We’ve come to the end of this guide on “How not to stretch” and covered many bases. In this final part, I’d like to give you some resources for even more practical advice, specific stretching exercises and in-depth information.  Here we go:

Free stuff
I’ll get to commercial products in a bit but there is some really good free content to be found around the internet. If you don’t want to spend any money, check these out first:

• Brad Appleton’s guide: This guide to stretching has been around for a long time and is a good piece to get you started. It’s a bit dated but you still get a lot of good, in-depth info. The only real negative point is a total lack of visual aids; no pictures or drawings, nothing. But don’t let that stop you from checking it out, it’s worth it.
• The Stretching Institute: Though they ‘re mainly plugging their products, the site still has a lot of free content. They give a sample of the best stretches per sport and also which injuries are most common. And you might also enjoy the free articles. I have no idea if their products are good but the free content is cool.
• About.com’s guide: This page has a boatload of articles and links, giving you a wide variety of stretching exercises. If you want info on how to stretch a specific muscle, you’ll probably find it here.
• 6 good stretches: This free video shows 6 different stretches, mainly for the lower body. What I like most is how they cover areas that most martial artists just gloss over in their pursuit of doing splits. I know these exercises look a bit funky but give them a try. You might be surprised at their effectiveness.

Commercial stuff:
If you’re looking for even more information, you might enjoy these products here:
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This “How not to Stretch” guide is almost finished so I guess it’s time to stop yanking your chain about that short-cut to flexibility. Yes, there is one but as always, it’s a mixed bag. There’s a lot of benefit to the method but it comes at a price: pain.

I’m talking about Self Myofascial Release. if you already know what this is, you’re probably thinking “Gee, is that all you got?” and I won’t blame you. If SMR is new to you, you’re in for a treat.

A quick and dirty explanation:

The fascia form a layer of connective tissue throughout your body and one of the things it does is hold everything together. Over time, it can get messed up though. As a result, your muscles end up too tight and start pulling everything in different directions with loads of pain as a result. One of the symptoms is when you have “trigger points” aka “a knot in your muscle”: put a bit of pressure on those and you’re in immediate pain. The goal of SMR is to stretch out the fascia and work out the knots by doing specific exercises that allow you to put pressure on those trigger points.

I know I’m oversimplifying things and my explanation isn’t all that accurate but it’s good enough to give you the right idea without reverting to dry, boring, medical lingo. Have fun reading some text books is you’re into that, but I won’t do it here. :-)

What’s the big deal?
The big deal is that SMR gets your body back into a more functional state. It will take away unwanted tension in your muscles, which will allow you to stretch better. So it’s an indirect method of making you more flexible, but it is a potent one. With regular practice, you’ll have a much easier time stretching and as a result, you’ll become a lot more flexible. Just to give you an example:

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In the previous part of “How not to stretch” I talked about setting realistic goals. Let’s assume you’ve done that and are ready to go. Here are the top three errors to avoid.

Error #1: Going too far, too fast.

We all like things to happen right away the moment we realize we want them. I guess it’s just human nature to want quick results. But increasing your flexibility doesn’t work that way. Barring those lucky few exceptions, most of us have to work hard for every inch we get closer to that magical full split. And it takes a long time to boot, with progress always too slow for our tastes.

If you lose your patience and just go at it with a vengeance, you’ll only hurt yourself. Stretching doesn’t work like cramming for a test in high school. Your muscles can’t be forced to become more flexible overnight. They can be coaxed into being more flexible though,  if you take your time to listen to them. This means regular stretching sessions, also outside of class, during which you determine what is possible for the day. Here are a few guidelines: [Read more…]

In the previous section of “How not to stretch” I covered some basic stuff. If you haven’t done so, please read that part first. For now, let’s look at something so obvious, loads of people don’t even consider it:

How flexible do you need to be?
Look at me, a certified rocket scientist! But seriously, how much flexibility is enough for your martial arts training? To answer that question, just look at the style you practice and ask yourself: What’s the required range of motion for the most common movements and techniques? If every kick you do only goes as high as the opponent’s knee, do you really need to be able to do full splits? Nope. If you happen to do those high kicks, is it sufficient to be able to pull them off and leave it at that? Again, the answer is no.

While we’re at it, don’t just look at hip flexibility but look at all your joints and muscles. Even the ones you don’t think need much flexibility: Arms, shoulders, ankles, calves, neck, etc. In many cases, your whole body performs movements that require a great range of motion but because you don’t think about it, you don’t recognize it.

Other times, flexibility is a necessity for a specific technique but you don’t use it as much elsewhere. For instance: There’s a technique called “snake creeps down” in the tai chi form I practice. It opens up your hips big time if you do it right and is a really good stretch in and of itself. The more flexible you are, the easier it is to perform.  If you can do it correctly, you’ll probably have the flexibility to do a high kick. That said, we don’t do high kicks in our tai chi, so we don’t use the flexibility gained from “snake creeps down” that way.

Back on track, so how flexible do you need to be anyway? Here’s the rule of thumb I use: [Read more…]