Static Active Flexibility

[Theme]

Basically I want to be able to pwn.

How long should i hold a static active stretch? (I.E. the sidekick)
Before you tell me to read the flexibility section, I just did.. couldn't find any specific time.)

Back to topic, Should I hold it as long as my muscles allow (until I simply can't keep them up anymore)? or until I start feeling a burn? Or a set period of time... say 20 sec?

In advance, thanks for your advice!

[Jimnast]

Well the longer you hold them the more tired your muscles will get and then slowly your leg will start lowering and lowering and if you continue to train like that, you'll negatively affect your range of motion, at least I think. It's best to keep trying to lift your leg as high possible throughout the hold, and stop when you can't get any higher. Try 10-15 second holds. Also don't hold onto anything, make sure you balance on your own.

[Theme]

hmm.. balance on my own? I always heard that holding on to something gives better result due to less muscles needing to be adjusted in order to keep balance? not that i kno much about this sort of flexibility anyway..

anyways.. that makes sense i guess.. holding until it lowers by itself woulddo more harm than good probably..

[Jimnast]

Well the balance on your own thing is my personal opinion, because through experience I found that after having practiced kick holds while holding onto walls and tables and shit. When I tried to hold the kicks out without bracing myself on something, I'd just lose balance and fall on the floor all the time. Couldn't hold a kick for pussy.

[Theme]

Point taken.. would be like a double training thing.. actually three things at once..
strength
flexibility
and now balance! awesome :D
thanks for your advice dude!

[n3m3s1s]

You wont get more flexible, but you will be able to hold higher kicks. If you want flexibility, you need too stretch. holding kicks will give you strength ;)

Hold the kicks as long as you can.

[ninjitsian]

Why don't you do some research on it on google or something?

[Graber]

hold a stretch for 2-3 min. In the beginning i was holding for about 5min.

[frozenpeon]

That's for static passive.

He wants more static active flexibility for higher kick holds.

20 secs seems too much to me. The idea is to develop strength in a new range of motion, not endurance. Also, quality is more important than quantity.

Thus, I suggest you to hold your kick as high as you can and then, use a bit of momentum to be able to raise your foot higher. While doing this, make sure that you are still tensing your abductor and hamstring muscles. The idea is to develop strength using negative, just like a one arm chin up. I usually do this for 8-12 secs.

good luck with your training

[Captjones]

about 8 secs for me aswell, though I only can hold the sidekick around the level of my belly, does anything know any specific exercises to increase the range of movement for it?

[Augenatic]

Just do it until your leg's dead.

[Theme]

Thanks for all your advice guys, however graber I am trying to achieve higher kick holds, not static flexibility.

anyways I tried doing some holds for 10 seconds - 1 min break 5 reps.. think that worked pretty well so unless any of you have some points of view as to why i should NOT keep doing that I think I will keep doing it :P

Thanks a lot

Ps: N3m3s1s.. you know me.. I know the difference between Active and Passive and the effects of them :P

[frozenpeon]

about 8 secs for me aswell, though I only can hold the sidekick around the level of my belly, does anything know any specific exercises to increase the range of movement for it?

The exercice I described. But if your static active is not improving you probably need to work on your static passive and dynamic flexibility.

[Graber]

Man I use to sing when I stretch. I think this helped me alot.

[Theme]

meh i perfer watching Tv :P

[Ashtar]

As long as you can. When you can comfortably hold it at a certain height for a reasonable amount of time (no clue, 5-30 seconds? varies on fibre type and goals I guess) then you should try to hold it higher. This will mean less time, and then you increase it again (or add a weight or some shit).

I don't really understand why holding it for long periods would decrease flexibility at all. It is moreso that it will just be time spent when you could have been increasing it by holding it higher or something. If you can hold at 90 and you hold it at 45 for an hour then it doesn't decrease so much as you get tired and need to rest before you try it again, and you've trained the muscles to fire at 45 instead of 90 so you haven't improved, and if you don't try 90 for a while you'll lose it... but if you do 90 for a while and then 45 when you can't do 90 anymore, I don't see how that would decrease it.

[Ewasiuk]

about 8 secs for me aswell, though I only can hold the sidekick around the level of my belly, does anything know any specific exercises to increase the range of movement for it?

Increase the range of motion staticly and dynamicly.