Flexibility for Older Students

[TKD50]

New to this forum so sorry if this has already been asked. I am an older TKD student who has studied 6 years. I constantly work on my flexibility which is quite poor. Because of this my side and roundhouse kicks are not what I would like them to be. Any advice? Thanks

 

[Klondike93]

Stretch as often as your body will allow you too. I put it this way cause if I stretch every day my body won't stretch very well. If I go every two to three days, I get much better stretches with less pain. You might also give this place a look, Stretching Scientifically, and see if their info can help.

:asian:

 

[Chiduce]

Originally posted by TKD50

New to this forum so sorry if this has already been asked. I am an older TKD student who has studied 6 years. I constantly work on my flexibility which is quite poor. Because of this my side and roundhouse kicks are not what I would like them to be. Any advice? Thanks

Stretching as meditation, i think is the key here. The pain of stretching can be minimized greatly with proper breathing and mental enlightenment. I split at least 3 days per week and at the most 7 days per week. My average is 4 days per week and each time that i stretch as meditation the pain decreases to null as my spirit is lifted. This is also a great ways to cultivate new chi and discard the old stagnant chi. You already know that waiting 5 to 10 minutes after splitting before kicking is the best way to train. By the way, i'am 45. Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[Klondike93]

By the way, i'am 45. Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

Got me by 3 years


:asian:

 

[Chiduce]

Originally posted by Klondike93



Got me by 3 years


:asian:

We are still wet behind the ears! Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[islandtime]

Originally posted by Chiduce

We are still wet behind the ears! Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

You guys are just kids... I will hit 57 this year (maybe)
Anyway to the stretching problem, try this link

http://martialarts.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://stadion.com/column.html

The author of these articles from TKD journal are great. I have them printed out for my notebook. (I am going to start a new thread on this notebook thing)

Try them and you will see what I mean. He also has a book and an expensive video out .


Gene Gabel

 

[Shinzu]

hello

streching is an important part of anyones training.

when you strech before class you are not adding flexability. you are simply warming up your muscles and providing them bloodflow.

streching during and after class is what gives you greater flexability.

try it and you will see a difference. best of luck!

 

[Chiduce]

Originally posted by Shinzu

hello

streching is an important part of anyones training.

when you strech before class you are not adding flexability. you are simply warming up your muscles and providing them bloodflow.

streching during and after class is what gives you greater flexability.

try it and you will see a difference. best of luck!

You present a very good point in your post and i totally agree! Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[islandtime]

Originally posted by Chiduce

You present a very good point in your post and i totally agree! Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

..............................................................................

I am going to add something to the stretching before class part. .

The muscles need to be REALLY warmed up, especialy as you get older (I should know)
Then there is the question of dynamic vs static stretching.( we will do that later)

Getting to class really early and doing some walking and running in place or around the kwoon will help more that trying to get some uncooperative muscles to stretch. This is the most important part. You can really do some damage and set back training with improper warm up (stretching b4 it is warmed up).. The after class stretches are the most important because this is when you are really warmed up.
Check my earlier post for that link to Kurt'z articles. I promise it will change the way you run a class or your own warm up. No, I don't know the guy but what he says makes lots of sense

Gene Gabel:asian:

 

[Cthulhu]

islandtime,

Thanks for posting that link to those Kurtz articles! I've always believed that I'd never be able to do any sort of splits because of my hips, but after reading some of those articles, I'm starting to change that opinion.

Very informative. If you guys and gals haven't read them yet, go for it.

Cthulhu

 

[Shinzu]

i am the type of person that likes to get to class real early. i love to stretch out alot. it better prepares me for training. alot of people will standing around and talking but i choose to use my time to loosin up.

when i first started i was very stiff and not limber at all. over the years things have changed and i can see the difference in my flexability. it is just a matter of working on it again and again.

 

[Ty K. Doe]

All the advice seems to be really good advice. You might also want to try holding your stretches longer when you stretch on your own (outside of class). Maybe 20 to 30 seconds. Longer is better but you could end up stretching for over an hour. There's also a similar thread in the TKD forum if you want more info.

 

[tshadowchaser]

To keep flexible you must stretch often . I recommed slow movements taken to the point of almost pain , letting up then repeating, as often as you wish for reps. Hold maybe every third to 5th one a little longer.
Take time in the morning and at night to do a little stretching on your own at home while relaxing. I'd say over a beer or other beverage but they tend to get spilled .
Shadow:asian:

 

[FLY]

I've heard that having A beer before stretching can actually help loosen you up. I seem to recall the source of this information as being reputable but I can't remember exactly where I heard it. Has anyone else heard of this?
:cheers: :drinkbeer

:asian:

 

[Rob_Broad]

Originally posted by FLY

I've heard that having A beer before stretching can actually help loosen you up. I seem to recall the source of this information as being reputable but I can't remember exactly where I heard it. Has anyone else heard of this?
:cheers: :drinkbeer

:asian:

I have never of a beer before stretching before but iI am willing to try it.

I posted this stretch on another thread so many of you may have seen it before: A great way of building your stretch is to lie on your back with your feet up and butt against a wall. Let your legs open and this will allow gravity to do the work for you. This is a slowprogressive stretch. I like to read a book while doing this stretch. In a few weeks you will notice higher kicks and greater flexibilty.

Start your basic stretches for short periods of time, this will allow the muscles to keep theie elasticity which is needed. The stretch I posted can be held a little longer than most stretches because it is so gradual.

 

[Klondike93]

I like the stretch you describe bonehead. It's great when you don't have some type of stretching machine to help you go out farther.

Ya know gravity really does work too....


:asian:

 

[Rob_Broad]

The stretch works even better after a hot bath, the heat helps the muscle stretch easier. Another trick is to add enough salt to the water that it almost feels gritty. The salt crystals hold the heat in longer and they are adsorbed by the skin, just make sure you shower after the stretch is done with warm water.

 

[Klondike93]

that would explain the smoke I'm smelling now, thinking again.

It would work even better if my wife was helping....uh...wait a sec....never mind...


:asian:

 

[LanceWildcat1]

Originally posted by TKD50

New to this forum so sorry if this has already been asked. I am an older TKD student who has studied 6 years. I constantly work on my flexibility which is quite poor. Because of this my side and roundhouse kicks are not what I would like them to be. Any advice? Thanks

I'm 53 years old, partially disabled (stroke, mastectomy on left side), and what I've found that works for me is to spend more time getting my muscles and joints warmed up before class. This usually means that I have to spend more time at it than younger students, but it pays off in the end for me. I have competitive flexibility, less injuries, and, because I work on aerobic's, better stamina than some of the younger students. I work harder than many of young 'whippersnappers', but it pays dividend's in sparring and competition.