I am new here, currently teaching myself martial arts, and studying the philosophy of jeet kune do.
I want to be able to do a full split, so my kicks may ascend. Anyone know any good excersises to enhance my leg flexibility? How long should i stretch my legs before a session and get good results in leg flexibility?
"There once was a tiger-striped cat. This cat died a million deaths and was reborn a million times and was owned by various people who he didn't care for. The cat wasn't afraid to die... One day, the cat was a free cat, a stray cat. He met a white female cat, and the two cats spent their days happily together. Years passed, and the white cat died of old age. The tiger-striped cat cried a million times, and then died. But this time, it never came back to life."
This message has been edited by FutureBlues on Apr 9, 2004 7:37 PM
Hello, you should make strechting a part of your everyday life, like when you watch tv, strecht, or read a book, etc.
this may sound simple, but it has huge effects. Say you watch a movie that lasts 1 and a half hour, and you stretch while watching it. You get the point.
You do not need to do the splits to kick high. This is a myth developed from TKD tournaments and other asthetic arts. Flexiblity is importnat but do not over do it stretch only to warm up. I have been to too many classes where they try to make you do the splits this is just a commercila attraction. Generally what happens is the students ends up in pain i.e. the ligmenst are torn. Remember repaired ligemenst are not as good as new ligements. Generally these people lack real power in the kicks. (which is one reason why many people think kicks are not that good in a fight). To kick high you must angle your body properly and use momentum properly, simply being able to lift your leg high is not enough.
Make stretching a daily routine, do it morning, noon and night. Doing splits can help, but you will achieve better results with front and side leg raises and stretches. You need to warm up the ligaments and tendons used and then stretch. When stretching go until it starts to be uncomfortable. Hold it there until it is no longer uncomfortable. Do this with every stretch and gradually increase how far you stretch, and over time you will be able to stretch further before reaching that level of discomfort. That means you are getting more flexible. Be sure to practice the techniques you are trying to achieve better height with. Make it a habit and I can guarantee in a few months you will notice a difference in your flexibility. And Jack is right, body positioning and motion will determine power of a kick, and it also influences things like reach. Just simply lifting your leg high is not enough, so be sure to make sure your form is good. Good luck with training.
This message has been edited by Zub-Zub on Apr 11, 2004 5:06 PM
