Stretching

[Thor317]

How do you stretch effectivly for kicks? Expecially for high side kicks.

[norther practitioner]

stradle splits

[Sleemie]

dynamic and ballistic stretching....static stretching is not the most effective way to develop high kicks, especially cold kicking.

[Sho]

splits

[eulerfan]

Originally posted by Sleemie
dynamic and ballistic stretching....static stretching is not the most effective way to develop high kicks, especially cold kicking.

But make sure you are warm and have done static stretching first. Ballistic stretches are more dangerous than static ones.

Some people say you shouldn't do them at all. That may work if you are doing aerobics or something but kicks are ballistic tehmselves. So, yeah, that's what you want to train your body to do.

[TaoBoy]

I also hold a stretch in the side kick position. Use something to rest your foot on and stretch, move to higher objects as your stretch improves.

And listen to eulerfan.

[wooha]

Sleemie is right, though I'd say don't do ballistic, but definitely do dynamic.

Static stretching is not necessary for high kicking.

Read this FAQ - learn about the different types of stretching and flexibility.

Also read this article on stretching for high kicks.

[Sleemie]

As eulerfan says....warm up first, and I would say that with any stretching. I actually HATE stretching cold, and using stretching to warm up. I think all these years people have had it backwards, you should stretch once you are warmed up, not AS a warmup. Try it out and see....begin your workout one day where the very first thing you do is stretch, and then another day stretch immediately after your workout while your body is still warm and you're all hot and sweaty. Stretching when you're warm just feels so much better, and you'll see that you have much more flexibility...not to mention it's much safer.

[Sleemie]

I should correct myself on the ballistic statement after further research...I thought what I was doing was ballistic instead of dynamic. I know that doing a leg raise in a controlled steady motion is dynamic, but I thought what I was doing was ballistic because it wasn't really slow and steady, but it doesn't quite sound like ballistic either. This is what I do, I do side leg raises as in the position of doing a side kick, and I pretty much throw my leg in a controlled upward motion, but not to the point of putting so much force behind it that it's painful or that I feel like I'm forcing a stretch. I do it to the point of feeling a slight stretch, gradually increasing on the last few reps. Is that dynamic or ballistic???

[wooha]

Sounds dynamic to me.

[Sleemie]

sorry thor for saying ballistic stretching at first.....should have said just dynamic.