I am 14 do a lot of karate but i i cannot stretch my legs and i cant kick high cos my muscles are tight.?

Question

i want to kick high but my leg muscles are so tight i cannot kick high. Does anyone know how to be more flexible?

Answer 1

Everyone had good comments.  Just keep at it.  When watching a favorite T.V. show, get on the floor and go into a split position.  Watch your show doing the splits.  Do it everyday, after time you will not even be thinking about the splits and BAM! Hey I'm doing the splits.  

Answer 2

yep....stretch. you CAN stretch. i'm surprised your sensei hasn't done it in class.

there are only 5 secrets to mastering martial arts

1 have a good teacher

2 be a good student (work hard)

3 practice

4 practice

5 practice some more.

Answer 3

stretch for 5 minutes minimum 3+ times a day for a few weeksn and it should improve a lot.

Answer 4

just keep trying, practicing, streching excersize's, it works if you keep trying, and try practicing everday at hame aswell

Answer 5

I found hip flexibility is what made the biggest difference for me.  If you are already cooled down after your workout, start out by taking a hot shower or a quick run to warm up your muscles.  



Start out with the basics, like trying to touch your toes.  The most important thing to get the most out of your stretch is to do it correctly.  Make sure when you touch your toes to "hinge"  at your waist.  You won't be able to get as far but it will stretch out what needs to be stretched to get more height on your kicks.  Make sure you hold your stretches for at least a minute, the longer you do it the better.  

Now for the hip stretches...

My favorite to start out with is the pigeon.  To do this,  start out in the butterfly stretch but bring one leg behind you so that the back leg looks like you're doing the side splits but the front leg is bent at the knee to make a triangle.  Start by holding this sitting up, focusing on keeping your hips even. After about a minute, lower your head as close as you can to your knee, stretching your arms out in front of you .  I find this a bit difficult to explain, so if you need a picture of it just google "pigeon pose."  

The next stretch you also start out like you would for the butterfly, but instead of your feet touching bring one leg over the other so your ankle is resting on your other knee.  Another variation of this is to do the same thing but lay down on your back.  

After you are done with those, sit up again and bring the bottom leg in a little more so your knee lines up in the center, and bring the top leg over so your knees stack.

Now try touching your toes again.  You should notice a big difference just from the stretches you did.  

Whenever you are bored or just watching TV,  do these stretches and the basic stretches and you will be flexible in no time.    

Answer 6

Just keep practicing.

Everyday, stretch before you practice and attempt to do the splits before and after your practice session. The splits stretches your groin and hamstring muscles out so you can be able to kick higher. Also, when you practice you should keep trying to kick higher everyday until you can do it. You'll fall the first couple times but your body will get use to it in about a week or so.

Answer 7

Stretching exercise is the only thing, keep at it & you will get there in time.

Answer 8

Yoga!

Answer 9

Do stretches and practice them. Sit down and stretch forwards with your arms towards your toes, or you can also do this bending down and touching the floor with your fingers. I don't know many stretches, sorry, but maybe you can do some research and find some that will help you achieve what you're aiming to be able to do?

Answer 10

stretch 30 min to 1 hour day minimum if you want fast results,

dont push yourself too far or you will hurt yourself

also avoid bouncing

rotate your joints lightly before and after stretching

set goals and practice regularly and you will see fast results

Answer 11

Just do stretching exercises. You're still young. Your bones and muscles are not that difficult to condition yet.

When I was a teen, I can do bends and splits with tremendous ease. I can even split unsupported on two chairs, a la Van Damme, back then. But now, I can stretch much farther than an average adult but my flexibility diminished alot! Although I can not do full splits anymore, I have more power on my kicking. Still a Hurrah for me.  

Answer 12

As most replies have stated stretching twice a day should get the results you're after.

However if you are stiff wait until you recover otherwise you risk damaging yourself and you'll reduce your flexibility potential.

Also most karate classes start with relaxed stretching (such a reaching for your toes with your legs apart etc...) This is actually bad because it takes very long to reach you full stretch and more importantly it doesn't prepare you for dynamic kicks which you execute in class. So start by doing dynamic stretches (legs swings etc...) which warms up the muscles while you stretch therefore reaching full stretch potential much quicker amongst other benefits.

Secondly when you get a bit older, once you're 16+ you can start strength training, such as squats, lunges etc...and sit for long periods of time in a deep horse riding stance. These and more, strengthen the correct muscles for a greater stretching potential.

With more strength you can stretch further because your nervous system stays relaxed in the splits position. Read a book called stretching scientifically by Thomas Kurz to fully understand why!!  

Answer 13

Yoga

Answer 14

stretch..

Answer 15

I would suggest practicing in the baths, stretching supported by water,you may stretch further in a shorter time,and have less risk of injury, also try a chinese medicine called woodlock,its a kind of oil,you rub on your thighs etc,before and after exercise,it aids stretching and muscle repair, its about £7.00 for a small bottle from chinese medicine outlets.

Answer 16

Hi cris

Couple of things here that will help but first a warning.

At 14 years old your muscles and joints are still developing so any dangerous exercises can cause long term damage. Ask your sensei or gym instructor for a set of exercises that may help.

Ok now for the good stuff. ;-)

The key to doing the box splits or side splits is having a good stretching routine. You need to stretch the hamstrings and supporting muscles around your hip joints. Good flexability in your spine also helps with your balance.

The exercises i use are as follows.

1. sit in the lotus position and push your knees to the floor.

2. stand up and touch your toes, can also be done seated.

3  Perform the box splits and keep repeating the exercise holding it each time for a little longer. Rpeat about 4 or 5 times.

Do the above everyday and within a few months you will see the difference.

Remember stretching should only feel uncomfortable and never painful. If it's painful you run the risk of serious muscle tear and that will only put you back months so take care when stretching.

You have to do these exercises everyday you can't have 3 or 4 day gaps between them otherwise you wont see any results and you wont be able to maintain them. It doesnt take long for you to loose your flexability.

Daily routine with a good set of exercises is key! ;-)

Best wishes

idai