Flexibility Training

First I want to tell you all a story. Around 18 years ago I was training hard toward my first black belt grade, but was really struggling with my high kicks, I couldn’t get them above waist height and no matter how many Bruce Lee films I watched, they wouldn’t go any higher.

It was at this time that I bought a book that changed my flexibility training forever, and I still use the methods I learned from that book today.

It really did do exactly what it said on the cover. My kicks went from waist height with average power to head height and above with awesome power.

Here I’m going to tell you about just one of the techniques contained in the book that will make a hell of a difference to your flexibility in just 6 weeks.

Step 1. Decide you’re going to do it – If you can’t do this one you shouldn’t be in martial arts in the first place !

Step 2. Get up 10 to 15 minutes earlier than normal every morning and put this time aside for your stretch time.

Step 3. Rotate all the joints in your body, nothing too strenuous just loosen up a little. You’ve just got out of bed remember !

Step 4. Raise your leg up to the front of your body with a nice even swing and use your hand to stop your leg as it gets toward its maximum stretch. DO NOT throw your leg up, this is ballistic stretching and will do you more harm than good.

While you’re doing this keep both legs straight and your standing foot flat on the floor. Do a set of 6-10 each leg at first.

Step 5. Repeat the process whilst holding on to a chair and this time your leg is going out to the side.

Step 6. Repeat again holding on to a chair for support but raising your leg to the rear, this time you won’t be able to use your hand to stop it, but remember NO ballistic movements.

Gradually increase the number of reps as your strength increases.

This is done in the morning as opposed to any other time of the day as this is when your muscular memory settings are more open to resetting than at any other time in the day.

So you aren’t left in suspense the book is called Stretching Scientifically and is by Thomas Kurz available at Amazon

I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s edition of Martial Matters and if there is anything you would like to see in future editions please contact me via the website.

See you all next month and let me know if I can be of help in any way.