Forced Splits

[TrueJim]

You probably saw this in the news today:

Disturbing video shows high school cheerleaders forced into repeated splits

What do you guys think? Forced splits...good, bad?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I have heard that it has been part of some TKD curriculum for a long time. Not sure if that was true or not. Frankly, it seems pretty evil to me, but that's just an opinion.

 

[Buka]

That's not the way to do anything. Especially with kids.

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

Seems crazy to me. I saw this video a few weeks ago.

 

[jobo]

You probably saw this in the news today:

Disturbing video shows high school cheerleaders forced into repeated splits

What do you guys think? Forced splits...good, bad?

BAD, very bad

 

[drop bear]

Good if done right. Obviously can be taken too far.

 

[paitingman]

Yeah i've taken part in the things like the video Gwai Lo Dan posted from both ends. It is/was a pretty typical part of tkd training.

Anyone who knows what they are doing and cares about the recipient can tell the difference between the comfort zone and the breaking point. You are trying to safely expand their limits and it's a painful/uncomfortable process.

 

[Dirty Dog]

It can be beneficial to adding a little pressure to increase stretch. But let's be reasonable about it. There is plenty of harm and no benefit whatsoever to what that video shows.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

You probably saw this in the news today:

Disturbing video shows high school cheerleaders forced into repeated splits

What do you guys think? Forced splits...good, bad?

I only watched the first few seconds. My opinion is already "bad". If it makes you cry and scream, it's too much. And, frankly, seems stupid to me.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Good if done right. Obviously can be taken too far.

Agreed. And what's in that video is not "done right".

 

[hoshin1600]

I couldn't even attempt to watch the video clips posted.
It hurts my heart.
When I was young I almost signed up for a TKD school. The instructor was known for forcing stretching and hitting people with a bamboo shinai (sword) he was later arrested for killing his wife.
I think some people are just sadistic. I did hear a clip on the radio of the girl pleading and crying.. sadistic

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

I couldn't even attempt to watch the video clips posted.
It hurts my heart.
When I was young I almost signed up for a TKD school. The instructor was known for forcing stretching and hitting people with a bamboo shinai (sword) he was later arrested for killing his wife.
I think some people are just sadistic. I did hear a clip on the radio of the girl pleading and crying.. sadistic

I hear you. It makes me want to tell the coach, "you're an eff-ing idiot." And that is pretty much what if I were the parent and walked in.

As an aside, I think I am the only one at my school who, when teaches, starts warmups asking if anyone is injured. There is no value in my experience in pushing someone into the injury zone, or keeping them in the injury zone.

 

[JR 137]

I'm with everyone else here. It was completely stupid and wrong to put it mildly. Definitely counterproductive too.

But why run to the media about it? The news report said everyone involved was put on leave pending an investigation. I could see if complaints were made and they got no where. But why make your kid a nation-wide (and judging by this forum, international) victim?

As a parent, I show everyone involved and their higher ups the video. I irately demand something be done immediately. And keep myself from dishing out just as much pain as my kid felt. If I get no reasonable solution and/or shrugged off, then I hesitantly go to the media. I don't let the video of my kid screaming in pain go viral.

Maybe my way of thinking is off. I just wouldn't want my kid's 15 minutes of fame to be this.

Rant over.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I'm with everyone else here. It was completely stupid and wrong to put it mildly. Definitely counterproductive too.

But why run to the media about it? The news report said everyone involved was put on leave pending an investigation. I could see if complaints were made and they got no where. But why make your kid a nation-wide (and judging by this forum, international) victim?

As a parent, I show everyone involved and their higher ups the video. I irately demand something be done immediately. And keep myself from dishing out just as much pain as my kid felt. If I get no reasonable solution and/or shrugged off, then I hesitantly go to the media. I don't let the video of my kid screaming in pain go viral.

Maybe my way of thinking is off. I just wouldn't want my kid's 15 minutes of fame to be this.

Rant over.

I see your point. I'd probably want to obscure the child's face, but getting video of the problem to more people might help in other places. too.

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

Slightly off topic, but a guy from work was an avid waterskier and said he did a forced split when he took a ski jump, and landed with 1 tip catching the water.

I asked, "oh, are you flexible? Was it a problem?"

He answered, "No, I'm not flexible at all. I ended up on crutches for about 2 months".

 

[RTKDCMB]

Seems crazy to me. I saw this video a few weeks ago.

There's a line between between discipline in a child's exercise and child abuse and the instructors in that video crossed it.

 

[oftheherd1]

Slightly off topic, but a guy from work was an avid waterskier and said he did a forced split when he took a ski jump, and landed with 1 tip catching the water.

I asked, "oh, are you flexible? Was it a problem?"

He answered, "No, I'm not flexible at all. I ended up on crutches for about 2 months".

Not off topic at all, other than the method used to cause injury. When in Korea and on my return to the States, I often pushed myself to extremes. But I made sure I never tore anything. The video obviously shows extremes and probable injury. Just not acceptable.

 

[Axiom]

I have heard that it has been part of some TKD curriculum for a long time. Not sure if that was true or not. Frankly, it seems pretty evil to me, but that's just an opinion.

Chuck Norris was not able to do the splits until the 80s and he trained with the Koreans so I doubt that.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I have heard that it has been part of some TKD curriculum for a long time. Not sure if that was true or not. Frankly, it seems pretty evil to me, but that's just an opinion.

I've been in various TKD styles since 1969. Growing up military, I trained in a different school every few years. In multiple countries.
While partner stretching is common enough, I have never experienced or seen anything like what was shown in this video.
You have been misinformed.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

It is just stupid and disgusting what this coach was doing. Assisted stretching where the person being stretched controls it is fantastic. Recently I helped someone add an extra five inches in their splits doing this but they have to be the one to let you know when your approaching their limits. In the cheerleading video above or the tkd video the chance of injury is so high and then you may have months of having to heal. That kind of training is just wrong.