If there is one area of my karate that I really need to work on, it’s my flexibility. In every other aspect of training I really push myself, but I admit to being lazy when it comes to stretching (relying on my 'training since youth'). Unfortunately I suffered a serious training injury in my pre-teens. The reality is that I cannot stretch my back, however, I can still stretch my hips and leg muscles to the max, and of course my upper limbs. By incorporating back stretches I can put myself out of training for several weeks! I'd like to emphasize here that THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR MY LAZINESS! The reality is that I need to stretch more (and can do so, whilst avoiding the stretches that flare up my old injury).
Fortunately, the injury has never hindered my karate ‘technique-wise’. The only thing is that I look silly, in a group warm up, when I can’t do some of the ‘traditional stretches’. Anyway, two days ago I decided to incorporate more stretching into my training regime to see what results I can achieve. Please wish me luck!
© André Bertel, Japan 2008
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