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Question 1, Marco
I am 30 years old and I have been practicing martial arts for some time. I have finally realized that in order to achieve good results in this sport I must maximize my muscular flexibility. Since I am no longer a little boy is there much I can do to improve? Will I be able to do splits one day? If yes, how much time is involved?
- Answers David De Angelis
Muscular flexibility viewed specifically as articular/joint mobility is one of the fundamental qualities needed to achieve maximum performance in sports. This quality is of particular importance in those sports (such as the martial arts) which require the correct execution of certain types of kicks and specific tecniques. Being "loose" produces enormous advantages
in terms of explosiveness and muscular resistence. Stretching tends to inhibit conctration of the antagonist muscles which can create obstacles to maximum efficiency of technical movements (in terms of range of loading/charging, for example, of a leg tecnique and in terms of rate of execution) even if muscular explosivity depends on muscular quality and nervous system reaction capacity. The fact that you are no longer a young kid is not relevant: it is true that muscular flexibility diminishes with age, but this does not mean that you will not be able to achieve excellent results, such as "splits" (assuming you do not suffer from joint damage or articular malformations).
If it is a solace to you, I might mention that I was able to achieve a high level of muscular flexibilty between the ages of 26/28 though I was not genetically endowed. I strongly recommend the P.N.F. ISOMETRIC TECHNIQUE which allows one to make use of neuromuscolar principles such as neuromuscular proprioceptor properties together with isometric contraction at the maximum range of joint movement. By applying this technique with necessary precautions you will be surprised by the rapid improvement and you will surely astound your teachers. The speed of improvement depends of your initial level of
strenght and flexibility, in addition to your level of "attention" to the factors of intensity and training frequency in this technique. This technique will allow you to do splits after a period of time ranging from one month to one year. At the moment, the best book I know on the subject is called "Stretching Scientifically" by Thomas Kurz, one of the true authorities
on the subject of stretching.
Happy training!
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