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Perspectives on training: "Physical" conditioning Part 1 - Flexibility

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  • #16
    Hi,

    I can also vouch for Pavel Tsatouline. I bought this book on stretching, and it really is a great book. I tried some isometric stretching, and it worked very well for me. I always had good flexibility on most movements (due to previous wushu training), except with the split. I practiced one isometric exercise for some time, and I was amazed with the results. It feeled like I was tricking my body.

    What really amazed me with the book was learning that stretching is more related with the nervous system (ie, relaxing) than with the muscles.

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    • #17
      Yes, that is a great book. The material in that book can be found in other books and references, but in my view, Pavel presents the material in the most lucid, humourous and direct way. Shame on those who make a fuss of how much the book costs - it is worth every cent.

      One thought occured to me about training the art of flexibility. I would argue that with the exception of full contact sparring, nothing else in the martial arts can take you that level of pain which gets you yelling and screaming (or if you are so macho, grimacing). Having someone push you into a split (remember, a big no-no) is like having the Cruciatus curse performed on you by a sadistic Death-eater.

      Even if you practice active flexibility, which is to say, you choose your own pain and pace, it is going to hurt some. I have been through very debilitating endurance training, such as forced marches with heavy gear, high intensity sprints and days without sleep, but these were all more uncomfortable than painful.

      This means that if you want to improve your flexibility, you need to have a clear goal, belief in the benefits it will bring you, and a drive to succeed. Because when the pain kicks in, you will ask yourself why you bother to put yourself through this. More importantly, your body and mind (which are one) will find excuses to skip the practice because it remembers the pain and will react against it. In the meantime, seek painless practice - it is certainly possible if you are in charge.
      百德以孝为先
      Persevere in correct practice

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      • #18
        Ok, I thought I should conclude this thread with a final post before the new year (for us, new year means Lunar New Year, not 1 Jan 2011). Since this thread says "Part 1", the next thread will be Part 2.

        Flexibility is not about the muscles, or more accurately, not just the muscles. You often hear people say, "my bones are too stiff" as an excuse for not practising flexibility. That is utter horsecrap from one perspective, but yet, it makes perfect sense. What they mean is that their joints are not mobile. And ultimately, all flexibility comes from the qi and nervous system - muscular flexibility is merely a product of those systems functioning at optimal efficiency.

        There are studies that have found a direct connection between the health of the joints and the nervous system. In fact, the major joints at the shoulders and at the pelvis and hips are more crucial than most people realise. The functioning of the lymphatic system which affects the immunity level of a person is connected to these joints; hence someone with a bad flu may find these joints aching because the lymph nodes there are working overtime.

        Someone who cannot stretch his shoulders or legs usually has immobile joints or joints with limited range of motion. Because the joints are not mobile, the muscles linked to these joints are not used to their full capacity, and they become narrow in their range of motion. For my students who cannot raise a straightened leg to hip level, this used to be a concern. But one can get around this by simply raising the knee rather than a straight leg. At the very least, the hitherto immobile joint gets some lubrication and movement. When the source of the stiffness at the joint is minimised, the muscles tend to relax more easily as a result.

        So, any time you find you cannot perform a qigong pattern or yoga asana due to stiffness, focus on the joint at first, not the whole limb. For example, if you cannot do a front split, you do a kneeling lunge so the hip joints get to move the full 180 degrees even if the legs are not in a straight line. The same applies for the Dancing Crane pattern. In fact, the entire 18 Lohan hands is a collection of patterns that can be used for joint mobility where a person is too stiff. I discovered this by accident when teaching the full set to a student once and found that except for a few peripheral joints, all the joints of the body are put through an almost complete range of movement. That student also confirmed that all his joints felt warmed up even if he just did all 18 patterns as physical exercises, rather than with qi flow.

        Happy practising, everyone.
        百德以孝为先
        Persevere in correct practice

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        • #19
          Thank you Wuji .

          Your posts are inspiring and educational .

          Master Pavel's book "Relax into Stretch" is science put into good practise and he also recommended Chi Kung in between the pages.

          Kong Hee Fatt Choy ( Gong Xi Fa Cai )
          Damian Kissey
          Shaolin Wahnam Sabah , Malaysia .
          www.shaolinwahnamsabah.com

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          • #20
            Hello,

            I have been thinking about the Art of Flexibility lately, because I have been enjoying it so much. In all of your experiences what do you think the benefits one can get from it are?

            So far I have come up with this list of benefits:
            • You can move properly in stances, and...
            • Thus you can explode force properly and be rooted
            • You can develop further internal force practicing them as chi-kung, especially in the sinews and bones of the legs, but also in the arms and rest of the body
            • Open meridians in the legs, making the legs healthier and stronger
            • You can kick higher.


            What are your thoughts?

            All the Best,
            Alex
            "Take a moment to feel how wonderful it feels just to be alive."
            - Sifu

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            • #21
              Enlightening

              Excellent series of articles, Sihing

              Andy
              Sifu Andy Cusick

              Shaolin Wahnam Thailand
              Shaolin Qigong

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              "a trained mind brings health and happiness"
              - ancient wisdom

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