FLEXIBILITY for the martial arts

Hold stretches for 1 - 2 minutes to improve for the martial arts

Inflexibility will restrict the type and delivery height of kicks. Also, the kicking frequency and cardio endurance. The more flexible the fighter, the less effort required to deliver worthy kicks. If a less flexible practitioner attempts the same, his own discordant (antagonistic) muscles would oppose the execution of the movement.

Women tend to be more flexible than men on account of features related to childbirth.
Unlike the upper body, leg strength differences between the sexes are only slight.

In the course of natural selection, the more flexible bodies tend to gravitate towards kick-centred martial arts systems such as Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Capoeira and some styles of Karate.
The opposite is naturally true for the not-so- flexible individuals. They gravitate towards Judo, wrestling, Jiu jutsu and boxing where the ability to kick is not emphasised.

Hyper-flexibility beyond a 180 degree joint angle in the knees or elbows is a disadvantage, as it increases the risk of injury. Although rare, in some cases, the persistent practitioner may overcome hyper-flexibility by engaging in specific resistance training and modified kicking technique.

A book extract from "The Longest Fight" by Jim Taousanis