How long did it take you to be able to do a side split ?

[TzuChan]

I'm really wondering, right now I'm doing this, I read an articlme about it :

-once in the morning, once before dinner

->Swing the leg forward (but in a controlled movement, so not really swining, but bringing it up, and then at the very end 'stretching' it. Doing the same for swinging sideways and backwards.

He said doing this 12 times every side, and doing that for a couple of months is a good way to practice dynamic kick ability, and to achieve a sidesplit ..

But it looks so simple :)

I really want to be able to do it now, cause I once got very close to getting there, but then had an accident at soccer (broke my leg) and afterwards stopped practicing, but then I did it a different way, and the doctor told me it was the wrong way (waiting for the pain, and then holding the leg, biting the pain, for about 10 seconds)

[wooha]

I wouldn't think this is an effective way to practise the side split. If you want to get better at doing something, practise the thing you want to get better at. This routine will probably greatly help your kicking flexibility, but there are far better ways to develop the kind of flexibility you need for a split.

I struggled for over a year to get the side split. Front split came very easy to me but the side split was another story. What finally got me there was learning how to make my muscles relax and allow me to go into the splits using a variation of PNF stretching.

[fa_jing]

It took me...wait a minute, I'm still a foot off of the ground!!!

I practice those side leg raises, anyway. You need more muscle to get your leg up there when you lack flexibility, like me.

-FJ