flexibility for taekwondo

Hey guys I have small story to share with you. I am playin taekwondo for almost 6 years now, and I feel embarassing that my flexibility didn't improve that much as did other things. I also dont practice anymore in team, as unfortunately no money for paying tuition and I was last year at top korean university training for 4 months, and I was quite good, could train with best players in korea. When I came back home, also coach didn't want me in team anymore due to not following his rule of dressing traditional uniform, so that was main reason why I left team. Now I practice lots of cycling for endurance, and do some strentgh workouts outside and also taekwond outside. I just wish I could be able to improve flexibility as in that case, I would be on olympic level. I was training last year with national olympic team of my country and I just lacked good kicking technique, due to inflexibility.

So I would like if anyone can help me I am 186cm tall , 75kg weight and some girls are telling me my hips are not in balance like in line, but one hip is slightly higher than the other.

All the best

P.S I am sorry if this is not proper topic for this forum

Take my flexibility programme. It target just the legs. I recommend you use isometrics on all of them for a quick result, but it still requires commitment and it's not a shortcut either. Stretch five days a week or seven if you like. Don't forget to warm up first.

programme can be done in any order.

middle splits - toes forward

middle splits - toes upwards

standing pike

seated straddle - left leg, right leg and then reach forward

front splits - lean forward and grab front feet

front splits - pull rear leg towards your arse

normal front splits

Once your flexibility has reached a certain proficiency, replace the splits with oversplits.

Pretty much Sailor wrote out.

I would also lay on your back and lift one leg up. Use a belt to wrap around the bottom and arch of your foot and try to pull your leg closer to your face. If you want, you can bend the non working leg by placing the heel closer to the butt to just make yourself more stable. Assisted stretching, enjoy the pain, remember to breathe.

But really you just need to work front splits. Front splits do a pretty good job of stretching both the hamstrings and the quads. 2 at one time. When you get into splits, keep your torso vertical instead of leaning over. You can play with leaning back to increase the force of the stretch.

Takahura, I suggest three resources:

1. Kit Laughlin's book "Posture and Flexibility" (http://pandf.com.au/store/cart.php?m=pr ... etail&p=62)

2. Stretching Scientifically by Tom Kurz (http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scient ... ntifically)

3. Mobility WOD (mobilitywod.blogspot.com)

I highly recommend #1 over #2, but if you can't afford it, #2 is fantastic as well (IF you follow the instructions in it). #3 is just a great place to learn how to keep your body biomechanically sound.

Also, as you know, there are some good FREE resources on Martial Arts Planet.

The mother link: http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums ... p?t=108235

1. http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums ... hp?t=85373

2. http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums ... hp?t=96381

... When I came back home, also coach didn't want me in team anymore due to not following his rule of dressing traditional uniform ...

This actually concerns me a great deal more than your indicated lack of flexbility as it demonstrates a lack of respect for your instructor. As the 'student' you have a set of specific responsibilities and duties which are yours to perform; critiquing your coach's choice of workout apparel is not one of them.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Perhaps one of the most relevant and meaningful of Coach Sommer's many sage posts.

Character and personal force are the only investments that are worth anything.

- Walt Whitman

Thats how we were training in korea dressed and drills.

Well the biggest problem wasn't that much me not respecting the coach, but just different views we had on taekwondo. I saw taekwondo as sport, and also trained it that way in Korea when I was 4 months, but on the other hand taekwondo is also martial art, but after long years of training, I just saw it it's misused. For an example black belt you need to pay 300 USD, so it has nothing anymore to do with your knowleadge, but it's just business. That is where I didn't want to wear uniform anymore as it doesn't reflect how much knowleadge I have but more how much money I have, so guys who would come frequently in gym but had more money, would have black belt, and I couldn't afford to pay the examinataion. Otherwise I was always 1 or 2 hours before workout in gym and always left last they gym so I was very good student, but just I figured out it will be best if I leave the team, so coach can implemet his philosophy, which in one hand I support but on the other I didn't feel well as being part of it.

In Korea I didn't have any problems, only players were not that nice to me as I was foreigner and they don't like foreigners there hehe

Have you been using my stretching programme? And other people's advice? How did it go?

Without flexibility, your kicks will be limited and go nowhere. I'm surprised you're a top level fighter and have poor flexibility, how did you manage that?

TaeKwonDo and many other martial arts/sports are like that here in the US as well.

Pretty much rampant throughout all parts of the world.

Sailor Venus said:

Have you been using my stretching programme? And other people's advice? How did it go?

Without flexibility, your kicks will be limited and go nowhere. I'm surprised you're a top level fighter and have poor flexibility, how did you manage that?

He said he was at a top Korean university, not that he was a top level fighter.

What kind of TKD style do you practice, Takahura?

takahura19 said:

Thats how we were training in korea dressed and drills.

Well the biggest problem wasn't that much me not respecting the coach, but just different views we had on taekwondo. I saw taekwondo as sport, and also trained it that way in Korea when I was 4 months, but on the other hand taekwondo is also martial art, but after long years of training, I just saw it it's misused. For an example black belt you need to pay 300 USD, so it has nothing anymore to do with your knowleadge, but it's just business. That is where I didn't want to wear uniform anymore as it doesn't reflect how much knowleadge I have but more how much money I have, so guys who would come frequently in gym but had more money, would have black belt, and I couldn't afford to pay the examinataion. Otherwise I was always 1 or 2 hours before workout in gym and always left last they gym so I was very good student, but just I figured out it will be best if I leave the team, so coach can implemet his philosophy, which in one hand I support but on the other I didn't feel well as being part of it.

In Korea I didn't have any problems, only players were not that nice to me as I was foreigner and they don't like foreigners there hehe

I remember those days...

As a slightly middle aged guy who was once young and had similar ideals, I can tell you that what you did was get in your own way.

You want to go to the Olympics, but you can't swallow your pride enough to buy a 300 dollar belt one time? You think those doors keep themselves open? Save money. Sell some clothes, do bake sales at school, or set up an online donation site asking people for 1 dollar, and take it down when you get 300, be up front.

You will find out that the very best often think differently than you do, and when that happens you just keep your mouth shut. You aren't going to a sport team to trade philosophies or anything else, you're going to get the best training you can and be in the right place to open up opportunities.

If I read what I just wrote when I was your age, I would reply saying that I (me now, typing this at 30) am just a sellout and don't have enough balls to live according to my beliefs. You know why I would have said that? Because I was young, powerful (physically), extremely smart, and had absolutely no idea how the world worked. I had no idea that paying for that belt doesn't mean I am supporting a different philosophy. Paying for that belt is a 300 dollar one time fee to get where I want to go. Life is about using the system to your advantage. In the old days, if you weren't that guy's son you'd most likely be screwed. Now you just have to pay 300 dollars. Come on, take advantage of that!

Did you ask him if you could clean the bathrooms to make the money, or teach for free, or anything else?

Whatever you do, good luck with everything and I hope to see you on TV one day. Give GB a quick shout out if you remember us in the moment!

takahura19 said:

(...) I just lacked good kicking technique (...) I would be on olympic level

This is ridiculous, what else is there in TKD outside of kicks?

It is like saying that if you were good at mathematics, you'd be a physics Nobel Price...

I will start working with your advices you gave me as I was now 2 weeks without internet on holidays. I think my problem is more for sports psychologist than for discussing for here as it's long story. I just want to see right now I just want achieve great flexibiluty and kicking technique, that is all. About leaving my team, there were several reasons, not only because of uniform but also due to lack of finances, didn't go to competitions, and also team was very bad full of older people and very young, few guys of my age and level, 3 times trainings per week and so on.

Because I went trough hard trainings in korea, I hoped maybe I could help my coach but things didn't went this way. About my expression of olympic level I meant about technical skill, and I was training last year with my country pre-olympic team several weeks, and 1 guy and 2 girls qualified in the end to olympics, but I was kicked out of trainings, due to tactizing too much and not fighting as coach wanted me to

I practice WTF taekwondo style, olympic sport.

That can be tough. Sometimes you have to do what the coach wants to see when you're trying to get on the team.

Good luck! I think that scheduling a session with a sport psychologist might be a great idea.