Age and Flexability

[early]

I know as we all get older we loose our flexibility , but can late starters
recover sufficient flexibility to be serious about their training .

I've been trying to stretch my hips for three months , yet my kicks just
don't seem to get any higher .

So has anyone been in this position and over come it ?

Does it just take more time , or is that it am I just too old !

 

[Xue Sheng]

I do not know how old you are but I can say keep stretching, don't over do it and it gets better and it takes time, and no your likely not to old.

And STOP comparing yourself to 20 year olds, if that is in fact what you are doing. Yes I am less flexible now than when I started MA over 30 years ago but I was around 12 for crying out loud.

It takes more time to recover that it use as well.

But ask yourself this question.... how high do you have to kick to be effective?

I tend to feel kicking above the waist, although impressive is not all that practical in real application. Why kick someone in the head when there is soooo much stuff just asking to be kicked from the waist down. If you have an opening to the head, the hands are so much closer than the feet.

You see.... and don't tell the young guys about this... but as we get older.... we get smarter and learn to fight smarter.... it may not look as impressive or pretty but it is still effective and we look like it took so much less effort too.... because it did.

 

[Drac]

I do not know how old you are but I can say keep stretching, don't over do it and it gets better and it takes time, and no your likely not to old.

And STOP comparing yourself to 20 year olds, if that is in fact what you are doing. Yes I am less flexible now than when I started MA over 30 years ago but I was around 12 for crying out loud.

It takes more time to recover that it use as well.

But ask yourself this question.... how high do you have to kick to be effective?

I tend to feel kicking above the waist, although impressive is not all that practical in real application. Why kick someone in the head when there is soooo much stuff just asking to be kicked from the waist down. If you have an opening to the head, the hands are so much closer than the feet.

You see.... and don't tell the young guys about this... but as we get older.... we get smarter and learn to fight smarter.... it may not look as impressive or pretty but it is still effective and we look like it took so much less effort too.... because it did.

Well said Xue..

 

[Jade Tigress]

I have to ditto what XS said. It's right on the mark. Another thing to consider, some people are just naturally more flexible than others regardless of age. Even at your maximum range of flexibility, you may not be able to kick as high as you'd like. But, as XS said, you CAN fight smart. :asian:

 

[redfang]

At 36, I can kick just about anyone in the head. . . I just have to put them on the ground before I do it.

 

[Drac]

At 36, I can kick just about anyone in the head. . . I just have to put them on the ground before I do it.

LOL.....

 

[exile]

I know as we all get older we loose our flexibility , but can late starters
recover sufficient flexibility to be serious about their training .

I've been trying to stretch my hips for three months , yet my kicks just
don't seem to get any higher .

So has anyone been in this position and over come it ?

Does it just take more time , or is that it am I just too old !

Early, fear not. I started TKD in my mid-fifties, more than four years ago. Just had my sixtieth birthday. In four years and some change, I've advanced to the point where I can do multiple kicks off a single chamber, can do side kicks to base-of-neck height against someone my own height (6'), and rear-leg roundhouse kicks to greater than chest height agains that same opponent. So it can be done. There are a couple of things to consider:

(i) use dynamic stretches à la Kurz instead of static stretches... you can do static, but don't go from them directly to combat kicking practice; instead, do dynamic stretch side- and front-kicks off the rear leg. Every day.

(ii) Work on balance/strength. A lot of what people think of as flexibility problems are actually strength and balance deficits. It's very hard developing strength in the hip flexors using, e.g., free weights... and if your balance is lousy, the strength won't do you any good anyway. But also, if you lack strength, you can't be in balance. Train these together.

I'll bet that if you do (i) and (ii) for four months faithfully—practice five days a week!—you'll think you got a new body from somewhere. It's never too late, Early—really!

 

[early]

Thanks for the reply's .

For the record I'm 40 , and I don't really think of myself as old .
I tend not to compare myself to the younger guys and girls in the gym ,
but I tend to be very competitive with myself and tend to want each session
to be better than the last , and the only thing that isn't improving is my kicking height .

Maybe I push myself too hard and need to be more patient .

PS , Is the Kurz book worth getting , I've read a few negative reports .

 

[Shaderon]

I'm 39 next week, like you I'm very competitive against myself and I've always been inflexible, but for the last few months I've been working on my strength and balance and it's helped my higher kicks incredibly I fall over much less now :ultracool

I also push myself too hard sometimes.... hence all my injuries, I'm always pulling my hip flexors and hamstrings a bit and having to slow down. Beware and listen to the signs.

 

[Logan]

PS , Is the Kurz book worth getting , I've read a few negative reports .

Check out www.stadion.com for some free articles on dynamic stretching and training. I personally think the book is well worth getting. Pavel's books are ok as well. Any other stretching book tends to just duplicate the material but in a less concise manner.

Flexibility is as much about strength and conditioning as well as stretching. You just have to keep at it and not overdo things.

 

[Shuto]

Check out www.stadion.com for some free articles on dynamic stretching and training.

Nice link. Thanks.

 

[exile]

For the record I'm 40 , and I don't really think of myself as old

Good! Because you're not! I've got 20 years on you and I'm not old, so.... :wink1:

...the only thing that isn't improving is my kicking height.

High kicking takes time, lots of time. You can't kick high with a low chamber. And as Shaderon points out, it's easy to pull or strain hip flexors, so you have to develop the high chamber slowly. You also need to work on strength in the extended position. With very large muscles like pecs and quads, big compound exercises yield very rapid results, but smaller muscles, especially those which it's very difficult to set up resistance for at the relevant angles, take way more time. So far as I can see, the only way to develop that muscle strength is to practice kicking, slowly, maybe wearing ankle weights—that will do it, but again, those muscles are slow to develop; you can't use big compound exercises to target them.

Maybe I push myself too hard and need to be more patient.

Patience is one of the keys to the whole business. The other key is developing a routine that actually targets the right muscles, while also building balance skills and power. They play off each other in a way that I don't quite understand, but both my height and balance have improved since I started kicking a very heavy bag (>100lbs) using the logo design on the bag as targets for accuracy.

PS , Is the Kurz book worth getting , I've read a few negative reports .

I'd heard good things about it... just out of curiosity, what had you heard neagative about it?

 

[Xue Sheng]

or is that it am I just too old !

Sorry, I really don't want to do this.... but it is required....

OLD..... 40 is OLD....... FORGET I GAVE YOU ANY ADVICE AT ALL :uhyeah:

Just kidding.... no your not to old.... because your not old.

 

[early]

I was put off the Kurz book because I was told it's over complicated
and reads a bit like a biology text book .

I think I just need to bide my time , and keep kicking ( or maybe stand on a box )

Thanks for advice everyone .

 

[exile]

I was put off the Kurz book because I was told it's over complicated
and reads a bit like a biology text book .

I think I just need to bide my time , and keep kicking ( or maybe stand on a box )

That in itself doesn't seem so bad—if he can provide the technical basis for what he's advocating (as he does in his Web articles and magazine columns)I'd find that reassuring more than anything else—he's making the biomechanical arguments for his advice explicit. Actually, I wish more writers on exercise physiological topics would do that!

 

[early]

Exile ,

maybe it says more about me than the book , I guess the only way too
find out is to buy it .

If it doesn't work I can always stand on it , get an extra 1" on my kicks instantly .

 

[thaistyle]

Good flexibility can be achieved at any age. The key is consistency and patience. It will take time but you can improve your range of motion at any age.