Proof Is in Pictures and in Words from Our Customers

I have had your stretching book for a couple of years and was able to do the side splits after a couple of months. I was satisfied with that accomplishment until the beginning of this past summer. I decided to do the `impossible,’ the split between the chairs. Enclosed is my photo. I totally agree with your statement, in the magazines, `An “authority” that can’t show this [the side split or box split between chairs] is no authority.’ Thanks, your method does work, and it is the best.

I think that a great part of this book is the underlying science. I strongly believe that if you know why, you get better results and you can perform your task more determined and confident. Intricate descriptions of ligaments, muscles, tendons, connective tissues, joint capsules etc., are in the book. However if I’d have it my way, even more science would be added, but still you can get result whether you know or not the science. But whether you want to know or not, this method works.

Everything that I have read in this book and tried has worked, its sound like a “loose 50 pounds of fat in 2 weeks with the new revolutionizing orange pill!” (which never works) but this one really works.

Why?

Science, science, science. The author truly has a great understanding of human anatomy and discards old myth about stretching.

To be honest, with the results I have gained, it is the best book (or anything for that matter) I have bought IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. And you can quote me on that.

Without the advice and information in Thomas Kurz’s book Stretching Scientifically I hardly could have reached such results. I am a Kyokushin fighter and instructor, but my job is traveling around the world as a flight attendant for a national airline. This means for me a lot of stress from jet lag and lack of a regular life schedule. Anyway, thanks to your fine work, I am able to display such a split on 2 unit boxes, at the age of 40 years old, cold, while flying to Tokyo from Rome at 27000 ft.

After having the video [Secrets of Stretching] for two weeks I made excellent progress and told my friends about it. Next thing, they asked if I would lend them the video, and so the video wandered from one guy to another and that’s the last time I ever saw it. Later my job schedule was so bad that I had to stop my training and with it went my stretching. Now, after a few years, I am able to return to my training and so this time I ordered your book [Stretching Scientifically].

In mid-October I decided to follow every step outlined in this book and I write to you with pleasure to inform you I have accomplished my goal: a split between chairs, by mid-November. At any given time or place, if anybody asks me to do the split (it happens often), I do it in a split second with no warm-up whatsoever.

I just want to thank you for the valuable info in your book as well as on the video. The main thing behind it is to follow the outlined steps and stick to it. That way anybody can accomplish maximum flexibility. I know I did.

After using your method for 3 months I have achieved the side split or Chinese split in suspension. In addition, my kicking techniques have become higher and much stronger.

Before I was introduced to your stretching method, it took me six months to [get] 10 inches from the floor in splits using common stretching methods. When I was about to give up I happened upon your ad [for the book Stretching Scientifically] in Black Belt magazine. I was impressed and I wanted that ability. Now I have it.

It initially took me about six months to develop a full split, but I was also practicing 30-minute horse stance. My legs are continually getting stronger and more flexible.

My dad bought me your book Stretching Scientifically; I checked it out and applied your techniques to my workout and I had great results. I have been teaching TaeKwonDo for two years now. I have students from 4 years old to adults and I have them do some of your techniques for the warm-up, I have seen the difference in their flexibility. Thank you for an awesome book.

We instituted your exercises within our class structure and not surprisingly, almost all of our students increased flexibility in a few months. The ad said, `It could be your picture…’ Well, enclosed is actual photo with proof positive that your method does produce results.

The results have been astounding! Students have displayed excellent flexibility which they parlayed into outstanding kicks in terms of height, speed, and power. Injury rates have declined significantly.

The stretch I have achieved with your techniques has stayed with me despite brief periods of inactivity. This is especially important to me as my schedule sometimes has me traveling where it is impossible to train.

Thanks for the flexibility.

This split on chairs was done cold, without any warm-up.

It took me about eight months before I could do the full splits between chairs. I’ve been practicing stretching since then. [Stretching Scientifically] has helped me with my bodybuilding as well as my martial arts training through the years. Over the years, I have recommended your book [Stretching Scientifically] to several friends.

Thank you. Your stretching method is the most efficient I have ever seen.

I would like to thank you for your informative books. Enclosed you find a picture, proving your know-how. It’s all about information — good information, which you wrote in your book!

I am pleased with this system, why wasn’t the book written 15 years ago! [This testimonial was written in 1985.]

As the title implies, this is a scientific and somewhat technical book on stretching. It is also insightful, helpful, and fascinating. It will show you how to learn to stretch physically, and it may stretch your mind as well. This is not a book that shows a series of activity or sport specific stretches for say running, tennis, or golf. It explores what is known about stretching, what is good and bad about stretching.

I have purchased your book Stretching Scientifically and your video Secrets of Stretching. Within three months of following your program I have successfully done the splits without a warm-up. I have improved my kicks too. I now can execute 5 kicks within a second (shin kick, high hook kick, reverse hook kick, extreme high side kick, middle side kick) without a warm-up.

I am very thankful for the effectiveness of the programs you have included in your book and video.

Thanks again, best regards and more power to you.

After reading your book Stretching Scientifically by Thomas Kurz, I was able to achieve a full side split suspended between chairs in only three weeks. It has also helped my kicking ability and amazed the other members in my martial arts class. In closing, I would like to thank you for sharing the secrets of Stretching Scientifically.

In 1992 I slipped down a flight of iron steps and injured my lower back. I have a permanent injury to the muscle.

I have been in the martial arts for 24 years. Before the fall I could do both front and side splits. I ordered a copy of your book Stretching Scientifically in June of 1993. With its help and hard work I have been able to do the front split again and I am working on the side split. I am sending you a picture of myself in the side split and you can see that I still have to support myself. Your book has helped in many ways, especially with my lower back.

I am 46 years old and I workout six days a week. I spend 30 minutes a day on stretching, half of it in warm-up. Thank you for your book.

“In November of 1992 I fell down down a flight of metal stairs and injured my lower back. I was in a back brace almost six months and the doctors said [that] I would be partially disabled for the rest of my life.

In June of 1993 I ordered your book Stretching Scientifically. Prior to ordering your book, I had talked to other professionals about exercises to help my back and flexibility. Most said I could strengthen my back, but the flexibility was something else. I bought other books, but they were not what I needed.

When your book come, I first looked through it thinking it was just another book. […] After about two weeks I started reading it and decided to study it more carefully. I would read a part of it , and then I would experiment to find out what could help me. In 1994 I was able to do the front splits and the side splits with the help of a cane for balance.

In 1992 I was 44 years old. Today I am 50 years old and I feel more flexible than I did when I was 30 years old.

After a few months of using your method of stretching I can kick `cold.’ Without any warm-up or stretching I can throw my feet at anybody’s head as if I had no muscles or bones in my legs. Now I can also do side (straddle) split on chairs.

I can’t believe how well your book [Stretching Scientifically] works! I have never been able to achieve the full splits or have as much strength as your method has given me. Here is my picture, just so you’ll know how well it worked for me. This doesn’t even hurt!

Buying this new edition [of Stretching Scientifically], especially since I thought the third edition was a good enough start, was a matter of integrity. I’d blistered the editors for not organizing the book well, and took the author to task for some vagaries in his descriptions and the lightness of graphical assistance, i.e. crummy drawings and mediocre photographs.

I can say that the editors improved the book significantly. The organization of the chapters is now more-logical, and it also begins in a very direct, simple manner that gradually adds complexity as you read. Which is fine, since concepts introduced earlier are laying a foundation of knowledge required for the later, extremely scientific chapter on how muscles, tendons, and ligaments work together to move your body in three dimensions.

I enjoyed the new edition more than the third, and I was very pleased with the updates and corrections. I believe you still need to invest some sweat to extract any value from this, but I would surmise no one is picking this up for light reading: this is an owner’s manual for your body in some respects, and it requires hands-on application.

Still, there’s less excuses for readers to employ if they can’t figure out a good routine after reading this book, and Thomas Kurz’s admonishing commentary is hilarious: I can actually see him as a professor taking some of the dimmer student body to task for not fully reading the relevant material. The FAQ section alone is worth the price of admission.

I’ve been trying for 18 years to do the box splits, with not much success and many people (black and white) constantly telling me, that “most black people have too much density in their muscles to do the splits, you’ll never succeed. This is me 4 months after buying your DVD Secrets of Stretching.

I have a very old copy of Mr. Kurz’s book Stretching Scientifically that worked very well for me and that I promoted over the years. Now I am 42 years old and still doing a full side split. I also have the DVDs Secrets of Stretching and Power High Kicks With No Warm-Up!

After having the video [Secrets of Stretching] for two weeks I made excellent progress and told my friends about it. Next thing, they asked if I would lend them the tape, and so the video wandered from one guy to another and that’s the last time I ever saw it. Later my job schedule was so bad that I had to stop my training and with it went my stretching. Now, after a few years, I am able to return to my training and so this time I ordered your book.

In mid-October, 1997, I decided to follow every step outlined in this book and I write to you with pleasure to inform you I have accomplished my goal: a split between chairs, by mid-November, 1997. At any given time or place, if anybody asks me to do the split (it happens often), I do it in a split second with no warm-up whatsoever.

I just want to thank you for the valuable info in your book as well as on the video. The main thing behind it is to follow the outlined steps and stick to it. That way anybody can accomplish maximum flexibility. I know I did.

I already had good flexibility … but I was very far from obtaining a full split in suspension. After I started working with your techniques [learned from video Secrets of Stretching and book Stretching Scientifically], it took me 2 months tops to accomplish what you see in my picture.

I have fought in four Ultimate Fighting Championships and have been invited back to the Ultimate Ultimate in December ’96. I will fight in Vale Tudo Tournament in Brazil in October and in Japan in November. I attribute some of my success to your video [Secrets of Stretching]. Not only have they guided me in achieving the splits on chairs, but [also] have conditioned and strengthened my hip flexors and adductors so much that I have a very strong `guard’ position, which helps me in my ground fighting. Thank you so much for sharing your secrets with me.

I started using your method a couple of months ago. Believe me, I never did a full side split [Chinese split] on the floor or chairs. Look at me today at age 47!

We thank Mr. Jeff Joslin, from Johnson City, Tennessee, for sending his photo of the suspended side split—result of following Tom Kurz’s method of stretching. Here is what Mr. Joslin wrote about using the stretching method described in book Stretching Scientifically and shown on video Secrets of Stretching:

Thanks for your stretching books and video’s. They really work! My son [Javan] can do it naturally, I had to work at it. Thanks to your methods, I am the only one so far in my studio that can do this. Everyone ask how I can kick so high and be so flexible. I tell them consistency and the right method, Stretching Scientifically! It took me 8 months to get to this point because I lapsed on my training. But after 4 months I was within 6 inches of a split. I am more flexible now than I ever was in college and professional football. Thanks for the best stretching method I have ever seen. Keep the info coming!

God Bless!

Another satisfied customer!

My legs are strong and I was fairly flexible. But I got stuck about one foot above the floor in my side split (box split). Now I do it on chairs after using your method for only one month!

I was surprised when I was able to do the split between chairs. It took me about nine days.

Enclosed is a picture of me in a chair split without a warm-up. Before using the Secrets of Stretching video, I stagnated for over a year about 8-10 inches from splits. After using the methods in the tape only a few times, I achieved my first hanging side split.

I have purchase your book and your video Secrets of Stretching. Within three months of following your program I have successfully done the splits without a warm-up. I have improved my kicks too. I now can execute 5 kicks within a second (shin kick, high hook kick, reverse hook kick, extreme high side kick, middle side kick) without a warm-up.

I am very thankful for the effectiveness of the programs you have included in your book and video.

Thanks again, best regards and more power to you.

Thanks for your Secrets of Stretching. I wasn’t sure it could happen to me, but nothing can be totally impossible!

I am 30 years old, a black belt in Karate. Yes, this method has worked for me. Follow it to the letter and you too can do high kicks and splits with no warm-up.

My son, Andy Watkins, started taking TaeKwonDo on August 10th, 1995. On August 31, 1995, I ordered the video Secrets of Stretching. As you can see, Andy has done quite well at the TaeKwonDo school and he has followed your video religiously. Thank you for the exceptional and proficient help your video has given him.

After I received your Secrets of Stretching video I worked with it every day and found great results. I now use some of the methods in my school and find good results in my students. I would recommend this method to anyone serious about any sport. Enclosed is my photo [of me] doing a side split between two chairs with ease. Thanks!

Particular elements of Gold Medal Mental Workout, especially those dealing with relaxation and concentration, contributed to my success. Relaxation helped me by speeding up my recovery after workouts. It gave me the ability to be more active and to work out harder. I did not feel weary … [or] … physically fatigued.

Gold Medal Mental Workout gave me an excellent mind-set for the Olympics. In the contest area I felt as if I already had been there and fought before. The hall seemed pleasant, cozy. In spite of the great number of spectators I was not nervous or affected in any way.

Nowicki’s mental workouts helped me to overcome fear and anxiety and gave me self-confidence.

Many people regard sports psychology as ‘mumbo jumbo’ and only for the weak minded. This is untrue as your mind plays a major part in peak performance.

Imagery or visualization is a difficult but most powerful skill to learn. The brain cannot tell the difference between a real experience or one visualized in your mind. By practicing your visualization skills you are programming your nervous system to respond as if you where actually performing the technique physically. You can visualize many situations whether it be executing a throw, defending an attack, feel the tension and atmosphere in the stadium, hear the roar of the crowd etc. The more vivid you visualize the more you will be prepared to achieve success.

Gold Medal Mental Workout is a complete course designed to teach you the basic mental preparation skills of breathing, muscular and mental relaxation and focusing, to more advanced mental preparation of imagery, concentration, simulation fight training etc. over a period of ten weeks.

What I like about Gold Medal Mental Workout is that each exercise is short and specific, tailored for combat sports and you decide the goal you want to achieve in each workout.

We all spend a lot of time training and tuning our bodies and neglect that vital component that makes us tick. Here is a package that will train the mind, joining everything together and give you a greater chance to achieve your full potential.

I liked the whole package and will certainly use the audio tapes [now on a CD] and mental preparation techniques as part of my training for future competitions.

Thanks to Nowicki’s mental training I do very well during the most important contests. Gold Medal Mental Workout gives me energy, self-confidence, and the belief that I will win.

Before the start I felt inner concentration. During the finals I was concentrated on the task and shot a record score which allowed me to win silver medal. I had overcome mental block that paralyzed me during the World Championships [a month earlier]. Mental training let me release my potential.

I had a copy of your Gold Medal Mental Workout shipped to me via a friend here in Kuwait through the APO system. As I expected I was not disappointed with its quality and depth.

During the few weeks preceding my start in the Olympic Games in Seoul, I participated in mental training conducted by Dariusz Nowicki. This mental training had a significant influence on my success in Seoul.

I am currently using the Gold Medal Mental Workout, and even though I haven’t gone through [all of] it, I am very pleased with the results. In the last National Championship in Mexico I breezed through the elimination rounds and lost in the quarterfinals after making a Mexican bronze medalist (’91 World Champ) really sweat.

Gold Medal Mental Workout helped me win the European Championship in hapkido, Belgium International Championship and Great Britain International Championship in taekwondo. It helps me relax and to concentrate during contests. Thanks to Gold Medal Mental Workout I learn faster and easier and do not have stage fright before contests.

Gold Medal Mental Workout teaches all aspects of mental training, […] with simple vocabulary in a warm, deep voice and with peaceful music. […] [Exercise 9:] Mental Simulation Fight Training or [Exercise 11:] Peak Performance put you back on the mat in a training session or a tournament.

I had been using exercises similar to those outlined by Mr. Nowicki, but I’m now including some of his in the mental training of some French elite athletes. I therefore recommend the Gold Medal Mental Workout to any athlete seeking to enhance her or his competitive performance by a serious mental training program.

The genius of Gold Medal Mental Workout is the clarity of language and simple step-by-step procedures that focus specifically on your sport. Gold Medal Mental Workout could easily revolutionize athletic training for Western athletes. The combination of Eastern and Western perspectives on athletic performance is brilliant and long overdue.

The material is presented in a clear manner and is a must for any athlete who is interested in mental preparation. It clearly synthesizes the technique of many psychologists. It is an excellent implementation of the ideas of many of the leading experts in the field.

“I found the tapes (now on a CD) easy to listen to, and most exercises are quite short. The content is suitable and well organized. In fact I think that this is an excellent addition to the resources available in applied sport psychology, and it is particularly encouraging to see such a resource emanate from Eastern Europe. I hope the international sports community will give this serious consideration.

Yesterday I finally got the chance to watch your DVD for the first time and it really blew me away!

I love it how you refined and simplified your thoughts (reminded me of Bruce Lee’s philosophies ;)).

Everything is straight to the point and readily applicable. No unnecessary stuff and it shows how much thought you put into presenting a program that works and not just a collection of many fancy exercises. It is great how the exercises support and connect to each other, like the different squats (wall squats, overhead, wide stance,…) that will build the flexibility and strength for the splits as well as the bridge, for example.

I love the way you present, you demonstrate and explain it at the same time which goes to show that your system is really put to test and that it works (which of course, is also the way you showed it in your previous products).

Moreover, all the new small tips and clues you developed are pure gold, like the squat and deadlift tutorial and some new things for the horse stance. I honestly can’t praise it enough and can’t wait to watch it more often as I know I will learn and absorb more and more. Also, for all the no BS and highly valuable information you provide the price is really low, I think it’s amazing how much one can get out of it!

I want to thank you for the great work you did once again! 🙂

I took this photo on 16 April, just a month into strength training.

Bending the knees, bringing the hips back and down was the key for me and it feels very safe. Working on strong squats and exploring the pelvic tilt really helps to demystify this shape and I’m so grateful to you for all your advice. I’m now teaching people how to approach this themselves.

At my age (47) I trained this purely for fun, and see many of the true benefits of training a middle split is in building healthy, strong hip joints. So the carryover is huge.

This is a breakthrough in training for flexibility and functional strength. Kurz goes straight to the point to give you his state-of-the-art method. His presentation is low-key but it will give you an invaluable know-how. You will notice improvements right away—as soon as you will replace your old exercises with those of Flexibility Express.

I have been purchasing your products for many years, they are all filled with outstanding information. Your new DVD Flexibility Express is the best instructional video I have ever seen.

Even though stressing flexibility, this [DVD] does a great job in educating the practitioner in performing movements both correctly and productively for overall total body flexibility with concurrent strength gains in a very specific fashion that will benefit the athlete’s overall performance of movements specific to his or her athletic endeavor.

With my expertise being in the combative sports and military disciplines, I really do wish I had had this program with Mr. Kurz’s philosophy guiding my physical development. I know I would NOW have far fewer aches and pains caused from injuries due to that old: `no pain, no gain,’ mentality—both in the military and during my athletic endeavors. This, no doubt, resulted in long term pain today. Gentle and correct exercise and training progressions makes for a better athlete—longer.

I highly recommend this video for both the flexibility development, but also for the way strength is addressed. It will definitely benefit those involved in combative sports disciplines, while offering a strong base for those contemplating a military career in ground combat.

Full of new and very helpful information, much of which I have never seen before.

The DVD has got 3 main parts:

How to do the box splits
How to do the back bridge
Bonus materials

Each part has the main exercise, then supplemental exercises to help you achieve the [main] exercise. I thought that the bonus material should have formed some of the main content: the warm up routines and videos on squat and deadlift are very useful.

Kurz presents in a very understated fashion […] It makes a change from the hype and hoopla presented on commercial DVDs.

I did all the exercises in my sitting room, and just needed to get a kettlebell, 2 tennis balls and a sock.