Hello everyone! I have been doing martial arts for 1.5 years, and like most of the people, I want to get high kicks. My kicks are at normal height, but with kicks like roundhouse kick, i've got those Hip joint problems. I've been on the internet, searching for information about how to get flexibility. At the moment, im doing everyday ''sidesplits'' to my maximum, and try to go further and further. Recently, I have found out that sidesplits are not the way to solve the problem in the hips. I have found some good stretches for that, but here comes the part that gave ???'s in my head. I have read that static stretching can be bad. And im kind of worried, because im doing every 6 days a week sidesplits, for 2 months already, but were they for nothing? Did i just injure my knees? I'm getting confused, some sites say that it's good, some not. My MA club uses static stretching(sidesplits, hurdle stretch). I've also found out that dynamic stretching is the best way to get those high kicks, so i will look for good dynamic stretches. my question: Should i continue my ''every-6-days-sidesplits'' routine, and put dynamic stretching and hipjoint stretches into my routine? And if the sidesplit thing is bad, are all the static stretches bad? If not, which one should we continue doing(which helps for high kicks) ? Thanks a lot in advance!! Hope somebody can remove those questions in my head. I want to make a good routine to stick with, to gain high kicks. I am motivated enough to do it everyday, but im confusing about what's good and what's not. Btw, i also have this dvd of Thomas kurz, called ''stretching scientifically''. He shows some good dynamic stretches, which i will/can use, but he also shows static stretches(including sidesplits). Like i said, i have read here on the forum(and other site's) that sidesplits can be bad for our knees etc...
Personally I think you should junk your current routine and replace it with a program of dynamic stretches and passive stretches, and maybe including isometric stretches. There's nothing wrong with side stretches, and static stretching isn't necessarily 'bad', it just needs to be done at a sensible point in your routine and for sane lengths of time. Dynamic stretching is the best way to get your kicks up there. The ones you should start doing immediately are leg swings. The word 'swing' is a misnomer though; rather you should lead with the foot. Then again, you know that, you've sensibly got the one man who is god of stretching, Thomas kurz's DVD. Well done. Superfoot should be along in a second.
About the leg swings: Is this a proper way to do them ? [ame="http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=MmfU8X7uDuo"]YouTube - Leg Swings[/ame] It kind of looks like he is trowing it, which is not the way it should be done? Do we just need to do them slowly?
If you follow Kurz's DVD religiously then you will see the results he promises. Relaxed stretching is perfectly safe for increasing flexibility. I have used it for years and it has done me wonders. Take a look at my avatar if you want further proof. You can do relaxed stretches six days a week as you are doing without any problems. You can even do them seven days a week if you wish. I do, and like I already pointed out, it helped me a great deal. Don't pay attention to articles on the Internet. They are confusing and mostly full of horse radish. How do you feel when you do relaxed stretches? Do you feel good when you do them? If so, keep doing them. If you don't feel good, you're probably doing them wrong. Stretching should feel good. If you have pain in your knees, a steady course of strength training for the muscles that stabilise the knees will remedy that problem quite quickly. If you are really worried about the health of your knee joints but still want to do relaxed stretches for side splits, then do the toes-up version. Maybe invest in a stretching machine too. Follow the link in my signature to read an article I wrote about the pro's and con's of using stretching machines. Do dynamic stretches twice a day, at the start of your routine. Do them as Kurz demonstrates in the DVD. Don't bother with Elastic Steel. Paul Zaichik's products won't help you as much as those of Kurz. Zaichik has very poor grammar and doesn't know how to properly structure workouts. Go with the expert who has taught thousands of customers to do what he demonstrates in his books and DVDs - so far Kurz is the only one to do this. Regards, Dan
From my experience...as long as static stretches are done AFTER your body has warmed up, they are fine. Seems that most of the AUTHENTIC experts (not random people on the 'net that say they are experts) hold the same view.
No need to do a warm-up beforehand. Kurz states in Stretching Scientifically that, "Relaxed stretches can be done at any time of day without a warm-up, even when you are tired." Although warming up will increase your blood flow and can bring about very slightly quicker gains in range of motion in the same set. But doing them without one is perfectly fine and very safe. Remember - when you do relaxed stretches (just another name for static stretches) you are not literally stretching the muscle fibers. You are waiting out the tension and then picking up the slack. I actually find it easier to do relaxed stretches "cold". I want my muscles to relax. If I do a 5-10 minute warm-up I become more alert and aware, whereas I want the total opposite. I can't be relaxed if I'm sweating. The more relaxed state-of-mind I have, the quicker I find the tension disappears. Regards, Dan
@Superfoot, I like to do the sidesplits toes forward, and I don't feel any pain in my knees. After every sidesplit session i can kick better then before the stretching, so it really does feel good for me, but i already read your article(which is very good!), but at point 4, it says: ''Performing side splits can place injure the hip and knee joints. Look at the image below of the “toes forward” side split'' You meant it's bad when you do your toes forward? Anyway, let me make a begin: Hipjoint strethcing, butterfly stretch & variations (5min) Dynamic strechting, leg swings: front, side, back (5 min) Sidesplit session (5 min) Frontsplit session, right & left (5 min) you think that's a good routine to keep up with?
Yes - the toes-forward side split can be bad [for your knees] if your knees are too weak to support your body weight. If you are able to squat ten times with more than your own bodyweight, then they should be strong enough. If you can do this but continue to get pain in the knees, do isometric stretches and focus the tensions on those spots of pain. Just focus on strength gains; don't increase the stretch until the pain has gone. Most knee pain (in side splits) is caused by excessive strain on the knee ligaments because the muscles aren't strong enough to adequately take up the load. Re-arrange this workout as follows: 1. Dynamic stretching 2. Hipjoint stretching / butterfly stretch (as pre-stretches to the splits) 3. Front split 4. Side split When you do dynamic stretches, do 12 repetitions per set and do enough sets until you reach your limit (for that stage of training). Start slow and low and gradually build up the height and velocity. In the intial stages you will probably go no higher than waist height, but a few weeks down the line and you will be able to kick as high "cold" as you do now with a decent warm-up. Regards, Dan
Till now I didn't feel any kind of pain in my knees, but I guess i will do them pointed out. I have got a question about dynamic stretching: Are 3 sets x 12 reps enough for one leg? And the video i posted back in this topic: Is that a proper way to do it? It looked like he throws his legs, or is that just the proper way? (i appreciate your help )
If 3 sets of 12 gets you to your daily limit, then its enough I would do enough sets until you feel like you're not going any further. A decrease in height is a sign to stop. The gentleman in the video is doing a ballistic stretch - avoid this type of movement. As Knight Errant pointed out, lead the foot. Or lift it. Don't swing it wildly. Make sure you pause at the bottom of the movement. Don't let your foot swing past your standing leg on the way down. It should be a clean, controlled movement. Place a hand out for a target if you wish. You can also hold on to a support to help with balance. Again, Kurz's DVD is your best bet for a visual aid. Just post again if you need any more info. Regards, Dan
Ok. I picked up a vid of youtube, which only shows a warming up and leg rises( Starts at 2:18). So that's the proper way(srry, just want to be 100 % sure ) [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOk5ak_Ypbo"]YouTube - Thomas Kurz - Stretching Scientifically[/ame] One more question: As you can see at the side rises, Kurz keeps the supporting feet straight forward. When i point my feets straight forward, and f.e. i rise my right leg as high as i can, to the side, my supporting feet turns 90 degree outside. I guess this is NOT the proper way? When i keep my feet straight, and do this side rise, i really feel it in my hips & back! ;O Also, when performing any kind of leg rises, i should keep my feets on the ground( and not going on my toes) , and extend my supporting leg? Im actually shocked, to see how low my side rises actually are. I was always turning out my feet 90 degrees, and that way i can do them high. But think that was the wrong way The fact that i can't rise my side high: Is that due to my hipjoints?
Wow. That is an old (and in a way, slightly pornographic) video lol. Yes. That is the correct way to do them. It is ok to turn your supporting foot to the outside. Kurz makes this point in the latest edition of Stretching Scientifically. Remember that in this video Kurz was already uber flexible and so had no problem keeping his supporting foot pointing forwards. You will be able to do this too, in time. But yes, keep your supporting foot flat. If you go on your toes, you're going too high and too fast. It is best to do leg raises low and right than high and wrong. Stops you cheating yourself and causing potential injuries. Make sure you rotate your pelvis when doing leg raises. This will stop any pain in the top of your hips. Regards, Dan
how much extra weight are you talking about and what i'm getting from it is that its better to do the split with toe's forward if you bent over forward (lay your chest on the ground)
If you weigh 160 lbs, then the absolute minimum you want to be able to squat with (for ten repetition) is 160 lbs. Kurz states that, generally, you should be able to squat ten times with twice your body weight (i.e. 320 lbs for a 160 lbs person) before you are ready to do full side splits. Strength is an important factor to consider when increasing flexibility. Arnoo, it is possible to lay your chest on the ground in both the toes-forward and the toes-up side split. In the toes-forward version you are stretching mostly your low back muscles; in the toes-up version you are also bringing your hamstrings into play. Regards, Dan
Superfoot, why do some site's say that static stretching weakens our muscles? And on the dvd of Kurz, when coming to the sidesplit/frontsplit section, he says this: I'm doing that to, and it feels like it's stretching it better/faster, but for what is that exactly? That tense and relax thing?
