for at least a few days, let it heal, and then come back less aggressively until your muscles can adapt better.

With respect,

Sohan

Gotcha...does make sense...the only thing that is weird Shoan is that I can stretch it and it doesnt hurt or anything..then when I kick not even up to the width of how far I can stretch it.....I still get the pulling feeling....i would have guessed I would have really felt it when I stretch esp. since I can stretch it farther than when I am kicking....but your point does make sense...and I guess deep down inside I figured thats what it was, but wanted a second opinion.... Thanks for your input.

That is because the stretch is an easy motion that is held. The kick is sudden shock to the muscle, and causes the reaction you are gettin. (I think ).

[Shui Tora]

^ Yeah! You might be right about that Bushido, never thought of it like that before!

[bushido_man96]

Another thought that I had is that you need to stretch in your side kick position. When you get into the splits, rotate to the right side and hold; they used to call this the "American splits" position. Hold there, and then rotate to the left.