Question 086: Two questions

How can I improve leg flexibility? I’ve heard that it's hard for a person like me (older than 25 years) to gain flexibility?

How can I improve power in kicking & punches?

Reply

How can I improve leg flexibility? I’ve heard that it's hard for a person like me (older than 25 years) to gain flexibility.

It is always more difficult to do physical things as you age; not impossible, just more difficult. Stretch every day. Do not bounce; perform a stretch and hold it for a minute or so. You are not actually stretching anything; you are not making anything thing longer, you are relaxing. When you perform a stretch, the muscles tighten. What you are trying to do is train the muscles to relax when you stretch; so do not concentrate on stretching but instead concentrate on relaxing. Stretch the entire body for overall speed and flexibility, but, to perform better kicks, concentrate on stretching the body and legs in positions that are used when performing the kicks. Use a yoga book or website to find stretches that will best benefit the areas you want to stretch.

How can I improve power in kicking & punches?

You get better at something by doing it many times. To get more power in kicks and punches, you must kick and punch every day, as many times as you can, using perfect technique. Cross training by lifting weights and such can help, but it is not a substitute for practice. Baseball players do not become better hitters by running or lifting weights, they get better by hitting hundreds of baseball every day.

Do pushups on the fists; some with fists held vertically, some with them held horizontally. Use a variety of hand positions. Instead of pushing up, thrust up so the fists leave the floor to build explosive strength. Punching power comes from the hips more than from the arms. This is explained more in the punching section of TKDTutor.com.

You can have flexible legs but not enough strength to lift the leg as high, fast, and powerfully as needed to be able to score. You can have tremendous strength in your legs but not have the flexibility you need to get a kick to a viable target effectively. If you want to be a good kicker, concentrate on things that will make you a better kicker. Perform many, many, many kicks everyday to a heavy bag while concentrating on using perfect form. Do not worry about speed and power. If you concentrate on perfect form.