Dear Mr Kurz,
I hope you have the time to personally answer this.
I seem to have a problem progressing in the side splits position so I have a few questions.
1.With dynamic stretching, is it ok to use the "bouncing"kind of motion when stretching? For example, if I am stretching the hamstrings while sitting on the floor with me legs out in front of me, I usually stretch to the point until I feel mild pain.Then I use the weight of my trunk to push foward carefully in a kind of "bouncing" movement.After a while I can inprove the stretch of course.
But is this a safe method when doing dynamics?I have been taught this at my Taekwondo classes.
2.Is it benifical to train maybe an hour and a half Taekwondo with all the usual kicking ( after warming up and doing dynamics ),then after lifting weights on the legs ,mainly adductor work, then do the isometrics followed lastly by the relaxed stretching?
3.I have just started doing dynamic leg lifts to the side as soon as I wake up so I can hopefully kick high without a warm up one day!! However the problem is that when I do the right leg I get a kind of clicking in the hip joint when the leg goes higher than the hip.I always start with hip rotations then start the leg lifts slowly to try to warm up the joints first.Although I have noticed that if I lift the leg at a slight angle behind me the "clicking"is not as bad! Is this a sign that I have not warmed up enough? Would it be ok to do adductor flys as a warm up before the leg lifts?
Thanks in advance if you find the time to answer me!
Darren Keynes.
Difficluty progressing with the sidesplits....
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Darren Keynes
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Dec 18, 2003 17:42
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Nightshade
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Jan 16, 2004 01:36
Re
I'm not Thomas Kurz, but I think I can answer a couple of your questions.
1 - This kind of stretching is called ballistic stretching, and is dangerous to your muscles. The sudden stretch you get when "bouncing" can lead to a strong contraction in the muscle as a defense mechanism against being stretched too far; leading to a torn muscle. Bad news; and it has been long known that this is a very dangerous method of stretching. With this in mind, question the wisdom of returning to that Taekwando class.
Instead of bouncing, I suggest just relaxing. Give your muscles some time to get used to the stretched position, then stretch them even more. Check out Pavel Tsatsouline's book "Relax into Stretch" (or the predecessor, Beyond Stretching) for some excellent stretching techniques. I personally haven't read Mr. Kurz's "Stretching Scientifically," so I can't recommend it, but I'm sure it's a well-founded book as well.
2 - This is a good sequence of training in a single workout, however I would suggest separating your sports specific and your general physical training into different workouts to space out your training more. However, that's just me, others may disagree. The sequence itself is not out of order, though.
3 - You don't really need to do other exercises before leg lifts, they are themselves a warm up. Instead, check your body alignment when performing the leg lifts to the side. Make sure your pelvis is tilted forward, and hopefully the clicking will go away.
Hope all that helps, and if I have anything wrong please correct me.
-Shawn
1 - This kind of stretching is called ballistic stretching, and is dangerous to your muscles. The sudden stretch you get when "bouncing" can lead to a strong contraction in the muscle as a defense mechanism against being stretched too far; leading to a torn muscle. Bad news; and it has been long known that this is a very dangerous method of stretching. With this in mind, question the wisdom of returning to that Taekwando class.
Instead of bouncing, I suggest just relaxing. Give your muscles some time to get used to the stretched position, then stretch them even more. Check out Pavel Tsatsouline's book "Relax into Stretch" (or the predecessor, Beyond Stretching) for some excellent stretching techniques. I personally haven't read Mr. Kurz's "Stretching Scientifically," so I can't recommend it, but I'm sure it's a well-founded book as well.
2 - This is a good sequence of training in a single workout, however I would suggest separating your sports specific and your general physical training into different workouts to space out your training more. However, that's just me, others may disagree. The sequence itself is not out of order, though.
3 - You don't really need to do other exercises before leg lifts, they are themselves a warm up. Instead, check your body alignment when performing the leg lifts to the side. Make sure your pelvis is tilted forward, and hopefully the clicking will go away.
Hope all that helps, and if I have anything wrong please correct me.
-Shawn
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Guest
Thanks Shawn for the reply.
According to Mr Kurz relaxed stretching is not reccommended before starting to kick as it can make the muscles sleepy and not as responsive.
Is there anyone else that disagrees?
How did you manage to get into the side split Shawn?
Did you only use relaxed stretching?
How long did it take you to achieve the side splits?
According to Mr Kurz relaxed stretching is not reccommended before starting to kick as it can make the muscles sleepy and not as responsive.
Is there anyone else that disagrees?
How did you manage to get into the side split Shawn?
Did you only use relaxed stretching?
How long did it take you to achieve the side splits?
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Nightshade
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Jan 16, 2004 01:36
Re
For most of Pavel Tsatsouline's material, take the techniques and apply them to a well thought-out, planned, and scientific (I hate to use that word as it seems so ostentatious, but you know what I mean) routine. I disagree with some of the theories Mr. Tsatsouline promotes, but in practice his techniques are very effective. As for the relaxed stretching before dynamic movement (like a kick), most flexibility 'gurus' disagree with Mr. Kurz; at least the mainstream ones. Unfortunately for them, Mr. Kurz's material is based on and cites specific studies that reveal the danger of relaxed stretching immediately before dynamic movement. Stick with his theories.
As for my own side splits, I'm ashamed to say that I'm not there yet. To be honest, I've a great deal of theoretical and book knowledge, but for a long time it hasn't gone beyond that. Right now I'm just starting into a routine designed to prepare me for martial arts in about a year. I expect it to be perhaps six months before I can do the side splits, mostly because I am only doing passive relaxed stretching and dynamic stretching until I can knock out a hundred or so hindu squats without too much trouble. Then I start with isometric stretching, and I expect to make great gains very quickly since I will have a solid strength basis for relaxing my muscles into stretches.
Using only relaxed stretching will take you a very long time to achieve the side splits, if you achieve it at all. I suggest doing relaxed stretching until you've built some substantial strength into your legs, then doing isometric stretching (like what Tsatsouline describes in "Relax into Stretch") to make the flexibility gains you're looking for. In the beginning passive stretching will make a difference in your flexibility, but before long you'll plateau.
I hope that helps,
-Shawn
As for my own side splits, I'm ashamed to say that I'm not there yet. To be honest, I've a great deal of theoretical and book knowledge, but for a long time it hasn't gone beyond that. Right now I'm just starting into a routine designed to prepare me for martial arts in about a year. I expect it to be perhaps six months before I can do the side splits, mostly because I am only doing passive relaxed stretching and dynamic stretching until I can knock out a hundred or so hindu squats without too much trouble. Then I start with isometric stretching, and I expect to make great gains very quickly since I will have a solid strength basis for relaxing my muscles into stretches.
Using only relaxed stretching will take you a very long time to achieve the side splits, if you achieve it at all. I suggest doing relaxed stretching until you've built some substantial strength into your legs, then doing isometric stretching (like what Tsatsouline describes in "Relax into Stretch") to make the flexibility gains you're looking for. In the beginning passive stretching will make a difference in your flexibility, but before long you'll plateau.
I hope that helps,
-Shawn