How important is flexibility to you?

[GouRonin]

Does your art or system stress a need for physical flexibility? How important is it to you?

[7starmantis]

Originally posted by GouRonin

Does your art or system stress a need for physical flexibility? How important is it to you?

My system doesn't have a huge need for extreme flexability. Still it is quite important to my personally, I push myself quite hard to gain flexability.


7sm

[Elfan]

If I can touch my toes I'm happy. "The System" doesn't need much flexibility beyond that.

[jfarnsworth]

In our class there's not a lot of emphasis put on it. Just remember in the kenpo system we bring the guy down to a lower level to kick them anyway.;)

[Angus]

Flexibility is not emphasized much in my school (neither is stretching :rolleyes: ), but it's extremely, extremely important to me. I told myself that I have to be able to do a vertical sidekick (or, close to) before I get my next black belt. I don't want to be flexible because I think it's necessary for self-defense...i want to be flexible because it's a big part of being fit and in shape for a martial artist in my opinion. There are exceptions, etc, but I think it's important.

[MartialArtist]

Flexibility = More speed, more agility, more power, prevents injuries, prevents soreness...

[7starmantis]

Originally posted by MartialArtist

Flexibility = More speed, more agility, more power, prevents injuries, prevents soreness...

So what does that mean to you? How important is flexability to you was the question.


7sm

[lvwhitebir]

There are 3 aspects of physical fitness; endurance, strength, and flexibility. My art stresses some flexibility, but it's more than the art's requirements to me. Flexibility is defined as your range of motion on a joint. The better the range of motion, the better your health. I want to live a full, happy, and productive life and flexibility is a required aspect of that.

WhiteBirch

[Cthulhu]

Flexibility is important to me just to the point that I don't pull/tear anything while working out. While it would be nice to be able to drop into the splits, I don't find it terribly necessary, particularly since I've always trained to kick low.

Cthulhu

[tarabos]

my arts don't require insane flexibility. i just stay flexible so i can have a decent quality of life physically.

i don't want to have to walk around huched over with a cane when i'm older.

mind you i have every intention of walking around with a cane when i'm older...i'd do it now if i didn't look like a moron....i just don't want to have the need for it. figure the cane will help even the odds if some young buck wants to take my wallet.

[MartialArtist]

Originally posted by 7starmantis

So what does that mean to you? How important is flexability to you was the question.


7sm
Yeah, I think it pretty much sums how important flexibility is to me

[Hollywood1340]

Fellow Artists,
As a Taekata, flexibilty is important to me. I love it when people ask why I kick so high. Because if I can kick hard and fast high, I should be able to to do it faster and harder low. Gotta love knee shots :)

[karatekid1975]

In TKD (WTF) there is a big "flexibility" thing. But my school doesn't stress it. For myself, I'm back and forth with it. I was frustrated with my flexibility for a while. Now I can almost do a front split and kick pretty high (front, axe, and roundhouse kicks). But I can't do a side split. I want to try to be able to do so before I reach black belt, but if I don't, it's not a big deal.

[fringe_dweller]

Originally posted by karatekid1975

In TKD (WTF) ...

You bloody TKD guys!!!! Every time I see WTF I immediately think of "what the....." Maybe it's just an Aussie thing :D

[7starmantis]

Originally posted by fringe_dweller

You bloody TKD guys!!!! Every time I see WTF I immediately think of "what the....." Maybe it's just an Aussie thing :D

:rofl: No its not just an aussie thing, I think of that everytime I see it!! In fact I'm not sure I even know what it actually stands for. :rofl:

7sm

[Elfan]

Come on guys, WTF, "where is the fruit?" What's the issue?

[white dragon]

I took me about a year before the "wtf" thing dawned on me. Slow I know.

Flexability is important to me, but then I practice TKD and I think it requires more than a lot of other arts. When I first started I thought "ok I can easily kick a guy in the head, but out when the street when I haven't had a chance to warm up for 20 minutes and in jeans will I really be able to?" But as I've stretched more I've found my general flexability has gone up so that I can kick "cold" at head hight with the same power as if I'd been warming up in the dojang before hand.

[karatekid1975]

fringe_dweller wrote:

<You bloody TKD guys!!!! Every time I see WTF I immediately think of "what the....." Maybe it's just an Aussie thing :D>

LOL I never thought of that ..... s**t! Now that's what I will think when I see "WTF" :p :D

P.S. I like the link you have on your sig :) One of my favs ;)

[fringe_dweller]

Originally posted by karatekid1975



P.S. I like the link you have on your sig :) One of my favs ;) [/B]

Yeah, Master Booth is a gun. He's an unreal Instructor. Don't let him demonstrate a Dan Bong on you though :erg:

In regards to the original question ;) I've been working on my fexibility a lot recently simply so I can have the reach to do kicks even if I'm cold. I've found that doing 30 minutes of dynamic stretching in the morning means I can maintain a high level of flexibility throughout the day.

Respectfully