StoneSkin Posted July 11, 2003 Posted July 11, 2003 What types of stretches do you guys recomend for kicking higher, ive heard that a lot of Taekwon do emphasises on high kicks. Is this true ? I was thinking of Joining an international taekwon do club in town. Not sure if Tae Kwon do is for me though.
John G Posted July 12, 2003 Posted July 12, 2003 StoneSkin You will be taught during class stretching techniques or you can ask one of the Black Belts what works for them best. Thomas Kurz’s “Stretching scientifically, a guide to flexibility training” is a good reference source. It is true that Taekwon-do emphasises on high kicks but that’s generally for sporting/tournament point sparing purposes only. Understanding the correct attacking tool, angle, power and distance too the correct vital point, and having the strength , flexibility, confidence and skill to put it all together when you need it is what ITF Taekwon-Do is about. If you choose to go down the Sporting/Tournament path you can have the flexibility and strength to perform those flashy kicks within about six months. Don’t confuse the techniques required for the Sporting/Tournament side of ITF with martial arts side. Both are important to learn, but there's a big difference between being able to Perform a technique to that of being able to Use a technique when it counts. Respectfully, John G Jarrett III Dan, ITF Taekwon-Do
AnonymousCoward Posted July 14, 2003 Posted July 14, 2003 There are a lot of excercises to stretch the leg, each one affecting different groups of muscles. Like John said, you will be taught them during your TKD training and I would recommend that you follow the teachings of your instructor if you have no experience of stretching because if you push yourself too far you can injure yourself and prevent yourself from training. When I first started, I was desperate to be able to kick head height and rushed it, tearing some tissue in my leg. I was back to square one! With stretching, it's important to stop before the point of pain as this can force your muscles to contract - you want to relax into the stretch and not push it. My personal favourites: Sitting with my back on the floor, buttocks touching the wall and letting my legs fall open. Then falling asleep... Once you are at a certain point, you may want to wear shoes whilst doing this to get more stretch and then move on to 1kg ankle weights. With a partner, stand against / near a wall. Move into a fully extended side kick position and ask your partner to lift your leg. Keep in the position and ask your partner to stop when it feels tight. If you are flexible your partner may need to put your foot on his / her head or lift with their arms. Once you are at the point where you feel a lot of resistance, push down against your partner with all the strength in your extended leg muscles for around 10 seconds then relax. Then get your partner to lift your leg higher - you should be able to go substantially farther. There is a front snap kick version of this too which does well for your axe kick. Sit on the floor with your legs open as far as they will go. Position your hips forward. Then, ask a partner to sit opposite you and push your legs out with their feet up until you feel uncomfortable. You may find it beneficial for them to hold onto your arms or spare belt. Next, try to touch your torso to each leg (not your head) then try and place your elbows on the floor. You should feel quite a stretch. As with all of these excercises, the most important thing is to relax - if it hurts (too much - twinges of pain etc.) rather than being uncomfortable (you'd rather not be in that position, maybe having a cuppa and watching Eastenders) then you've probably gone too far. Good luck with your training.
ShotokanKen Posted July 17, 2003 Posted July 17, 2003 im in WTF, and we do it for sports sparring in tournaments , but we can fight in real life cituations cause we also train on our own, so just cause your in wtf dosnt mean you cant handle real life situations . just my 2 cents ORANGE Belt(WTF) TaeKwonDo
monkeygirl Posted July 17, 2003 Posted July 17, 2003 I'm going to move this to Health, Training and Fitness Also in that forum, you'll find a Sticky thread with links to stretching information. 1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard.
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