KarateKid7 Posted March 18, 2003 Posted March 18, 2003 for the karate standard i am at at the moment, i have a brown belt grading coming up and for it, we have a flexibility test whereby we sit on the floor with our legs spread out and we hav to touch floor with out elbows... all u guys r amazingly felxible but my flexibility is appauling...very poor...especially my hamstrings and groin area.....i have this psychological factor affecting me wheneva i want to stretch and due to the pain i endure while stretching i neva get any postive work done and neva experience any benefits.....i also find sitting in seiza very hard and it hurts sooo much.... plz cud n e of u give me tips on how i can overcome this flexibilty problem....i am not overwieght...i am underweight actually! and i can't kick jodan at all...barely chudan but when i kick chudan it lacks in power.... "Life is a journey, not a destination""Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless""Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do"
KickChick Posted March 18, 2003 Posted March 18, 2003 Seems to me that you would have developed some level of flexibility by now (how long have you been taking karate?? You need to stretch in and out of class ..... working on stretching everday in the beginning of your training. Slowly and gradually avoiding "pain" ... discomfort is unavoidable but pain should be avoided. You should have been working at furthering your stretching flexibility on a consistent basis. Take a look at the thread at the beginning of this forum http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=6186 Unfortunately this is a "test" that you cannot cram for!! Do what you can for now.
karatekid1975 Posted March 18, 2003 Posted March 18, 2003 I agree, Kickchick. When I started, I was not flexible at all. I couldn't even touch my toes! Now two and a half years later, I finally did a split last month (I mean all the way down to the ground), with out pain. What I did was work at it gradually. I worked on the tightest muscles the most, which for me was my hammies and groin area, like you. For me, the best time to stretch to gain flexibility was after class. You should stretch before any physical activity, but to gain flexibility, I also stretched after class. Because the muscles are warmed up, and it kept me from getting "stiff" after a good work out. I started to do that when I found that I wasn't getting anywhere with my flexibility. It worked. Laurie F
Maestro Posted March 19, 2003 Posted March 19, 2003 Like karatekid, I couldn't even touch my toes at one point either. I found that light stretching both before I went to bed and after I woke up accelerated my flexibilty improvments. Again, I must emphasize light stretching, as the muscles will not be warmed up--little to no discomfort should be felt. And of course what they said^^^ on top of that too. Might as well take my advice--I don't use it anymore.
KarateKid7 Posted March 19, 2003 Author Posted March 19, 2003 thank you for the advice every1...all advice is much appreciated...i have been doing karate for about 3.5 yrs and we always stretch before the class...i think i shud take ur advice and stretch outside the class as well...rather than strength, i would favour flexibility so from now on i am going to concentrate on flexibility but i don't want to neglect strength training either ...wat do u think? "Life is a journey, not a destination""Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless""Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do"
KickChick Posted March 19, 2003 Posted March 19, 2003 Include some isometric stretching into your routine. The primary function of isometrics is to develop strength. In martial arts we require a different "type" of strength than say, a weight lifter requires. We need to develop the type of strength that helps us to generate alot of power with minimal movement while still maintaining our flexibility.... this is called "tendon strength" and you'll get this with isometrics. The tendons are the fibers that attach the muscles to the bones. So when you increase their stregth you develop more power in your technique.... like your kick that you said lacks "power". Weight training will also help to increase tendon strength but you'll get the same results in a shorter period of time by doing isometrics..
Looneyas Posted March 20, 2003 Posted March 20, 2003 Well I started stretching 9 weeks ago. Im 6 Inches from the side splits. I have gained this amazing stretching from 2 types 1. Morning Dynamic stretches Every morning 2.Isometric stretches as KickChick said. I stretch twice a day and no major injurys yet, As i always warm up well before. Look fwd to stretching dont look at it as hard work, look it as a goal, Learn and u shall TeachTeach and you shall learn,https://www.southpacifictkd.com.au
KickChick Posted March 20, 2003 Posted March 20, 2003 Hey you're progressing along nicely! It does take "time" there is no immediate plan of action when it comes to flexibility... but it does require consistent stretching practices. (My side split is 100% .... I still have to work on my front split)
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