SPLITS Arghhhhhhhh

[flow]

awesome my friend...go on!
Signed:stretchability seeker
everything that can increase my flexibility is welcome(and not only for me that's for sure)!
This is actually my bigger problem,i'm in a hardcore program with tsatsouline(have you heard of contract-relax,PNF technique?or waiting out the tension?Or contrast breathing?)
But still i need it more hardcore,i have to be ready for september-october.Right thanks again and cheers til then(i love this forum i even learn some English!

[blooming tianshi lotus]

So you're competing soon??? Very cool! If it's fighting though, you're probably going to want to note that while you initially up your flexibilty training, you'll likely loose maxal strength for your additional rom. Don't sewat though, because this can be easily made amens for with extra tech and fajing drills ( essentially the same thing - learing to recruit more muscle groups into your movement and therefore produce more pwoer and finer motor awarenes and reaction potential to your opponents) .

[blooming tianshi lotus]

BS..........!!!!


I just spent 30 minutes typing the first couple of exercises and that stupid edit clock beat me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!#@$%!

I'm Sorry .......... I'm out of time now ...... Gotta run but I'll definately get back to you as soon as I can swing it.

BL

[blooming tianshi lotus]

Okay , this is alot longer than realised.

Let's start with "the key to flexibilty ."

If you can envision your spinal column or your hip and thigh bone for a moment, the idea is to first warm up the muscles & tendons around the joint with some light to medium stretching warm ups ( like described below) ( and flowing connected sequence is important here too) , then create a pocket of space between the bones in the joint/s you want to stretch ( pulling the bone loosely out of it's spot ,letting it hang loosely in the sockets outter extremity by the connective tissues) then lengthening the tendons holding it all there from there working different angles while it's elongated.
Just as important ( & to avoid injury as you come out of your stretch or go onto something else) is the way you let it all settle back into it's most nuetral natural position ( the movement sequence you use ) .
Imagine this : it's loosening - lengthening - winding it up ( with angles and bring other body part rotations and stretches or flexions etc simultaneoulsy into the stretch) - and releasing it back to nuetral through a rvs stretch ( or controlled release retracing how it got where it is) ( meaning it's now in a smaller space , same position but just looser and more supple ) or you can do the same thing ( the release ) by a kick / split / strike or whatever reason you wanted the flexibilty to achieve. This also corroborates with and embodies principals and fajing ........ - add your qigong breathing ( you can find examples of on recentish qigong threads from your pulldown menu or I'll post it again with the rest of the exercises in a day or two) and you're doing old school shaolin ( and even daoist for that matter ) conditioning and callesthenic sets.

So with that in mind and remembering that when you kick up your stretching regime you're going to initially lose maxal power though your strike and so may need to up your tech skill and fajing drills ( though If it's wushu or performance that your competeing in, you should be sweet! ) don't forget your lower back ( spinae erecte) and your abs and torso are what stabilises you through your split and helps shock absorbtion when you loose some of your grounding power generation with the extra flexibilty . There're alot of factors to flexibilty and if you want to get really pedantic about your training on it , and can deal withthe fact that men respond better to higher carb diets, sugars and glycal influences are part of rom aswell , in that it dictates viscosity of your senovial fluid which effects not only the rom but how long it can perform ( as opposed to the extra maxal power the carbs provide) . There is a happy medium and I'm sure you'll find your own.

Really long post already , so Pt 2 ( the exercises with in a day or 2 )

cheers


BL

[flow]

very good hint thanks...Just i don't understand reversed stretch?What do you mean with the kicks n stuffs?

[blooming tianshi lotus]

It's like loading a kick or strike ( or chambering pending what school you're at) but using a stretch wind up through several muscle groups to it , as oppsed to fully cocking one group alone.

Anyway, I have 6 pages of fine print A4 stretches for you, but I gotta eat something so back in 10 .

Btl

[blooming tianshi lotus]

ok. Short on time here, but I said I would so I'll post what I can.


Excuse spelling and hope to not overcomplicate for you . Some of them are hard to explain but great stuff. Bear with me and happy perseverance.

warm up :

exercise 1. rotate ankle , flex foot & lift through pelvis - release down

exercise 2. Standing on one leg , plant ball of ft. toes facing front , rotate hip ( using other leg to assist rotation). When at extremeity of rotation, plant other foot, pointed behind your body( root leg still in beginning pos) use toes / ball of lead ft to gain more length in rotation. Idea here to ( with bth ft flat) come into a ballet pliae ( ?sp) position with acrhilies together but apart ( squat through same for advanced conditioning ) - hips open to full convex position . In controlled manner, return to nuetral then rotating both thighs inward ( toes pointing twd each other ) stomache in and down , use ribs twd hips to help.
Realease back to nuetral using glutes and hammies.
Shake out in fast loose circles from ankle only, knees only , hips only ( finish in a one legged MT teap position, root leg flat , weight on ball, root and lift through pelvis odf planted leg. ( stay loose and rotate each joint as above )
To release , shake ft out twd front, bring one leg behind , ft crossed and roll down into calf stretch. Palms / back of hands on floor , extend out of hip. While down, trabnsfer weight between lead ft ball ( calf stretch
) and rear ft ball for full hammie / calf / glute stretch.
Rpt on other side.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

Exercise 3. Ft shoulder width apart , ground legs and as vigorously as loose allows, arms floppy as poss, hips square to front, throw arms and upper torso twd back with twisting lateral rotation. Up tension on arms each rotation and lift parellel arms 20 degrees also on each rotation. Shake arms and legs out to finish.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

Exercise 4.


tuck pelvis under and using same leg as root as *exercise 3, paint capital Ds or circles at 45degree axis in trhe air with knee. If necc, lean against a wall with opp palm to support balance. zRotate / shake out from hip , plant ball of ft , lift in claf raise , extend down from lower spine / ribs / as if being pulled up by hoist) as heel comes back to ground and pelvis comes down. Navel to spine , relax ribs to hips . Loose onme shoulder , hang arm , bend upper back same side , opp shoulder up into high shrug ( elbow out to side , tip ear to loose shoulder) lifting up through trap section of vertebrae & curving shoulder blade over ( medially pronated ) , supernate back ( rotate back out ) drop shoulder blade down back loosely, press shoulders down , extend lower neck ( stretching very upper traps .) rotate neck in loose circles bringing in extrenal obliques post 180 degrees, return ribs to hips in uppercut motion brace pelvis, press shoulders back in upper chest brigde. Relax down into hip through ribs , tuck "lower stomache" to natural .

[blooming tianshi lotus]

Exercise 5.


Target : - nth / sth split flexibilty

Hoike leg to waist lvl bar ( sofa / ledge / etc) in side kick. Roll down hoiked leg, grab toes - palm to btm of ft ( lower shin / anklke for beginners ok) . Using palm , open hip outward pushing blade to parellel with ground, resting flat horizontal on bar ( switch and rol instep to floor) . Roll up one vertebrae at a time , extend down straight leg , dropping chest pulling shoulder blades convex to spine. Square pelvis and roll up through uper vertebrae.
Hook top of ft to bar , rotate from hip til in hooked ( anchored ) back kick stance, fall outof / extend out of loose hip / back back flat , run chest down shin, palm & back of hand to ground in tradtional standing calf stretch.
Unhook foot , back kick other ft to bar , palm to ground / chest to shin.
Roll up vertebrae at a time , release shoulders slowly and rotate hip outward to hooked side kick pos, Rpt as above other side, roll out of it.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

half way there............

Lay on floor, spine flat to ground, ribs to hips, sacrum planted ( very btm of vertebare ) ( should be slight arch in very lower back just above pelvis)
legs straight , toes up ( flex ft ) ( or knees bent version , soles planted to ground)
( rpt grabbing inside ankle , reaching over with the same arm as leg)

Knee to chest , relax spine and extend leg vertical.

Once at vertical, release hip and bending from knee , hold ft / ankle and on your exhale straighten your arm and allow leg to come up vertically as you relax your pelvis and breath.
Bring straight leg ( may bend knees , use palm from behind leg / ankle / ft to push ) twd chest - back flat to floor , shoulders NOT rounded / hunched , release shoulders anfd bring leg closer ( if done bent knees pressing from calf try to bring leg so toes to ground )
try for shin to chest , toes up floor , then try balls of ft to floor ( toes curled upnder , ft flexed to limit ) then try ankle grab from outside and inner ankle / heel to floor.
2 hnds if you can keep your other leg straight - square pelvis will help support ) work blade / instep angles.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

exercise 7. & time pressing.



1/2 good morning pose to assisted E/W

Lay flat on back , nuetral pelvis, legs extended , heels planted toes pointed. Rol back onto shoulder bldes , toes to groun over head. Use paLMS to assist split from ankle.
Flex ft and bring sacrum to point at rof rolling onto upper shoulder blades and resting weight on back of hd. ( chin to chest , loose neck to avoid injury)
This should add length to your hip flexors...hold for 8 seconds min , 30 secs - 3 mins max. :0

( the important bit ) Hips square , soles together in modified laying monkey stance, draw ankes to pericardium, ( between butthole and genitals / ball sack )
Roll out of it vertebrae at a time. loose chest shoulders down back.
Extend up through upper trap vertebrae , neck extended. relax.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

Sitting with legs extended , chest up ( not slouched ) rest knucles on ground to side of body, top of heel planted . Loose as poss straight spine .
Raise hips of flloor in best claytons planted gymnast "L hold " stance. Hang from outter delts anfd drop spine through hips / pelvis. lower to floor . Arc arms to verticle , bring hands down in prayer pose to dantien , release upper vertebrae by pressing shoulders down and hunching fwd then bringing chest back up & releasing neck to side.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

2 more ........

Exercise 9 :-
Interval, leg Isos 5- 10 degrees apart in sets of 100 reps to 500 out aND SAME IN.


Sitting straight- leg extended toes toes pointed .
Begin pelvis square to front and tucked under .

After 45 degrees , elbow / forearm = palms to ground . Chest down , lft shin ( hold ankle work blade / instep angle ) , rol up vertebrae at a time.
release neck.
Roll down right shin then into elbow / forearm / palmto ground stance ( keep straight spine ) extend out from hips & keep shoulders relaxed down back.
Lift out and up through pelvis to verticle spine. Drop shoulders loose and drop ribs to hip after nuetral navel to spine.

[blooming tianshi lotus]

Laying quad stretch ( to condition spine and hip flexors )

Lay flat back , legs straightr and extended. Raise from hips .
cross one leg over opp knee . Sacrunm to floor grabbing non-crossd knee / shin and press in to draw hip into spine and spine into floor.

That's ample for now, so cheers to you for wading for through it . Hope you retain something you can use.

cheers BTL


btrw : pt 3 -: shaloin callesthientics / qigong and stretch breathing techs

Lotus BT
.