Anybody knows what are good stretches to get more flexible? Particularly in the hamstring region. I've been training capoeira for close to 2 years now, but STILL can't touch my toes. It sucks too to kick at waist level when everybody else is aiming for your head.

I've done all the basic stretches, but they don't really seem to produce results. Anybody have any info on isometric or PNF stretches or other more effective methods?

Okay that's really strange.....

do you have a super high thigh bone?
I've an indian friend that has it so high, he can never touch his toes. It's not his flexibility, but when you see him bend, it's just so funny. It's just too high but he can really go low when breaking.

This post has been edited by pizzaboy: May 20 2006, 02:08 PM

I doubt it's my thigh bone, since everything looks normal on me. Just that i cannot bend at the waist past around 85 degrees (waist, not back). I'd say i have extremely tight groin/hamstring muscles blocking. I can bend my legs sideways 90 degrees each though, so it seems normal.

whoa....
now that's something i can't do
90 side

i mean 90 side with the other leg straight.....anybody without any hip problems should be able to do it.....of course i can't do it with BOTH legs lol

oOO~
chiu, say la......
nemind, practice.
Don't worry bout your toes lar, if it's your bone then cannot do anything about it la.
Practice though, both legs can do one lar.I managed to do before during taekwondo practice. Sir pushed us down down and down. Fuiyh, shok giler. But kenot stand up after that

And does capoeira need yuo to touch your toes??
No right?

Lol...at full split stretch i'm still close to a foot off the ground. And I've been practicing for 2 years ehehe. Though capo doesn't require us to touch our toes, it does require us to look through our feet at the other feller when moving or kicking, which is even worse. I'm supposed to be looking at the feller's face, but all i can manage is the ground, and maybe his feet coming towards my face

maybe you should TRY THIS, eh?

Pavel Tsatsouline Super Joints

Pavel Tsatsouline Relax into Stretch

Touche. But in this case i HAVE searched online. Not that exact search url though.
I have those 2 books, but they don't explain in enough detail about isometrics and PNF. Plus, i have been doing some of the stretches in the book for the better part of two years and haven't gotten far. The main problem is which stretches produce the best results, and how far to stretch is safe with a particular method.

maybe you sould join a taekwondo class nearby and let them manually stretch you into a full split. took my inflexible friend 2 weeks to accomplish but not without a lot of pain in the groin.

Brute stretching.....some people say it works, the muscle heals stronger after it tears. Other people say the muscles will get even tighter though....

I don't feel like trying it before i get an expert opinion

my toes can touch my wrist, and i still remember when i was in secondary and had the pjk physical test. All the classmate saw i did this (the toes can reach further up than wrist) they goes like . I also dunno why, maybe since young i joined the karate and everytime we will have to bend down to touch the toes.

owh?? i tot it is normal for ppl to easily touch the toes ehh??
so hard arr??
u know the movie where Bruce Lee fight with Chuck Norris??
he bend his body until his forehead touch his knees...
i'm so amazed.....and try to do that...
and able within few days....of coz la...still small boy that time...
now dunno can do that....



Chow.

It's normal for most people. Not for me. One stretch in my capoeira class, you sit down with your legs straight open to both sides and bend forward. I cannot even sit straight at hips 90 degrees. But there's 1 feller in the class who can frigging lie down flat on the ground in front without even exerting himself

that's normal, some could even reach their elbow.

i tot if we do everyday then we'll get flexible wan cause i bend all the way back until my palm reach the floor. i can't do it last time, but after a few days i manage to do it ever since.

There's your natural limit, and there's going beyond that. Usually our flexibility will be at around 70% or so of our natural limit. After warming up and doing preliminary stretches, or maybe a few days if haven't been exercising that muscle for some time, we should be able to reach the natural limit. The problem is when you're trying to exceed that by a LOT. And it's slow....takes a few weeks to show tiny improvement if it shows at all.