Flexibility Lost...

[Kuro]

I use to be very flexible when it came to martial arts or just showing off my flexibility to my friends. I use to stretch daily but I dunno if that's what enabled me to do splits, split kicks etc. That's when I use to be into high/fancy kicks. Nowadays I am more of a waist high to lower when it comes to kicking. That being said I got sick for a long time at one point and then psychological problems afterwards cause me to quit training for quite a while. Nowadays I notice I can no longer do a split or kick as high as I use to. I started stretching again but I notice it still hurts when i try to kick high and I still can't do a split. Even stretching sometimes hurts. Can anyone give me some suggestions on how to deal with this or is it just something that has to develope over time.

 

[crushing]

It's probably something that will come back to you as you work towards it.

Here are some other discussions about stretching and flexibility that you may find useful.

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45289
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39106
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21148
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13570

I wish you the best in your training

 

[exile]

Ditto what CRushing said, Kuro. I'm very sorry to hear about these troubles you had, and I believe that if you keep at it you'll regain all the ground you lost. Sickness and injuries not only derail us, but have long-term damaging effects on our morale and the kind of determination and focus we need to keep up a certain level of performance. Don't despair, it's almost certainly a matter of adopting a program and sticking to it. However long it took you to lose conditioning along the lines you described is how long it'll probably take you to get it back, if you stay on track. Best of luck in your training; I'm sure you'll regain all the flexibility you've lost, and then some.

 

[Shaderon]

I echo what they have said above, and I'm glad to hear you are back on track again with your training. Well done.

Muscles remember, they will go back, at least partway (depending on your age) to where they were and it'll be psychologically easier now you know you can do it, just don't try and rush it too much and listen to your body.

 

[KempoGuy06]

I agree. Glad you are back and healthy. I played soccer forever when I was a kid, I used to be able to do the splits and I was very flexible. I stopped playing and stopped stretching everyday. Needless to say my flexibility went to hell. I started my MA training last July and the stretching was brutal but now as Ive been doing it more and more it is starting to come back. Im closer to doing the splits again than I have been in 8 years. So im confident that it will come back to me and you should be to. Good luck and like Shaderon said listen to your body it will tell you when it will push harder and when it wont.

B