Flexability Goal - Opening the Hips
For me, flexibility is like a roller coaster, while I normally remain more flexible than your average Joe, I wish I could go back to where I've been before. Sometimes I get close and then it poof! I wake up one day, again wanting. Well this year I am focusing on regaining my splits and that means a lot of work on my tight hips. My plan is to stretch deep every morning and night and then later on incorporate a lunchtime stretch.
I've read several books over the years on stretching and understand the difference of static and dynamic flexibility. For those that do not know, static is the flexibility you see when you hold a stretch or a pose. Dynamic is when the muscle stretches for a quick second, like when kicking. I'm looking to gain on both.
My particular problem is in the hips, they are strong but tight. I've got good power and technique but not the range that I used to have. In kicking, Flexibility is nothing without strength to integrate it and strength alone will not allow the correct timing and target range really needed to land some cleaner kicks. When I throw a kick, my main concern is telegraphing it and in that case, it really needs to be refined. I can usually setup the opening for the kick nicely but I'm finding that my speed, timing and range are all below where they used to be. The goal I have for kicking is to be able to create the opening, and attack it quickly without giving my opponent the ability to block. It's been there before, I know I'll get it back again.
My routine will consist of:
Warming up
Fast kicking\leg raises
Slow kicking
Static stretching on the ground
Pulley stretching using a pulley and handle
Perhaps you have some tricks\tips\techniques that I might be able to incorporate as well?
"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow."
"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."
- Ancient Chinese Proverbs