New book - your help needed!

I'm in the process of writing my first book on flexibility training. It'll be different to the likes of Kurz, Tsatsouline & Zaichik for a number of reasons:

1. It does away with stretching of all forms.

2. It is tailored specifically for martial artists (kickers and grapplers).

3. It provides easy-to-follow routines with guidance on specific numbers of sets, reps, duration, etc.

4. You can have a say in it.

I need your help with the last one. I need to know your biggest flexibility problems (i.e tight hamstrings, groin, etc), your usual routine and rate of progress, stretching horror stories, and anything else you're not sure about in terms of flexibility - and what you would like to see in this book.

Anyone who helps will get a writing credit and a free copy when it's published. Post your input in this thread.

Cheers!

 

Cheers Mitch. Exactly the type of post I was after

Already got a couple of exercises in mind to address that.

And that.

I understand what you mean. It gives me something extra to think about. Does it affect your ability to do TKD in any way?

Very, thank you

 

PM'd you

 

My calves give me a lot of problems but that may be a genetic thing (i know i know, its 'my genes' excuse) My son, neice and sister all walk on their toes, I am struggling to get my son to stretch regular because he is a lazy ****. My physio was surprised at how tight my calves are (It takes a LOT of effort to just push my toes towards my shin and get a flat perpendicular angle between foot and leg, if you follow me, and this is whilst I am relaxed and chillin after a warm up and calf massage). Hamstrings are not to bad but could do with more work. Now my groin, if i may, Whilst adopting horse stance i get a pull in my right hip joint on the inside of my leg and in to my groin. I have never been able to do the splits, not that i have any real desire to, but I would like to be more flexible than i need to be. One more area i would like to improve would be my back, specifically lower and upper-middle. Car crash injury has made it quite stiff and tight. Don't know if you will cover back stretches (Keeps fingers crossed) so thought i'd mention it. Good luck with the book, hope it writes itself.

 

That's probably due to your joints and connective tissues becoming more stable as a result of focusing more on strength than stretching. A lot of people have the misconception that strength training reduces flexibility, when in fact it improves it more than "stretching"!

Hmm... something I need to look into :thinking:

All the research I've looked at over the years has shown me that flexibility (and kicking) is best improved between the ages of 25 and 39, and even after this range (40+) it's generally easier and faster to make improvements more than between the ages of 16 and 24 (contrary to popular belief). I have also designed most of the methods in this book specifically for older athletes.

This is definitely something for me to consider, and will most likely feature in the book. Thank you for this suggestion

Sadly no amount of flexibility training will prevent soreness if a person exceeds his or her limits. However, I have included guidelines to reduce the effect of soreness and to get rid of it quickly.

The main theme of the book will be developing the ability to do splits and high kicks, but I will also cover specific routines for other sports and general healthy living (i.e. non-sports specific).

Pre-had and re-hab for the back features heavily in the book

Thanks for your input Mitch, definitely given me some food for thought.

You'll be pleased to know I cover the back and calves in the book. And just about every other muscle group! No stretches, just basic exercises that develop strength through the full range of motion - which is crucial to healthy, supple and stable joints and muscles. As I mentioned in my reply to Mitch's posts, back care is a strong point throughout the book (developing the ability to kick high and do the splits places a great deal of stress upon the back, something Kurz, Tsatsouline and Zaichik fail to mention in their books!)

Thanks again for your input guys, it's a great help. Like I said, anyone who provides input to this thread (with a bit of effort, obviously - see TKDMitch & SpikeD's posts as an example) will get a writing credit and a free copy of the book when it is published.

 

The aim of the book will be to make the reader self-sufficient. That is, they "pick & mix" exercises from the available list according to their goals and follow the advice on how to structure workouts accordingly. This, I hope, will enable the reader to pass on this advice to their own students (or athletes, if they're a sports coach). I'll also include example routines of how to choose exercises and arrange workouts.

The human body is a very smart piece of machinery and adapts very quickly. I hope to highlight this rate of adjustment and how/when you should change up your routines and exercises.

Cheers mate. Got to admit, your input has been nothing short of exceptional!

 

Superfoot,

Sounds very interesting..... when do you think you’ll have the book ready?

It would be nice to have details on the physiology of the basic, and ideally some of the more advanced kicks, and which exercises relate to each of those muscle groups.

As suggested by Mitch, having a section for pre-teens would be very good.

There are so many methods of stretching out there at the moment, it would be nice to give a brief synopsis of each of the major ones, with pros and cons of each, and then explain why your methods are better/more suitable.

I was surprised when at a recent seminar to be told that the best way to warm up is to stretch.... using passive stretching, as it get’s the blood into the muscles. This was advice from your name sake, and using this I’ve actually found there are fewer injuries.

Having a section on post-workout ‘care’ and working with injuries.

Have you considered a companion DVD? It’s always easier to see a stretch/exercise performed correctly as opposed to just reading about the correct method of doing the described exercise.

I’ll have a good think and ask friends, and either post here or PM you.

All the best,

Andy

 

this is pretty much exactly what i would have thrown in, so it gets a +1 from me...

maybe some varied length routines, incase we cant always fit in a 'full' routine for whatever reason on whatever day and time... at least if someone is running short on time, they can pick a shorter one and not have wasted time

 

Frodocious,

The book will explain exactly why stretching is redundant for improving flexibility.

The good news is you will be able to tailor the duration of each routine to suit your needs and time constraints. The better news is you won't have to do flexibility work every day.

Thank you for this. I will certainly keep it in mind.

As a little side note - I showed the outline of the book to my physiotherapist, and explained the theory behind it, and she thinks it will be great for rehabilitation of sports injuries. Hopefully I can include information that will help you with your ankle problem!

Andy,

Thanks. I want to be the one to pose for the photographs in the book as a testament to its effectiveness. To show that I went from full hip replacement surgery with limited mobility to full splits without a warm-up. I think this [book] is a vast improvement on what I've practiced previously, so I'm aiming to hit the floor in the splits within 3 months; my guess is the release date will be around October-November time.

Anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology of movement is one of the prevalent themes throughout the book. One thing I've found by visiting numerous clubs is that a lot of people don't know the mechanics of the movement; I think it's important to have at least a basic understanding of how the body works, in order to prevent poor technique and injury. I'd love this book to be used as an educational reference!

Thanks for this suggestion. I do make comparisons in the introduction, and in fact avoid "stretching" completely in the book. I explain why stretching is not only the least effective method for improving flexibility, but can also be detrimental to your training and overall health. A stretching book without stretching - sounds odd, doesn't it? But I also point out in the book that it is important for the reader not be narrow-minded and choose just one method, but to experiment with various methods to find the one that best suits them.

One thing I've found about Mr. Wallace - and it is something I like very much - is that he is constantly evolving his teaching methods. He doesn't remain stuck in one way of training and is always looking for new ways to progress. I admire that about him. I'm sure given his educational background (MSc in Kinesiology for those who don't know) he has ample reasons for teaching passive stretching during the warm-up phase. My own research has shown me progress is better made by avoiding stretching altogether, and this book is a medium for me to get that message across to the masses. But as I said earlier in this post, I always want to advise the reader(s) to take from multiple sources of information and come up with a method that best suits them. But I'd sure love to meet Mr. Wallace and exchange stretching ideas with him!

Already done But, thanks again for the suggestion.

Never thought about that and it's a great suggestion, but I think I'd like to see what the feedback on the book is like first. If people would prefer a visual guide, then I'll certainly consider doing a DVD.

Thanks for your awesome suggestions!

 

can you put anything about ankle flexibility in the book? specifically about the dorsiplantar flexion range of motion, since i seem to be physically incapable of properly flexing my ankles in that motion, to the point where i can't even squat without falling on my ass (my ankle just locks in place and my knees won't go any lower, then gravity takes over, much to my frustration).

 

Thanks for the suggestion, and it will certainly go on the list!