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Stretching for Karate
I just started this page and will be adding to it. There are hundreds of books on how to stretch. Some are full of detail as to how muscles work and why. The information on how muscles work is important in that it can prevent you from injuring yourself. As children we bounce into a stretch thinking we are doing well.
Not so. Think of your muscles, and tendons as rubber bands. If they are not treated with proper care, they will break and tear apart. The same thing happens in your body.
What I learned is from my own study of Yoga and various Chinese texts. I am sorry to say that most of the other stuff is not good. Yoga is based on the principle of balance.
The principals were developed originally to tune the body for Martial Arts. However today in the US we use it for something entirely different.
The stretching people do, is often just done. No thought is given to it. It is jerked and forced. In Yoga the stretch is slow and controlled. Its aim is for flexibility and strength.
Believe it or not you become stronger doing these exercises. As you pull one part of your body you strengthen the muscles that do the pulling. How about that a double benefit!
It is best to warm up the body before stretching.
You can do this by taking a warm soaking bath, or exercise.
Both are good. I prefer to exercise first. This really warms up the muscles and gets the blood flowing through them.
When stretching use a static position once the stretch is reached. In other words, stretch to the limit of your movement (It does not matter how slight) Discomfort is the key, then hold the position. Start for 6 seconds rest, do it again, work up to 2 minutes. Form is very important Keep your back straight at all times. Don't Cheat! You will not improve if you cheat. Move very slowly, feel your muscles. Do the other side twice as long. That means, if you are right handed, do the right leg for 2 minutes, and the left for 4. Some Yoga schools teach to hold a pose for 10 minutes. However, I do not feel that much time is necessary. 2 to 3 minutes is enough if you do it daily. Remember you will want to do more than one muscle group. That takes time. Plan on a minimum of a half hour.
What happens is that the brain senses the discomfort (not pain) in the muscle and allows it to grow and stretch. That is the primary reason for holding the position.
This kind of stretching is not Yoga, but it uses yoga principals to achieve the flexibility, strength, and balance we are looking for.
All muscles work in pairs. As you lift your leg to kick, the hamstring and buttock muscles must lengthen, or you will not kick high or fast. (So that is why) Muscles or parts of muscles that are not subjected to working lose their strength, and tone and they are not able to support the body properly after a while. This is why certain people are so bent over as they age. Yet others are not.
All muscles act as levers, and shortened muscles can pull the body out of alignment. That means it takes more energy fatiguing the muscles and prohibits the flow of blood and energy to parts of the body. Not moving retards the flow of synovial fluid, which lubricates our joints, allowing for calcium build-up increase damaging the joints. This further sends signals to the brain and helps to drain you of energy as the mind fights to heal itself. The brain gets overloaded with sensory signals and you start to suffer, memory, fatigue etc.
The static nature of the stretch allows you to position your body and muscles group so it is stretched properly. Then holding at that position the stretch lengthens the resting length of the muscles and thereby enhances resiliency and relaxation. The brain tells the muscle to lengthen.
Furthermore this kind of stretch enhances the brain's ability to become more sensitive. Since it is not fighting pain all the time. This will make you more responsive to stimulation from outside sources like sensing an oncoming attack.
It allows you to become more atuned to your opponent.
This kind of stretching also increases strength without adding bulk to your frame. This is the stretch, contraction I talked about above, strengthens the entire body a muscle at a time. True Strength, is more than hard muscles. Strength is how much work a muscle can do, and how long it can do it. How adaptive is it. How flexible is it to stretch. It is key to your adaptability. You must be balanced.
When should I stretch? You should stretch after a workout when your muscles are warm. Please warm up your muscles before you use them. Also do not eat anything at least 2 hours before stretching practice. The body takes the energy from the muscles to digest food. Morning or evening, it does not matter. Although I was told that my body will get twice the benefit of stretching in the morning rather than the evening.
Breathe! One of the advantages of holding a position is that it forces you to breath. Holding your breath tightens your body. Always breathe through your nose not your mouth. Quiet. Calm. Count your breaths. Inhale, hold, exhale, (example: in for 4, hold 2, out for 4) (work to 9 or 10). There is more to this, but that is for later. Breathe deep. Through your hips. Expand your abdomin down and out. It is good to learn, your opponent then will not pick up on your breathing pattern. I love to attack after an opponent has exhaled. His energy is gone. Do not let him know your breathing pattern. I will do a section on that later.
Injuries. Avoid using a damaged area. If your knees hurt, limit the use, your body is trying to tell you something. Listen to it. If you have torn ligaments, to don’t damage them further. Rest, Rest, Rest these areas until they are healed, then start again. So what if it takes a few weeks. It is better than the rest of your life not being able to move properly. Do not stretch to pain.
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The following is entirely my own. These are what I learned along the way. I hope it can be of some use to you.
