stretching

[reeve80]

Hey, I was just wondering how you guys stretch. Especially what you do for your legs so you can kick around head level. thanks

[Gluteus Maximus]

I had rubber knee and hip replacements.

Max

To know the unseen, you must first learn to see.

[Sho Pi]

I recommend the book Stretching Scientifically by Thomas Kurz. It is one of the best books about stretching available. He explains what it means to stretch, he actually gets a bit technical, then he describes how to stretch. He even includes sample routines.

If you want to have a high kick you should be doing dynamic stretches daily. Read the book though. It will help a ton.

Sho Pi

[IronFist]

Also, I just got Pavel's book, "Relax Into Stretch." A bit pricey ($35), but a very good book.

Iron

[namkuen]

I hold that the best exercise for stretching is sitting meditation.

The objective of stretching is to give the limbs (legs in particular) the ability to extend to the fullest length without hyper-extension. However, to achieve this by doing stretching exercises is not sufficient. This is because what is stretched must also contract, and very often the greater the stretch, greater the contraction.

However, sitting meditation teaches the whole body (particular the leg musles and tendons) to relax and achieve suppleness. When this occurs, one can extend the legs without worry of hyper-extention or muscular contraction.

Therefore, I recommend that you couple your standard stretching excercises (i.e., folds, splits, bends) with 15-20 minutes of sitting meditation.

I hope this helps!

Peace!!!

DWR

One who conquers others is strong, but one who conquers himself is mighty! Lao Tzu

[Olethros]

I find that stretching with a partner helps.
And, depending on the partner ;) , it also makes stretching alot more fun.