How can I become more flexible to raise my legs higher?

I do it every day, and yeah i do fell progress. When i startet i couldnt even ben over and fell my toes Now i can ben so much over i can press my head over and down to my knees.

I also fell progress in front spilt. But i really fell no progress in my side spilt.

I will try what you told Martial4rtist about high kicks, maybe that will help my spilt?

Also what does number one mean? Is it just roateing the legs or hips?

"1. Rotate all of your joints 10-20 times in each direction."

 

Side split is generally the most difficult because it involves some of the weakest muscles in the legs (adductor magnus, adductor brevis, adductor longus, pectineus and gracilis). The front split is usually easier because most people already have strong hamstrings and quadriceps. And remember the key to flexibility training: "The stronger a muscle is, the more flexible you can make it!"

Flexibility is speed and position specific. Splits and high kicks require two different types of flexibility (static and dynamic, respectively), and there is generally very little crossover between the two types of flexibility.

It means rotate the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles.

 

Hey Superfoot,

I've been working on my side split for a LONG time now and have come to the conclusion that I need more strength in the muscles being stretched.

Any strength exercises that you would reccomend?

 

Kombatmaster777,

Isometric stretches would be my first recommendation. (If you are not doing them already.) They will improve your flexibility and increase your strength.

Basic exercises such as the squat, lunge and deadlift should be the staple of any strength training routine. They will save your knees from the pressure that is often placed on those joints when doing splits.

Dynamic strength exercises are also very useful. Examples include adductor pulldowns and flies.

Structuring your workouts correctly is just as important as the exercises you do. A proper sequence of efforts in a split-specific strength training would be as follows:

1. Warm-up.
2. Basic strength exercises (squats etc).
3. Dynamic strength exercises.
4. Isometric stretches.
5. Relaxed stretches.

 

Hey superfoot.

This morning i tryed to do that routine witch you said.

I felt it very hard to raise my leg to head high, when i did it to the side.

Do i place both legs down after raiseing it, or do i stand on one foot and do the 12 reps?

Do i have to do more reps if i cant raise it to my head?

Also the relaxed stretch, is really really hard for my legs. And i tryed doing the front spilt for around 10 min. and i had to stop cause i had to start on the side spilt.

Any ideas what i do wrong?

 

Forum members have definitely given you a lot of very good information.

I advise you look into Bill "Superfoot" Wallace's "Advanced Stretching and Leg Strengthening. He provides some drills that really isolate the muscles that lift the leg. Like he says, "Strength is just as important as flexibility".

Good luck!

 

I just googled hes name after seening that video superfoot have postet

Im gonna head to the libary next week and gonna rent some videos and or books. Do you know any good books/videos?

 

Maretti,

Do 12 repetitions of the leg raises on one side, then switch. I.e. 12 left leg, 12 right leg, 12 left leg, etc.

Do this 5 times on each side. Do not do more than 5 sets. Start low and build the height with each set. Divide them as follows:

Set 1: Knee height
Set 2: Hip height
Set 3: Chest height
Set 4: Shoulder height
Set 5: Head height

Set 1 and 2 should be slow and controlled. Set 3 should be half of your maximum kicking speed. Set 4 should be three-quarters of your maximum kicking speed. Set 5 should be at full speed.

Building up the height and speed in your dynamic stretches (as outlined above) will make it easier for you to reach head height. It will also prevent your stretch from becoming a ballistic one.

You should reach head height easily within 8 to 10 weeks of doing dynamic stretches twice a day, every day.

 

Maretti,

Please explain what you mean when you say relaxed stretches are hard on your legs?

If you mean you are not seeing progress quick enough, please have patience. Relaxed stretches are slow. It can take up to 30 minutes to reach your maximum limit in a single stretch.

If you are experiencing pain at the tops of your hips, you need to rotate your pelvis more. If you are experiencing muscle spasms, 1) stop that stretch and come back to it later in the day, and 2) do strength training. If you are experiencing pain in your knees, strengthen the muscles that stabilise the knees. Hindu squats are good for this.

 

Maretti, there's a list at the Century Martial Arts website. Just go to the DVD section and you'll find him in the list.

 

If you live in the UK www.shaolinway.com has the full original 15 title series. They might ship worldwide, not sure though.

 

Great sounding advice Super Foot (I only say 'sounding' because I don't know anything about it myself, so I can't really judge you!). Got a couple of questions about this though:

This is a progression for improving flexibility, right? Where did you get it? Would it be different for say, strength as a main goal?

Actually, it's probably best if a I start a new thread for this...

please answer here! Thanks!

 

Mr Punch,

I have answered your question in the new thread.

For those users who wish to remain in this forum, the sequence of efforts I highlighted is the correct order of exercises in any given workout (regardless of the goal of the workout).

Regards,

Dan

 

Thanks! Invaluable information... wonder why it's not all over all the exercise sites despite it being the answer to a frequently pondered question...

 

I think the answer is because many coaches are still stuck in traditional, ineffective ways. They teach what they know because it is all they know, and because their coach told them to do it. They pass this on to their athletes who, when they become coaches, pass it on to their athletes. And so the same traditional, ineffective training methodologies are recycled again and again.

 

Super Foot, I have done the stretching routine for a while now and it works great. Altohugh, I have some further questions...

I found two quotes of yours that I feel contradict each other?

"The routine takes 15-20 minutes maximum... can you not set your alarm a little earlier? "
Including dynamic stretching plus joint-rotations plus relaxed stretching?

"If you mean you are not seeing progress quick enough, please have patience. Relaxed stretches are slow. It can take up to 30 minutes to reach your maximum limit in a single stretch."

When I do the seated side-split (toes up), I spread the legs quite a bit and then wait for about only 10 seconds, then move on, wait for 10 seconds and so on until I feel I can't extend any more - then I hold for 60 seconds.
Wallace did like that in that Youtube-video, but one should not time the "waiting for released tension" ?

When having reached the maximum, and having held that stretch for 30-60 seconds, I often feel that I can extend my legs some additional centimeters.
Would it be OK to continue from that position at once, without going back and shaking lose the legs? (i.e. going to the maximum, waiting 60 seconds, going further, waiting additonal 60 seconds - then go back and call it a session)

Thanks!

 

Yes, on average the early morning routine should not take longer than half an hour at most. I speak from experience because mine takes only 15 minutes. Remember - the more you progress, the less work you are required to do to maintain your level. Some people may take longer. All depends on the individual and how they respond to the training.

Yes, it would be perfectly fine, if you feel confident to do so. Wallace counts for ten seconds for the sake of brevity during filming the video, and also because he is advanced enough that it takes less than 10 seconds for him to wait out the tension. I advise people not to time themselves because they may increase the stretch before they have sufficiently waited out the tension. If you feel that you can sufficiently increase the stretch after 10 seconds, then do so. It depends entirely on what you perceive to be safe for your body.

Hope this clears up any confusion.

Good luck

 

This is some very valuable info to find, thank you very much Superfoot.

 

jimeade,

No problem. Hope your own training is progressing well

 

This is regarding the alignment of the supported foot during a side-raise

I know I've asked something similar before, but anyway (I'm still unclear, so probably I did not ask this :

I heard that the supporting legs' foot should be pointing forward, thus ensuring that one is given good relevant stretch. But in this column, Kurz' drawings show that (from above) the supporting foot is pointing to the side, i.e. toes are pointing away from kick.

Seen in the bottom pic, the one showing it from above. In the same picture, it seems the upper body also leans a bit to the side as well.

http://www.stadion.com/column_stretch06.html

Which is correct?