Tips for Flexibility

[ne122]

This is only my second or third post. Between school, work, and mt training, I never have the time to sit down and post like everyone else, but make sure I check the site as frequently as possible.

Maybe it's just how my naturally is, but for awhile now I've kinda hit a wall in my training. I can't seem to get my kicks up any higher than mid trunk and my hip rotation is horrible. I remember in karate I could pull off high kicks like it was nothing, but I was a little kid and flexible. Now, no matter how much hip and groin stretching I do I can't seem to get my kicks any higher or my rotation bigger. All I'm told to do is keep stretching, keep stretching and I stretch before and after my training, stretch during my workouts at the gym on my days off, and stretch 10 minutes everyday in the morning after I wake up.

I told my old track coach my problem and he said to do some drills over hurdles to help with the hip rotation, but he said there's nothing more I can do for the groin than what I'm doing now so it's pretty frustrating if anyone can understand.

If any of you guys know of any different stretches or techniques let me know, any help I get is appreciated thanks.

[..n..]

You may just not be used to getting your hips up and over as needed for a Thai kick. For me it wasn’t as much a flexibility thing as a timing issue. Getting the movement of the hips, shoulders, legs etc… firing at the right time can take some getting used to. When I first stared I would spaz out and jam my top of my femur into my pelvis, it hurt like hell.

[the tick]

This is only my second or third post. Between school, work, and mt training, I never have the time to sit down and post like everyone else, but make sure I check the site as frequently as possible.

Maybe it's just how my naturally is, but for awhile now I've kinda hit a wall in my training. I can't seem to get my kicks up any higher than mid trunk and my hip rotation is horrible. I remember in karate I could pull off high kicks like it was nothing, but I was a little kid and flexible. Now, no matter how much hip and groin stretching I do I can't seem to get my kicks any higher or my rotation bigger. All I'm told to do is keep stretching, keep stretching and I stretch before and after my training, stretch during my workouts at the gym on my days off, and stretch 10 minutes everyday in the morning after I wake up.

I told my old track coach my problem and he said to do some drills over hurdles to help with the hip rotation, but he said there's nothing more I can do for the groin than what I'm doing now so it's pretty frustrating if anyone can understand.

If any of you guys know of any different stretches or techniques let me know, any help I get is appreciated thanks.

Well, try this for a while if you don't already. Stand in a fight stance. And just swing your leg upwards. No kicking just swinging. Try to get your knee as closely as possible to your shoulder. You can keep your leg a little bend at first. Or keep it straight. Your choice. Do that for both legs.
Second. Stand up. Both your feet next to another. And now swing your leg up again sidewards. Toes pointing to your front. Not up.
Third. Find a partner or simply hold on to something. The back of a chair or the wall will do. Swing your leg upwards behind you. Look over your shoulder while swinging toes pointing to the floor.
Thats all I've got. Hope it helps you.

[chalambok]

Stretching

Got these from a book by Bob Anderson. I Xed through the rotation of the head/neck stretch because it has (since publication) been devalued, current theory is to not rotate the neck ever in a complete circle.