i have been trying to do the splitz for about a week now and i am about 6 inches to a foot off the ground. i can not get any lower. does anyone have any advice?
Hi Kawika, Welcome to the forum. Couldn't really answer that question without knowing a little more about your current training methods, but don't be in too much of a hurry to get to the splits. Your legs have to last you a life time, and you use them for more important things than Martial Arts. In the mean time, take a look at the stretching articles we have on this forum, linked here; http://www.martialartsplanet.com/sections.php?op=listarticles&secid=6 Take it easy Andy
If you really want to do it, get a 18 stone rugby player to stand on you! That was a joke!.... honest
18*14=252lbs=100.8 kgs... he'll be flat in a sec...lolol not a bad idea free form lol... -TkdWarrior-
Hmm.....but is performing splits really necessarry? I am trying to do them for 2 years but I can't perform them but I can kick with enuff power and good body feel I think u should concentrate more on ur kicks rather than setting ur goal as splits.Pactise splits daily but don't be obsessed over it |Cain|
Nah, performing splits isn't really necessary. In fact I find a lot of people who can have less powerful kicks than those who don't, though whether the two facts are directly connected I don't know. We have one guy who can't kick above knee height sideways, and waist height frontwards, but he has some of the fastest and most powerful techniques I have ever seen. Unfortunately he feels that flexibility is essential, and is worried about grading until he's got flexibility, which is a shame because he should have made black belt by now.
I wasn't flexible when I first started MA. I couldn't even touch my toes! I was like you. I wanted to do splits and kick high. But I found that now that I can, it's not a big deal. I rather kick to the midsection or lower having a lot of power than kick someone in the head and lack power. I agree with Cain. Work on your technique first. The splits will take time. It won't happen in a week. It took me two years to be able to do splits (on a good day LOL).
Jimmy, your guy sounds very similiar to myself. Has he checked it out with a physio? I'd been stretching for years but couldn't improve my sidekicking techniques. Went to a GP and a chiropractor with no success. Went to a physio a month or so ago and he diagnosed the problem as ligaments between the femur and the hip. He gave me some dedicated stretches and slowly, painfully but surely there's an improvement. Maybe mention to your mate if he has;nt already to go to a physio about it.
Hmm...Stump, maybe this link will help u......read it completely it even addresses ur problem of ligaments..... http://martialarts.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://stadion.com/column.html |Cain|
I've never been that flexible, I was about 6 inches away from doing the splitz, then I tore a tendon in my leg and I'm not stuck at about 2 feet away. Its not really something I train hard for, I don't plan on kicking to the head. Even for the more flexible people it is risky doing it from cold, so why bother.
I do a groin and hip stretch in my daily routine that may give you some added flexibility to achieve your goal. Squat all the way down on the balls of your feet with toes pointed out on a 45 degree angle. Some people prefer to place their fingers on the floor in front of them for support. I get a better stretch if I balance on the balls of my feet and have a straight back, resting my hands on my thighs. Now, gradually turn your feet outward or use your hands to pull your thighs back. Do this slowly in the beginning until you find your comfort level or you risk a groin pull. The final goal is to have your feet heel to heel with toes pointing outward at a 90 degree angle. Once you are comfortable with this widen your stretch by moving your feet further apart. Hope I explained it good enough for you to get a mental visual .
He's got strangely structured hip joints, the bone itself is what restricts his flexibility. I'm not sure how it works, but this is apparently what the physio told him.
Thanks Cain, I've seen this page before and taken stuff from it.... good old tom kurz.....I bet the man has forgotton more about stretching than most people will ever know
Hey guys, don't forget to warm-up those legs and hips before you stretch. Cold stretching is not recommended for the human body, would you believe they finally realized that warm muscles, tendons, ligaments retain memory better.
http://www.enteract.com/~bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/stretching_toc.html If you scroll down the page there is a section on Performing Splits.
A week is not very long. It is the last few inches that takes the longest to achieve. Look at the Kurz site. And stretch consistently a bit every day. Also do not stretch HARD every day. Muscles do need recovery time. And stretching hard every day will be counter productive and possibly damaging. And remember full splits are not absolutely necessary for head high kicks. Said with the confindence of one who can do the splits who also does not see the necessity of every kick going head high.
i dunno what your worrying about every 1 can do the splits. . . once then they never walk the same again hehehe
