Quote:
Originally Posted by Mon
I am back interested in martial arts again taking a self defense class at my college to learn all the techniques and remember the some I learned when I was a kid and such.
The biggest struggle I have with martial arts is flexibility. My hamstrings the worse. On my softball team, soccer, and many other teams I have been on and little league/high school, I can see everyone (99% of players) being able to touch their toes except for me. I have always wondered why I can't touch my toes and something is blocking me from going farther than my knee. I cannot even sit on my tailbone with my legs straight and sit up straight! I have been stretching my hip flexors a lot lately and it has not helped with my hamstrings.
There is so many different ways to stretch muscles, so what is the best way to do it, what technique, how many reps, and how many seconds hold each.
My goal is to be able to touch my toes. If everyone else can, I can too. There is no excuse for me not to be able to touch my toes! It also seems like whenever I stretch my hamstrings, it makes it worse.
If I want to continue with martial arts after taking self defense class and getting back into it, I need to get my hamstrings to where they are supposed to be. How can I do certain kicks without good hamstring flexibility?
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Sorry to dig up an old thread but it sounds like you should read Stretching Scientifically by Tom Kurz. It's worth buying. If you can't even touch your toes, then you'll need the full range of static and dynamic stretches that he recommends. Good luck.