Stretching Tips

Hi all

I am 42 years old and my two 8 yr old boys made me join Kung Fu classes with them or they refused to go!!

It's important to me that they learn a good self defence technique so I had to agree. I have never done any Martial Arts before. The style is Mok Gar.

I'm enjoying the sparring and holding my own but my stretching and flexibility is terrible! To the point that I'm hardly past my knees touching my toes!!

So the 2 questions I ask are this. Can you advise some stretching exercises, half an hour a day is all I have. At the moment I'm trying to touch my toes and do splits for as far down as I can go plus some leg raises.

The other is will I ever be able to do those cool high kicks or will my current waist high ones be my max?

Thanks

Chris

My advice is to make sure that your muscles are warm before stretching. If you have 30 minutes a day, spend at least 15 of them doing some sort of cardio activity that will get your muscles (and in particular your legs) well warmed up. Then do some stretching to finish off. You will gradually find that you gain flexibility. Do not be upset if you never reach a full split, or are never able to kick at head height. Everyone is different and not everyone can do those things.

Do your stretching while you watch TV

stretching.info has good info
elasticsteel.com has a cute stretching trick on it's index page

this is a kung fu forum. please dont use the word "cute":D

I stretch before each set and after.

A couple of tips that helped me gain flexibility.

1 when you stretch go as far as you can go and hold it for about twenty seconds. Still holding the stretch take a deep breath let it out and go a little further. Repeat that acouple of times going a little further each time.

2 use a towel or rope. stand on one end and grab the other with your hands. stretch regular first then pull yourself a little further with the rope.

3 regular stretches mostly stretch the center of your muscles. once you have stretched good do a few isometric stretches. Stretch and while your leg is locked out contract the muscle that you are stretching. The center of thre muscle will ciontract and stretch the ends of the muscle.

I agree make sure you warm up well before you go for hard stetching.
Go to were you fell a good stretch and hold it, you dont want to go to far to quick or you can do real damage. It takes a while to have good flexability so be patience and results will come. also do a wide range of stretches. good luck. have fun

Thanks for all the replies guys. The hardest thing I guess is the mindset I have ie. I'm a 42 year old man why the **** am I doing this!

Once I embrace what my goal is I think it will get easier.

At the moment my motivation is I'm paying for these lessons so I may as well give it my best shot!! That and if the kids see me trying hard they will follow suit.

One thing I've been impressed by is the friendliness of the students at the class and how good Sifu Paul is with the kids.

No-one seems to have heard of Mok Gar though.

Wherever you are in the world respect and good health to you and yours.

Chris

as a 42 year old man, you should be grappling with "why the **** haven't you been doing this all along and how did you let yourself go so far" :p

beginning is the hard part, after a while, continuance get's more worked into you life.