Stretching

[Cthulhu]

What do you think is the most beneficial way of stretching, providing the most benefit with least risk of injury?

I think it's best to first warm the legs up, either by doing low- to mid-level kicks, running in place, jumping jacks, or some other sort of exercise to get blood flowing in them. Then do solo stretching for a bit, followed by partner stretching if possible. Then continue with the rest of the class.

One style if stretching that I think is rather effective is called PNF stretching, which stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. This is basically a combination of passive and active stretches. For example:

The Hold-Relax Stretch
Assume a passive stretching position for about 20 seconds then relax for about 5 seconds. Then, isometrically contract the muscle being stretched for 7-15 seconds (for example: if you're doing a hamstring stretch on the floor, imagine pushing your heel through the floor with your hamstring). Let the muscle relax for 2-3 seconds and follow it up with another passive stretch for 10-15 seconds. You should be able to go further than the first passive stretch. Relax the muscle for about 20 seconds and follow up with another PNF stretch.

I don't do these stretches on a regular basis, but when I do them, they really feel like they work very well.

Cthulhu

 

[meni]

can you help me to find the right book/web site for streachig?

thank you

 

[tunetigress]

I find Yoga stretches to be a great pre-training warm-up. There are plenty of books out there on Yoga stretching exercises and routines. _(_)_ Tune

 

[Ty K. Doe]

I found a real good site for stretching techinques. I can't remember the web address, but I'll do my best to find it and post it here.

 

[tunetigress]

Ty I would very much appreciate it if you did post that site on stretching!

 

[Ty K. Doe]

Whew! I finally found it again. Here's that web site:

http://web.mit.edu/tkd/html/stretching_toc.html

It's a lengthy one, but I hope you enjoy it.

It doesn't go into great detail about specific stretches but it has a lot of good information on techniques, including PNF.

 

[Cthulhu]

Also, click on the 'Library' button in the upper right hand corner of the board.

Cthulhu

 

[Ty K. Doe]

Well looky there! I can't believe I did all that searching and it was right here all this time. Anyway, hope it's what your looking for.

 

[Zujitsuka]

I've heard a lot of good things about a book etitled SCIENTIFIC STRETCHING, by Tom Kurz, so I borrowed it from the library. I am pretty flexible, but I've never been able to achieve the side split. To realize one's full stretching potential, he suggests that a martial arts workout go like this:

1) Joint rotations

2) Cardiovascular

3) *Dynamic Stretches

4) Your martial arts workout

5) *Isometric Stretches

6) *Relaxed Stretches

7) Skip rope/March in place

I just started following this routine so let's see what happens.

*Refer to the site or book for Tom Kurz's definition of these types of stretches. The sites address is http://www.stadion.com/

I hope this helps.

All the best,

Tyrone Turner
"Zujituska"

 

[tunetigress]

Originally posted by Ty K. Doe

Well looky there! I can't believe I did all that searching and it was right here all this time. Anyway, hope it's what your looking for.

Ty, thanks so much for that post. That site is absolutely fascinating! Everything you could possibly want to know about muscle function is in there. It is well worth a look by any M A junkie.

 

[Zujitsuka]

No problem TuneTigress. I glad that you found the site useful.

Happy training,

 

[DJDragon]

Always important to warm up the body before strectching. Try jogging for about 2min, until you break a light sweat. Then go into your stretching routine. I usually stretch my legs first as well. I hold each stretch for around 20-30seconds. Don't be afraid to stretch for 20-30mins. After this, you feel great and really loose.

After that, I'll go into some kicks. Roundhouses, low, mid, high. Then spinning kicks. Etc.

 

[theneuhauser]

it seems that one of the most common mistakes that people make is to overstretch before a workout, whether it be for martial arts, sports, excercise. This can actually lead to injury. general warm up with static, followed by dynamic movements that mimic your actual excercise is a good way to start, then finishing with passive or isometric stretching has increased my own flexibility and resiliency to hard training.
i like kurz for a stretching authority, he keeps it simple and effective.