When it comes to stretching, most people either do not do enough, or they do too much. Once people realize they need to be more flexible, they usually think that they need more than they actually do need.

Everyone should do some daily stretching, but martial artists need to stretch even more to offset the muscle-shortening effects of their training. When you train, your muscles tend to reset to a decreasingly shorter length with every workout. Stretching helps counteract this.  A problem is that, while most only people exercise their anterior muscles, they only stretch their posterior muscles.

To correct this, you should do your serious stretching after your workout. Research has shown that static stretching before a workout decreases performance by about 20 percent. To get the maximum benefit from stretching, you should stretch after a workout, after your heart rate has dropped below 100 beats per minute.

While most people do static stretching, where they stretch to the point of discomfort, hold for 10 seconds, relax, shake it out, and then stretch again. However, a more effective way to stretch is the contract-relax method, where you stretch to the point of discomfort, and inhale and hold your breath while contracting your body, especially the target muscles and the glutes. Hold your breath and contract for 10 seconds, then relax, and exhale; taking care to insure you are completely relaxed and your lungs are cleared of air. Wait 5 seconds, and then repeat.

If your practice this method of stretching, you should see results soon, even after you have reached a plateau with your previous stretching routine.