Product Review: Everything you wanted to know about Side and Hook Kick DVD (part 2)

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. Here is part 2 of the review. For part 1 go HERE

General thoughts.
Ok, where to start? First thing to be said is that some of the info presented on the DVD is available free from Paul on his youtube channel. This is a good idea for him as it is obviously advertising for his products but it also gives an you idea of the type of material you can expect from his DVD's. As I mentioned in the first part of the review, paying out $100 for 1 DVD is going to be quite an investment for some. My suggestion is to go and watch the youtube stuff and see if you like his type of exercises and the way he explains his method.

The actual footage on youtube is not the same as on the DVD, don't worry you aren't paying $100 for youtube videos. Its almost like the youtube filming was a practice run of ideas for the DVD's, while most of his youtube stuff is done in what looks like his apartment, the DVD material is filmed in a studio (no bedside tables in the background :D )

More importantly while he does touch on a few of the same concepts on youtube, he goes into a lot more detail on the DVD and there is a lot of material on the DVD that isnt on youtube. The DVD is over 2 hours long, there is a LOT of info on it. I would have to agree with his advertising claim that it is the most extensive instructional on kicking techniques ever made....well at least that I have ever seen...although I'm sure I haven't seen everything. I actually cant think of anything glaringly obvious that is missing from it, although I don't recall seeing any info relating to spinning side or hook kicks on it, maybe thats another volume for the future?

I cant just sit and watch the whole thing in one go, its just too long and has too much info. I usually watch one or two sections make notes and go from there. I've watched it now a couple of times and still pickup something new each time. I still haven't had a chance to try every drill yet.

Specific Sections of the DVD.
1. Kinesiology
The section on kinesiology goes into a lot of detail on each muscle used and its role in the side and hook kick, great for those that like that sort of thing but really most will just come away with a better understanding of how important the muscles of the supporting leg are, in particular the hamstring. I was always more focused on the muscles of the kicking leg so this was great info for me. As I mentioned previously, for $100 I thought you might get some CGI in this section but instead you get Paul with a pointer in front of a poster/chart.

2. Basic Technique
 In my days of Tae Kwon Do I was fortunate enough to have an instructor that was very technical and really broke down the kicks so you learned precisely the correct position of every stage of the kick, from the pre chamber positioning of the supporting leg through to the chambering of the kicking leg, the correct path of the kick, which part of the foot to kick with, returning the kick to the chamber and then finally to returning the kicking leg to the ground (if you weren't throwing multiple kicks). No other style I have trained in has ever gone into this much technical detail on how to throw a kick so I guess I was lucky. So while this section of the DVD wasn't as useful for me, I'm guessing that a lot of martial artists could benefit from this as he breaks down the kick and shows precisely how it is thrown.

Grrr this post is starting to drag on already, looks like I will have to extend the review to next weeks post...

Product Review: Everything you wanted to know about Side and Hook Kick DVD (part 1)

Hi Guys,

Its product review time again. This time its the Elastic Steel Everything you wanted to know about Side and Hook kick DVD. It's one of 3 DVD's in the series, the other two cover Roundhouse kicks and Front Kicks.

This is the promo video.



What you get.

At this time I only have the Side and Hook Kick DVD (both covered on the one DVD) so all my comments refer to that DVD only.

First up, its not cheap by any means. I paid just under US$100 and believe it is still going for that price. That makes it the most expensive single DVD I've ever bought. It is the most expensive of the series with the other 2 going for about US$70, but they only cover 1 kick each.

First off production quality is pretty good, although for that price I kind of expected more computer animated CGI for the anatomy sections, instead we get Paul in front of an old anatomy poster with a pointer stick.

That out of the way, the DVD does cover a lot of areas:

Kinesiology of the two kicks.
Basic Technique of the two kicks.
Specific warm up.
Endurance Training.
Focus, Precision and Control for both kicks.
Balance and Stability for both kicks.
Antagonist Training.
Strength and Power for the two kicks.
Speed and Timing for both kicks.
Height and Flexibility for both kicks.

That's a pretty thorough list of technical skills, I cant really think of more areas that could be covered.

Each of the sections is a separate chapter which can be accessed by the menu at the start of the DVD so it is easy to navigate to whichever specific exercise type for either of the kicks.

Part 2 of the review will go into what I thought of the DVD.

Think I'm back to normal

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. Sorry I've been quiet the past 2 weeks but its just been boring rehab. The positive news is, it looks like things are pretty much back to where they should be now. I went back to training this week, lots of high kicks and while I took it a "little" easy, i was pleasantly surprised that there was no real pain in my hip during or the day after. I still have some painful trigger points on the side of my hip so I will keep doing a ball massage on them (the foam roller isnt firm enough to really get deep enough to hit them).

So with dynamic movements not appearing to aggravate the injury, time to try some static stretches. I plan to hit some light isometrics this week and see how I react. I'm going to do side stretches one day and front the next so I can more easily gauge if one type aggravates more than the other.

On another note, for anyone that is a UFC fan. I came across this video the other day. Basically its UFC stick fighting. The group is known as the Dog Brothers from California I believe. While they are absolutely insane, full contact stick fighting with virtually no protective gear! Its awesome to see guys out there pressure testing their skills.

Its a real shame the UFC decided it was too brutal to become an official offshoot as I think its much more dynamic and exciting to watch than a lot of the UFC matches today that merely end up as wrestling matches.

Slow Kicks

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. The rehab is going well...although slower than I had hoped. The hip isn't really giving me too many issues now, its mainly the hamstring holding me back. So after yet another torturous session with my sadistic osteopath things are looking better.....slowly.

I'm still to avoid isometrics for the time being (I really feel like the blog should be called training with injuries) but am slowly re-introducing kicks and more focused work on my hamstrings, still only light stretching though.

The exercise I am finding the biggest benefit from are slow kicks.  This is a big thing for me because I hate slow kicks.....I've hated them for over 20 years. While there is nothing better than a fast strong head height kick, there is nothing more demoralizing than slow kicks.

My hatred of slow kicks dates back over 20 years to my early Tae Kwon Do days. My instructor at the time loved them...and why wouldn't he?...he was awesome at them. He would routinely stand and teach the class about the finer points of a side kick while holding one leg out at head height. He had such an enviable combination of flexibility and strength....just picture Bill Wallace in his younger days, but Anthony (my instructor) could do it with either leg!!

While it was a great inspiration to train under someone so good, the focus of any leg exercise became (for me) to just get my leg as high as possible...and doing so I pretty much cheated myself out of any real benefit of the exercise and just grew to hate it..so started avoiding it, and have done for way too long.

Fast forward to today and while I am still terrible at them, I am finding them very beneficial. I had previously done them using some sort of support (a chair, a wall or partner) for balance but find doing this really takes away the biggest benefit of the exercise...developing strength in the supporting leg.

Now I do them freestanding and find them much more beneficial.

What the hell, I just made a quick video of what I mean. See below.




While I wouldn't go so far as to say I love them, I can definitely see the benefit in doing them. They are great to use as part of a warm up for a kicking session as well.

90% of fights go to the ground

Hi Guys,
Thanks for reading.

I'm still just doing some light therapeutic workouts for my hips, so no splits progressions for the time being. I am looking at a new training location for when I get back into things though.

One of the better options is an MMA gym in Sydney that also offers some Japanese Jujitsu taught by a former world ranked #1 full contact shooto champion. Sounds very promising.

If I do decide to start training there, they also offer Thai and BJJ which I will try and do 1 each per week...thats the current plan anyway.

This got me to thinking about the mantra of every BBJer that I know...90% of fights end up on the ground. Don't get me wrong I think BBJ is a fantastic ground art and they have solid training protocols, however in my opinion as an option for self defense, I think any art that focuses primarily on going to the ground has some fundamental issues. THE last place you want to be in any self defense situation is rolling around on the ground with either multiple or armed attackers.

The few guys I know that do BBJ don't think about this, they spend 90% of their time training on the ground and still think they are learning self defense. If they are just doing it for sport/fitness/fun thats fine, but a lot of BJJers believe that what they are doing is the best option for self defense available.

Anyway, back to the topic.

With some time on my hands I thought I would do a little research. It seems that the figure, now famously (or infamously) declared by the Gracies at the start of the BJJ phenomenon comes from a 1997 LAPD study of arrest data. (see link at bottom).
The first thing to note is that this study is looking at arrest data, not fights. In-fact the report clearly shows that only 25% of incidents included the offender actually attacking the officer. The other 4 of 5 responses in  95% of cases was:

33% pulled away from the officers arm grab
19% refused to assume a search position
10% ran
6% took an offensive "stance" or posture but didn't attack the officer.

Of this only 62% of incidents ended with the officer and the offender on the ground. Again, it important to note, this is not a fight, its an arrest. Even if you did think you could draw a correlation between fight and arrest data (which I don't think you should), the altercation only ended on the ground in 62% of cases, thats a long way from 95%.

This is a huge issue and the debate will rage for years to come. No doubt that BJJ has changed the way people look at fighting and probably for the better. I still think that a decent stand up fighting art should be the base of any realistic self defense system, even if only because it allows you to run away if necessary. I also think cross training in a ground fighting system is a great thing to do...and fun! Grappling is an incredibly complex art and if you haven't done any, I recommend you find a good local instructor and get a few lessons even if you only learn the very basics.

I am also aware of the irony of someone that is focusing on training for splits and kicking to the head talking about how unrealistic BJJ is for self defense. This is a purely personal goal for athletic and artistic reasons, not for practical self defense skills.

LAPD study

Isometrics plan

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

As I mentioned previously, once I'm given the all clear to start back on isometrics (hopefully soon), I plan on using the strength progression plan outlined by Dan Van Zandt from the Martial Arts Planet website, the plan is also outlined on his Blog. You can fnd a link to his blog in my useful links section.

Basically this is a cut and paste from his Blog. I have also mocked up a spreadsheet that I will use to track my workouts, find a download link at the bottom of this post and feel free to use it yourself.

From: Here


Saturday, 25 September 2010
Isometric split progression

This method is based on the principle that total time under tension is key to building strength in extended positions, and therefore increasing flexibility. (Remember, a stronger muscle tenses less as it tries to support itself in an extended ROM.) An individual starting at the beginning of this schedule could reach full splits in as little as 6 months. Some people may achieve such results even quicker. Your overall progress will depend on your starting strength.

Note that this method is tough and not for the faint of heart. It requires you to hold strong, steady tensions for up to three minutes. Anyone who has tried standard isometrics in the past may very well be crapping their pants right now. Some people may very well be reaching for a bottle of aspirin and prayer book when they find out the later stages involve holding such tennsions while lifting as much as 30 kilos. Like I said - not for the faint of heart. But it does work. This method is the most successful with my clients.

The process of increasing ROM during each rep is simple: get into your front or side split and extend your leg(s) until you feel like you can't increase it any further; hold this position until you feel the tension start to dissipate. Don't stick around for too long - 30 seconds is enough for most folks. Extend further into the split. Hold, and extend further still. Ideally you should keep repeating this cycle until you reach your absolute maximum, but by that point most people will have no interest in tensing for up to three minutes. Yes, the worst is still yet to come! I usually do around three extensions before tensing. Tense the target muscle(s), building the tension up over 5 seconds, reaching its maximum by the fifth second. Hold steady, unwavering tension. You should be contracting at 100% maximum effort at all times.

When it comes to holding weight you can insert barbell plates into a tough rucksack or wear a weight vest. I prefer the latter.

The sets below are listing in ascending order. The numbers in brackets indicate how many workouts you should perform that training load. For example, 5 sets x 1:30 + 12.5 kg (6) means you should do five sets using tensions lasting one minute and thirty seconds, carrying 12.5 kilos, for six consecutive workouts. Six workouts usually take around two weeks to complete, going off the assumption you leave a full day of rest between workouts and you aren't overly sore afterwards. Note that, occasionally, you will be extremely sore following the use of this method. If you are very sore for several days after every workout, you need to reduce the intensity a bit. If you are very sore after just the first level, you should leave isometrics for the time being and focus on building overall lower body strength using exercises such as squats, deadlifts and lunges. In terms of order of exercises in your workout, do your isometrics at the very end, after your normal weight lifting routine.

Anyway, enough of that. Here are the details:

1) 1 set x 0:30 (1)
2) 2 sets x 0:30 (1)
3) 3 sets x 0:30 (1)
4) 4 sets x 0:30 (1)
5) 5 sets x 0:30 (1)
6) 5 sets x 0:45 (6)
7) 5 sets x 1:00 (6)
8) 5 sets x 1:15 (6)
9) 5 sets x 1:30 (6)
10) 5 sets x 1:45 (6)
11) 5 sets x 2:00 (6)
12) 5 sets x 2:15 (6)
13) 5 sets x 2:30 (6)
14) 5 sets x 3:00 (6)
15) 5 sets x 3:00 + 1.25 kg (6)
16) 5 sets x 3:00 + 2.50 kg (6)
17) 5 sets x 3:00 + 5.00 kg (6)
18) 5 sets x 3:00 + 7.50 kg (6)
19) 5 sets x 3:00 + 10.0 kg (6)
20) 5 sets x 3:00 + 12.5 kg (6)
21) 5 sets x 3:00 + 15.0 kg (6)
22) 5 sets x 3:00 + 17.5 kg (6)
23) 5 sets x 3:00 + 20.0 kg (6)
24) 5 sets x 3:00 + 22.5 kg (6)
25) 5 sets x 3:00 + 25.0 kg (6)
26) 5 sets x 3:00 + 27.5 kg (6)
27) 5 sets x 3:00 + 30.0 kg (6)

This schedule is capped at 5 sets carrying 30 kilos because I have never met a client who could not do full splits beyond level 27. Most achieve their maximal flexibility many levels before that. You can go up to level 27 if you wish... and if you can handle it. I said this method is tough; it hurts like a bitch, but it works like the devil. My advice is to cap your progress at one level above that with which you hit full splits, two at most. For example, if you reach full splits by level 18, you shouldn't need to progress further than 19 or 20.

Dan then also provides a Q & A post: Q & A Here

Finally, Here is the link to the download of the spreadsheet for the program that i created, any inconsistencies are mine and not Dans.

Hopefully I can get stuck into it soon.

Advanced Jujitsu seminar

Hi guys,

Thanks for reading.
Yesterday I attended an advanced jujitsu seminar at my school. It was a great day of training split into 3 sessions. The first was some advanced jujitsu escapes and a few reversal techniques. The second was on the basics of MMA, although it was essentially on groundwork and grappling. Some nice techniques for the side mount and arm bars from the ground mount position. Then they ran a 45 minute MMA conditioning session which was fantastic. It was basically a martial arts related circuit, we did each station for 1 minute. We ran it at 5 x 1 minute stations, with 1 minute rest then 5 more stations then 1 minute rest etc . It was exhausting but a lot of fun.

One of my favorite stations that I will definitely introduce my friends too was a ground and pound exercise. Basically one person lays on their back on the ground and holds a large kicking shield on their chest and abdomin. The other person gets in the mount position on top. When the time starts, the person on top starts hitting the bag as hard as they can continuously with  punches, elbows etc. The person on the bottom moves around and tries to buck the person on top off by bridging. Both people end up getting a great workout.

Splits training.
Still holding off isometrics as per my osteopaths recommendation. The hip is definitely feeling better. Despite a lot of plyometric training and a round of chest height kicking on the bag at the seminar, there has been no real pain which is great. I'm feelng pretty confident that I should be back doing them within about 2 weeks hopefully.

Using the foam roller every 1-2 days has been very helpful and I am finding less trigger points almost every session.

Below is a good video showing a few foam roller exercises.

Seminar with Grandmaster Ji Han Jae

On the weekend I attended one of the last ever seminars by one of, if not the, creator of Hapkido (unfortunately, like in a lot of martial arts , there is disagreements over who actually created what is now called Hapkido). Either way nobody argues that he is probably the most influential GM of Hapkido still alive today. Sadly he is pretty much retiring as of now, that was to be his last seminar.

I had the very deep honor of being his crash test dummy for most of the day, so spent most of Saturday being thrown, standing up, being thrown..you get the idea.

Most of the day was videoed, so hopefully I will be able to get a copy and will post some of the highlights here in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I could only attend 1 of the 2 days, towards the end of the first day I coped a pretty severe crank and knee to the neck so couldn't really train the day after.

The good thing to come out of the day was my hip didn't flare up at all (although I think I did re-break my toe lol). So it looks like I can pretty much do anything training wise as long as it isn't kick related. This is good news as I have an advanced Jujitsu seminar on this Saturday.

Splits progress.

Isometrics are on hold for a few weeks on orders from my Osteopath which is frustrating. On the other hand I have a new plan for progression for isometrics thanks to Dan Van Zandt. You can find a link to his blog in the links page to the right.

He outlines a logical progression of isometric strength training which I plan to follow once my Osteo gives me the thumbs up. I've already mocked up a spreadsheet that I can use to record each training session for the program.

Hopefully it will only be another week or two before i can start.

Osteopath and a funny Video

Hi Guys,

My Hip flared up a bit last week so I took a friends recommendation to go and see an osteopath that does Hapkido with her. He is pretty sure he has identified the issue which is a slight rise and rotation on the right side of my hip. This could very well account for both the hip pain and hamstring trouble I have been experiencing. The prognosis is pretty good and it should be back to normal after a few weeks of deep tissue massage. So for the next few weeks it will be only light isometrics.

This weekend I am attending a seminar with Grandmaster Ji Han Jae who is one of the last remaining original Grandmasters of Hapkido. Should be fun.

I thought I'd leave you with this funny video I found on Youtube called B.O.B's Revenge. I think of this everytime I hit him now.

OK, I lied

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I know I wrote yesterday that I was going to have a rest week this week ......looks like I lied. My toe didn't bother me too much and my niggling pull at the back of my knee vanished overnight so I decided to hit the Gym today.

I felt I had an OK stretch, although not as good as Saturdays. The Gym where I stretch on Saturdays has a better floor for it (slightly slippery, but not too much).

Anyway, I took some photos today. Looking at them, I'm pretty sure there has been a definite (but small) improvement. Its hard to compare them to the last set I took due to the different angle of the camera. Anyway considering I only started back with light isometrics a month ago, its not too bad.

Still a long way to go but as long as it is improving I'm happy.

Ahh the joys of training

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

I was really looking forward to posting some new splits photos this week but unfortunately some minor niggling injuries are telling me to take it easy this week.

Despite breaking my toe at jujitsu, I did have a great stretch on Saturday and wish I could have taken some photos then, I'm sure I've made some progress since the last set of photos.

Instead, you get a photo of my broken toe. Enjoy......

The good thing about broken toes is there isn't much you can do for them. Just tape it to another toe and away you go....and hope you don't kick it on anything!!

That along with a small pull at the back of my knee I got while chasing my cats up the corridor (gotta love getting older!!)  have convinced me its probably for the best to have an active rest week (I'm over due for one actually).

Instead of strength training I will do some massage and maybe some light relaxed stretches. Despite these minor inconveniences I'm actually feeling really positive about my stretching. It feels like I'm making some progress particularly on my open front split, will need to sort out some photos asap to get an objective view on it.

I've also decided I need to add some harder resistance training for my Hip Flexor into my leg strengthening routine. There aren't a lot of options but I have a few exercises I plan to try out, I will keep you updated on how they go.

DVD review - Stacey Nemour's Secrets of Splits Flexibility

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

I recently got hold of a copy of Stacey Nemours Secrets of Splits Flexibility and after watching thought I would do a quick review and post my thoughts.

Here is the youtube promo for the DVD.


Firstly you have to say, she seems really nice and enthusiastic and you can't say she isnt VERY flexible.

Unfortunately, thats where the positives of this DVD stop.

She makes some pretty big claims of the video:

"In this DVD, I present my training techniques and proven solutions designed to alleviate back pain, knee problems, and other debilitating ailments. I demonstrate unique stretches and exercises that will enable you to attain a level of flexibility that usually requires years of training; and I will demonstrate to you the correct order in which to do them. This will enable your body to open up faster, thereby allowing you to get into splits more rapidly, safely, and with confidence. You will also discover that this workout provides anti-aging benefits. My techniques will help you overcome stiff joints and that "hunched-over" posture, which limits the activities you are able to participate in."

Considering there are no back or knee strengthening techniques, just a collection of static passive stretches and 2 sets of weighted leg raises, I find these claims to be very misleading.

The blurb should read: "In this DVD you get to watch me in some advanced stretches with me just saying, sink into it...thats about it"

Its pretty obvious that Stacey has always been naturally very flexible, and that she probably never really had to work on her flexibility. The level of "instruction" of the DVD is almost non existant apart from "sink into it" or "point your toes". Basically the youtube video shows the few stretches that actually have her give anything more than that.

If you are looking for anything more than a very flexible in shape 40 something year old woman stetching and doing the splits for 35 minutes, look elsewhere and save your money, for actual educational or training value, this DVD is pretty much worthless.

Sorry Stacey

Spinning Kicks Video

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

I've just finished putting together a quick video of my Spinning Hook kick (and variations) and some Turning into 360 turning kicks. I'm still slowly getting back into kicking, still taking it pretty easy now no heavy bag work just yet, all of these are more technical and just on hand targets.

Main things I notice are that I'm not getting much height in my jumping kicks (especially in my jump spinning hook kick, I used to have no issue getting that to head height) and that my knee drops after hitting the target.

My splits training is coming along, did both the sessions in that I planned this week (2 strengthening and isometric workouts).

Anyway, here is the video.

Change to leg training routine

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I've changed my leg strengthening routine for a few reasons.

1. Variety is good, you need to pose different stimulus to your muscles to keep challenging them and thus keep getting stronger. I usually find altering my program every 4-6 weeks is a good mix of enough time to allow progression of resistance on an exercise, and you don't get bored doing the same exercises again and again for years on end.

2.Plus I evaluated what muscles I needed to strengthen, in what ranges of motion and decided Squats and Deadlifts while awesome exercises, probably weren't the optimal choices for me at this stage. I've changed Squats to Weighted Lunges and Dead-lifts to Stiff Legged dead-lifts. So still trying to keep basic compound resistance exercises and one Quad dominant(lunge)  and one Hip dominant (Stiff leg deadlift) movement.

The rationale for shifting squats to lunges was I wanted to do an exercise that also helped strengthen my hip flexors, while also strengthening my quads. I also find my stabilizers get a much better workout with lunges than squats. As I am more interested in functional strength and not just building bigger quads, I think I will get better results at this time with lunges....at least until my hip flexor is strengthened and back to 100%.

I switched Deadlifts to the Stiff Legged version because in a  mechanical sense it is placing demands that are closer to kicking than regular deadlifts. In kicking, your supporting leg is usually straight (or very close to it) and your hamstring is activated as a stabilizer in that position.

The rest of the workout will remain the same:

1. Incline weighted leg raises (I plan to progress to hanging soon)
2. An isolated hip flexor raise of the end of a bench that I got from the following youtube video. (I thought I had posted this before.....)



3. Calf Raises
4. Hamstring Pulldowns
5. Adductor Pulldowns
6. I've also added weighted slow turning kicks like from this video


Slow Kicks Help video from TKD_Andy on Vimeo.

Not sure who TKD_Andy is, I think he used to post on the old trickstutorial before the forum was discontinued, but thanks for the video. So I'm doing similar just with adjustable ankle weights on the kicking leg.

Then isometric stretches after that.

Fun Fun

Kicking BOB

Hi guys,

Thanks for reading. Here is the video of me doing some basic kicks on BOB. Focusing more on speed accuracy and technique rather than power. My kicking height is ok, I do seem to drop my knee after hitting especially on my turning kicks, will need to work on that.

While it was my right hip that was playing up actually kicking with the right leg feels better than when it is the supporting leg.

Finally photos

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I took some photos today during my workout of my splits progression (...or lack of it ) . They show I'm pretty much back to where I started before my injury.

Left Side open front.

Right side open front.

Side.

While I'm not happy about it, at least its documented and I can compare it in a few months when hopefully I'll have made some good progress.

I also did a quick video today of some light kicking on B.O.B just to see analyze how my kicks are after laying off them for a bit. I'll finish editing and post it in a few days.

Damn! Couldnt take photos

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I've been doing my strengthening work and my isometric stretches on schedule and it is going well. I really wanted to take some photos of my stretches after today's workout but the Gym was pretty busy. People there must already think I'm nuts doing the strange cable pull-downs that I do, hogging the lat pull-down machine and a couple of benches so I can do them. I don't need them thinking I'm some kind of Narcissist on top of that. Balanced precariously in my maximal stretch trying to take photos of myself in the mirror with my iPhone, I really don't want to know what they are thinking.

I do find it funny though, whenever I'm doing any martial arts related training in a non-martial arts gym. I usually do a few kicks in the mirror maybe some light shadow boxing as part of a warm up and to check technique etc. Almost EVERY-TIME without fail, some guy will then have to go into the room with the boxing equipment and smash the crap out of the bag with terrible form for 30 seconds...and then go back to his weights session, and not doing anything boxing or martial arts related for the rest of his workout. Do they have to prove they have done "some training"? It just makes me laugh inside that they have to prove something...

Anyway I'm determined to get photos done this week, I'll put them up as soon as I can.

Starting isometrics again....finally

Hi guys,

Thanks for reading.

I'm pretty happy to be back to working on my splits again, did my first isometric/PNF stretches for a long time last night. As they were my first in months I went pretty easy and only did 2 sets for each.

I didn't really push them too hard, I didn't know if my hip was ready for them or not but it seemed to hold up ok, I will keep them relatively light for another week or 2 just to be sure but it's nice to be actively working towards my goal again.

I haven't seemed to have lost much in my front splits, I could have gone lower but again I didn't want to go too hard on my first time back.

Side split was not great but considering it was my hip rotators that were injured it's not surprising.

I'll try and get some new photos up soon.

I got to do some kicking on Saturday at my jujitsu class. Did various combos including a turning(or roundhouse) into a 360 turning and I didn't have any problems which was great. Again nice to see I haven't lost too much in my recovery period.

Krav Maga Knife defense seminar

Hi guys, thanks for reading.

On the weekend I attended the Amnon Darsa Knife Defense Seminar hosted by KM sydney.

It was a really well attended seminar, I would guess around 100 people turned up, maybe more.
It was really interesting to see the stark contrast between the theories of knife defense between the jujitsu and hapkido styles I have training in and Krav Maga.

Obviously Hapkido and Jujitsu being more locking/ throwing based systems usually like you to grab the opponents hand that is holding the knife and execute a technique while the Krav Maga approach is completely different. In most instances you slap the knife hand away from yourself, perform a groin kick ( or punch) and run.

The other main differences are that in Hapkido and jujitsu the opponent is usually actively attacking you with a stab or strike, while the Krav Maga system was based more on the situation where the knife is pulled on you and the attacker demands money etc and you react to that.

There were a few instances where as part of the exercise you trapped the opponents hand and it was easy and very effective to apply some basic Hapkido/jujitsu locks and either strip the weapon or break the elbow and it was great to get a flow between the styles.

I came away again realizing just how under utilized a groin kick is in most martial arts, its fast, easy and effective, yet how many styles of martial art have the groin kick as a core of their syllabus? Not many that I have trained in...


I will try and get some filming done in the next few weeks and highlight the differences in knife defense styles.

The leg Conditioning is going well and my hip is feeling good, looking forward to restarting some isometrics next week and working on my splits again. Will have to take some photos and effectively have a new starting point.

Conditioning continues

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

The conditioning is going well, I've been able to add the butterfly stretch and straddle stretch into my post conditioning routine stretch without aggravating my hip which is a first in many months! so it appears that the new strengthening routine is working. I'm dying to add in some isometrics and start working on my splits again but have somehow managed to listen to the voice of reason and convinced myself to leave it 1 more week just to be safe.

Knife Defense Seminar with Amnon Darsa.
I'm attending a knife defense seminar this weekend run by Amnon Darsa. I had no idea who he is but a quick search on google brings up very good opinions of him and his knowledge. I enjoyed the Course I did with the Krav Maga guys a few months ago and am looking forward to seeing what one of their best instructors does on knife defense. Will let you know how it goes.

Current strength program

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

Here is the resistance training program I am currently doing for my lower body.

Warm up 10 minutes (random cardio machine or boxing circuit)

Body weight Lunges 1 x 20 (Leg specific warmup)
Dumbbell Squats 3 x 10-12
Barbell Deadlifts 3 x 8-12
Single Leg Dumbbell Calf Raise 3 x 10-12
Hamstring Pulldown 2-3 x 10-20 (first set light x 20 reps)
Adductor Pulldown 2-3 x 10-20 (as above)
Leg Raises 3 x 10-20

Why Dumbell Squats?, Firstly its either dumbell or smith machine squats. Secondly regardless I find when I do barbell squats the focus (for me anyway) becomes always going heavier (and I have to admit, sometimes at the expense of the deeper ROM). So I find that I focus on better technique and the full ROM with dumbell squats. 20kg in each hand is fine for the time being anyway.

Deadlift - Standard Olympic type lift

Standing Single Leg Dumbell Calf Raise - One leg at a time and a good trick I learned a long time ago was to add a small random pendulum like swing to the dumbell which adds more challenge to the calf as it not only raises you up and down but also has to stabilize your body.

Hamstring and Adductor Pulldowns.

Thanks to Patrick Smith from the MAP Forum that has allowed me to use this great picture which explains what they look like.

I perform these 2 days a week on a standard lat pulldown machine, 1 time per week I get to do them on a adjustable height cable pulldown machine.

Basically it is Extended Length Conditioning just using weights for the resistance rather than elastic resistance bands. I am finding this works much better for me than using resistance bands.

Will keep you updated on the progress.

Reboot

After a few weeks off due to illness and being away with work I had time to re-evaluate my current training. My Hip wasn't really improving, it wasn't getting worse but still felt weak. So I went back to basics in my evaluation.

People usually pull muscles because the muscle is weak, not because it isn't stretched. This is especially true of muscles that people repeatedly pull. In my case the Hip Flexor and my Leg Rotators kept getting minor pulls. All the "resting" and stretching in the world wasn't going to improve them. The Elastic Steel HFS conditioning routine, while thorough uses body weight exercises primarily and wasn't presenting my muscles with enough resistance.

I had also read some information recently by Dan Van Zandt on the Martial Arts Planet Forum and have decided to go back to incorporating exercises he and Tom Kurz recommend, the Hamstring Pulldown and Adductor Pulldown.

After incorporating these along with weighted full range of motion Squats and Deadlifts I can definitely feel an improvement.

I plan to give this conditioning phase another 1-2 weeks before trying some isometrics, so am just doing some light relaxed stretches after the workout at the moment.

Will keep you updated.

Inside Hock Throw

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. Been sick (again!) and then away with work so haven't been able to update the blog for almost 2 weeks.

Because of that, there hasn't been much progress with the flexibility training, so I've got another simple Jujitsu technique for today, the Inside Hock Throw. Nice and easy to execute which is always a good thing.

Jujtistu techniques - lapel throw

Hi guys,

Thanks for reading. Today I'm demonstrating one of my favorite conditional throws. Conditional because for it to work, your opponent needs to be wearing a jacket made of fairly strong material. So it's great for winter or if you find yourself being mugged by businessmen on a regular basis.

It's a favorite because the finish on the throw is on so quickly and efficiently, and it's a very effective choke/sleeper/garrote.

I don't usually like to rely on clothing when grabbing especially for throws. I never perform hip throws by grabbing the belt and I always perform shoulder throws by hooking the opponents arm between my bicep and forearm rather than grab their Dobok or Gi. I think it's just more realistic to train this way.

As for all martial arts techniques, you should only practice under the supervision of a trained professional and please make sure your partner knows how to fall properly.

Hamstring Flexibility System goals

Hi,

Thanks for reading. My HFS training is coming along well, 3 conditioning sessions last week and I did the post conditioning stretches after that along with some other light stretches on 3 other days.

The conditioning phase is supposed to be 4 weeks, so I will continue to do it for this week and assess again at the end of this week as I was pretty well conditioned already.

The goals of the system are very specific.

Phase 1 is to able to do at least 15 reps of each of the conditioning exercises...the balance assisted 1 legged squats are pretty challenging if you do them with a full range of motion.

At the end of phase 2 you should be able to sit on the ground and reach forward and COMFORTABLY grab the sole of your foot with your hand. 1 side at a time.

The goal of phase 3 is to be able to do the above with both feet forward at the same time.


Phase 4 is just continuing on from that.



I can currently reach forward and grab my toes but not sole of my foot.

I like the fact there is a clearly measurable goal to assess your progress.

Head control techniques

Hi,

Thanks for reading. Here is a quick video of some Head Control techniques. I find these really interesting as you can see the similarities between Hapkido and Jujitsu techniques, as Hapkido developed from Jujitsu you would expect a lot of core concepts would be the same. Its just interesting to see slightly different interpretations of essentially the same concept.

Many thanks to my training partner in this video Caleb for letting me smash him.

Mortal Kombat Rebirth

For the perhaps 3 people on the net that haven't seen this yet. A very cool short film that is hopefully a prelude to a full feature length reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise.



Just about to do my stretching for the evening, bit late today but better late than never.

Basic punching combos on BOB

I've recently cleared out the spare room and its the perfect size now to put my Body Opponent Bag (BOB) in and do some light boxing work. So I just knocked up a quick video to analyze my basic punching technique. Looks like I drop my elbow a bit on my left hook.

As for BOB, I find him to be awesome for practicing strikes. It really makes a difference to learn how to hit an actual face rather than just hitting a punching bag, plus you can practice chokes, eye gouges, pressure point strikes etc.

Its great for indoors or outdoors, although if you are planning on using one outside I would put him on a matt or something, the base can get deep scratches gouged in it pretty quickly if he is on concrete or similar.

In the video I don't quite have enough water in the base so he is moving around a bit too much, I like him to move a bit but not as much as he did tonight.

It was a great warm up for my HFS light stretches today.

Feel free to comment on my boxing, constructive comments are always welcome.






If you are interested in a BOB of your own, check him out here:
Century Bob Body Opponent Bag

HFS Outline Phase 1. Conditioning

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I've watched most of the DVD program now, here is a quick rundown of the system. As I mentioned in my video review yesterday the HFS is a 6 day a week program. It involves alternating 3 days of a maintenance routine with 3 days of a progress routine and 1 day of rest. It is split into 4 phases, the 2 main ones having a set and easily measurable goal which is good.

Before we start with the actual program, Paul covers in great detail a lot of the anatomy and physiology of the hips/hamstrings and legs. He really does have good knowledge in this area and demonstrates various flexions and extensions of the hip on both a Hip model and then himself and covers the muscles on a diagram. While the explanations and demonstrations are good, CGI would have been better but I guess the cost of producing this would have been prohibitive for the type of product it is.

Phase 1. Conditioning - no set goal apart from being able to perform the number of reps and sets of each exercise with control. Most of the Flexibility experts these days stress the importance of leg strength as a key factor in developing flexibility safely so this is expected. There is a mix of standard compound strength exercises like body weight squats and dead-lifts, calf raises plus some abductor and adductor raises and also the Hamstring work on the ES GOLD (Guided Oppositional Lengthening Device). There is no resistance inherent in the device, its just 2 sets of pulleys so all the resistance is provided by your opposite leg...it can be a bit tricky to get used to.

There are 2 routines offered, a beginner which you do for a week or two then an advanced. Typically the conditioning phase is done for 4 weeks. I'm generally well conditioned so started straight away with the advanced, while it wasn't easy it wasn't particularly challenging either but it is explained that this routine is used as a warm-up for the other phases so I'm guessing its not supposed to be a gut wrencher. I would assume that anyone that does regular lower body resistance training would find the advanced routine not too challenging. I'm still deciding how long to do the conditioning phase for seeing that its not too challenging for me.

A light stretching routine follows this.

Massage is again a big part of the program.

Next post I will cover off more of the actual program and hopefully this weekend I will get to do some filming of some of my favourite but easy Jujitsu and Hapkido techniques.

I plan on first posting some techniques that practitioners of any style can learn stuff that you don't necessarily have to have a padded floor to practice safely or know how to fall from.

Thanks

Unpacking / First impressions of the HFS

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

My Hamstring Flexibility System (HFS) arrived today. Find my initial review/unpacking below.



I'll start the program tonight and post another review asap as to how that goes and my initial thoughts on the program outline along with any other details that come up.

Waiting..waiting..waiting

Hi guys,

   Sorry there hasn't been any update for a bit, just waiting on the Hamstrings system to arrive. Apparently it was in the New Jersey dispatch centre on the 28th May. Should only take a few more days to get to Sydney.


I'm keeping up the conditioning routine and haven't had any actual pain in my hip lately but it does feel weird every now and again, very hard to describe the sensation. While my flexibility training is on hold (just doing very light stretching) for the time being, my jujitsu training is going well. I had the pleasure of training with a guy that was around 6'6" and weighed in at 120 kilos (all muscle). So he was about 7 inches taller and 40 kilos heavier than me!! Its a very different sensation trying to throw and unbalance someone so much bigger and stronger than you...was a really interesting and challenging session...I loved it.

I'm going to try and get my lazy ass friends to help me video a few of my favourite jujitsu techniques which I hope to put up on this site in the near future.

Hamstring Flexibility System

Hi,

  I'm going to change directions slightly due to my recurring hip flexor strain. All the split positions require stretching of the Hip Flexor to some degree and I think I just need to rest it for a few more weeks. Rather than give up on my flexibility training altogether for that time, I've decided to use this time to work on my Hamstring flexibility.

 I plan to use and review the Elastic Steel Hamstring Flexibility System during this time. You can find information about the system Here

As the program goes for 16 weeks, I expect my Hip Flexor to be fully recovered by then, plus having more flexible hamstrings can only help my splits.

Getting frustrated

Even though I am not pushing my stretching at all my right hip flexor feels like it has a minor pull again. Its not as bad as last time and the pain hasn't extended to my back either which is good but it is getting me very frustrated. My plan is/was to concentrate on my general conditioning for 4 weeks with just light stretches before trying any deep stretching. I plan to now just stick with light conditioning and VERY light stretches until this issue passes.

Elastic Steel online course review

Hi,

 Now that the online course has finished I am in a better position to give a comprehensive review and then also compare it to the Elastic Steel stretching DvD and Book.

Online Course Review.

The 12 week course provides a lot of information...a lot. What it provided and what I thought it would provide were a little different however. It is NOT a 12 week program solely designed to develop your splits, what it is, is comprehensive training and education on the different methods of developing flexibility, while you do "follow along"  and copy most of the the individual lessons, its not just a do this each week and you will be able to do the splits at the end type program ( I gather that the Elastic Steel Hamstrings Program is more inline with that style of program). Each lesson does not necessarily follow the previous weeks (although some do).

I definitely learned a LOT about stretching, even over and above both the book and the DVD, of course a lot of it is repeated info but that is to be expected, all of the products have to assume you dont know anything about his method offered in the other versions of flexibility training materials.

Pros.
Lots of info..lots!
Demonstrates everything
Discusses in great detail breathing methods, visualisation, even directions of force instead of just "stretch the muscle" which I hadnt really come across before.
Differentiates between demonstrations of flexibility and other stretches for the same muscles that actaully improve the length of the muscle. (again, I have never heard this explained before)
So many differnt methods of improving flexibility you can determine which work better for you.
Doesnt just use PNF stretches like some of the other stretching methodologies

Cons.
The exact nature of the program wasnt explained in the promo materials, I dont feel ripped off, I learned a lot but if I can join the program thinking its one thing, when it is different, then it can happen to others.
12 weeks long - kind of weird to say is a con but there were definitely some lessons that covered stuff I already knew and due to the nature of the program, you cant just skip ahead.
He didnt always expalin at the beginning how many times a week you should do each lesson, when it was mentined, it was usually 3 times so you just assume that it the same for all.
Compared to his DVD the production value was low. Might be an issue for some people.
Doesnt really go into detail about how to construct a flexibiltiy program at the end.
No warning that after watching the final video once, thats it, you cant access it anymore...hope you were taking notes.

All in all, its a very comprehensive source of information but it isnt perfect. 1 final session might have been good where he explains how to contruct a program, the questions you are left with are, do you try and use multiple methods in one session? Or do you periodize say PNF for a few weeks, then switch to RI, then to another? Finishing this way would have been a lot more satisfying than simply coming to the end of this weeks routine and ...end.

Is it worth it? Thats the big question isnt it?

I would say yes, but not necessarily for everyone.

If you dont have any of the Elastic Steel materials AND you dont mind the info being spread out over 12 weeks, then its a great resource, just make sure you either take notes or use a program to download each lesson as the new reduced cost doesnt include copies on DVD at the end of the program now.

If you already have the book and DVD AND you are making good progress, there probably isnt a need for it, you will definitely learn something but if what you are doing is already working, save your money.

Taken as a stand alone, it pretty much includes everything in the book and the DVD and more, is that more needed by everyone? Probably not, plus I found the format frustrating at times.

Final thoughts on options.

Most people will be served well by either the Book and DVD or the online course, very few would need all 3. I love to know the absolute ins and outs of everything so am happy I have access to all 3.

Next week, going forward

Online Course lesson 12

Here it is, the final lesson.

This weeks topic is Upper Body assisted Sliding Techniques. Hard to explain but its like a controlled dynamic movement that moves you within a stretched position in and then out of your near maximal range. You control the speed and depth of stretch using either a pullup or as below a dip style assist.

The pictures below will probably give you an idea of what it is better than I seem to be able to explain it.

Starting position

 

                                                                    Finishing position

He demonstrates a number of different stretches. Its explained that this is an advanced technique and to start slowly and gently to see if you are ready for it.

For those that have been following my Blog, you will know that I am currently suffering from a hip injury and cannot really do any deep stretching at the moment, so I haven't been able to try these techniques to give you my opinion.

So that was the final lesson in the Elastic Steel Splits and Flexibility Training online 12 week course, next week I will look back over the course and give a review on the course as a whole, hopefully an update on my Hip injury and my plans going forward in my flexibility training.

X-rays

So I had my X-rays done yesterday of my hips and lower back. I just want to sort out what is going on. Will get the results on Friday afternoon. If they don't show anything, I'll probably opt for an MRI. My physio is now talking about an impinged nerve as a possibility.

Bad Hip

/sigh

My Hip pain has flared up again after a relatively light stretching session (not even isometrics/pnf stretching)

So sadly it looks like I really need to give my hips a solid rest, I'm thinking of trying to get some scans done to just find out what the hell is going on. I have a physio appointment booked for tomorrow so will see what he says.

The pain seemed to be improving then after a long but fairly relaxed session the pain returned with a vengeance, the trigger points in my hip flexor which had almost totally gone have also returned. 

As the hip is aggravated by lateral stretching or by hip flexor stretching, I think I'll try and keep up with my hamstring stretches (lightly of course) and see how that goes, I'm really reluctant to stop stretching completely.

Will report back after my physio appointment.

Online Course review lesson 11 - Isometric Palpation

Hi,

A really interesting lesson this week with a new technique demonstrated - Isometric Palpation. Essentially you move into a stretch position, perform an isometric contraction and at the same time palpate the muscle being stretched at the origin and insertion. I haven't seen this type of stretching discussed anywhere else before, its not mentioned in the Elastic Steel DVD or book and a quick google search didn't really get any hits either.

Cant wait to give it a go but unfortunately my hip flexor was bad today so only light stretches and a quick ball massage to try and release the trigger point for me.

Will update the blog mid week this week with details on how the new technique goes. Have my physio appointment on Wednesday this week.

My jujitsu instructor was talking to me about starting to gear up for my 2nd degree grading so that's good news, just need to get this injury sorted.

Injuries and review of lessons 9 and 10

Damn injuries! Havent been able to really train for almost 3 weeks now due to what appears to be tendinitis of the Hip Flexor. Its much better now but for 3 weeks any external rotation or abduction would cause pain and my range of motion was severely limited. Thankfully its definitely getting better so should be able to get back into stretching properly in a few days. The Ball massage definitely has been helping. I have learned a good lesson though, I need to continue to do my general conditioning and not just the course specific routines presented each week, warm up properly and not over do it..give myself time to rest and listen to my body.

Quick Review of lesson 9 and 10.
Lesson 9 was a continuation of accelerated stretching focusing on the hamstrings

Lesson 10 I thought was a bit weird with an almost karate like kata/pattern of static exercises, it was strange in that the positions held weren't demonstrated in a deep position so it didn't look like ELC. There was also a sequence of stretches for hip flexors, hamstrings that he has shown before that you perform prior to trying to get into the front split.

At this stage with only 2 weeks to go there has been almost no actual practicing of the splits (think we tried front split once). Considering its an online course on how to do the splits I'm a bit confused. Comparing it to other training methodologies like Kurz and Pavel where you are doing split specific PNF training 3 times a week I'm thinking the course name is misleading. It should just be Flexibility Training Course and not Splits and Flexibility Training Course.

Now I understand that to achieve the splits you need to be flexible, so you need to have an understanding of how to develop flexibility I just don't feel that the course has focused on performing the splits in particular, more just on lower body flexibility.

Anyway, 2 weeks to go then I can hopefully put into practice what I have learned, my Hip Flexor should be 100% by then as well.

Lesson 8 review - accelerated stretching

This weeks lesson as you can see by the title is on Accelerated stretching focusing on the hamstrings. The first few minutes of the lesson are spent warning that this shouldn't be done for long periods, that you need to do 3-5 massages per day and that you need to have experience in stretching before you try this.

I was getting pretty psyched that this was going to be some serious previously unknown "secret" that would really make a difference. Turns out its, PNF stretching. He does show how to do it in a different position than I have done before.

I've only really done it from a front and side split position so it will be interesting to see how it works.

I am however going to give my deep stretches a rest this week and focus more on some strengthening with just light stretches. I've got a real basic leg routine squats, lunges, stiff leg deadlifts plus I found my old adjustable ankle weights so will also add some hip flexor work as seen in the videos below






























Plus some Hip turn in's and outs and maybe some some the Warrior poses also outlined in the book.
Looking forward to next week where hopefully my lower back and right hip will benefit from some strengthening and I will get back into the deep stretches.

Lesson 7

Hi,

Lesson 7 is a continuation of the protocol set in lesson 6. Just building on RI and moving from a front line hamstring stretch into a side line stretch in the same movement by standing between 2 chairs and raising the leg first to the front, performing the exercise then keeping the supporting leg in the same spot, pivoting the torso and performing the side line exercise.

So nothing too exciting since last lesson.

I've been keeping up my morning routine and focusing again on my isometrics.

I reviewed some of Pavel's material and he claims that tight hip flexors can be a major limiting factor in the side split. I've decided to do some extra work on my hip flexors as they are very very tight. I'm getting a great stretch by putting the leg that you are stretching on a chair. Kind of like the stretch below but modifying it for the hip flexors and not the quads. You also need 1 or 2 other chairs or supports for your arms to keep balance.

Lesson 6 RI in Dynamic stretching

This weeks lesson runs through a standing version of the light stretches and then on to using Reciprocal Inhibition for Dynamic stretches. I think I will miss this weeks exercises as I have a pretty painful pull or something on my right hip flexor and I really dont want to do any focused work on it.

I'm doing some self myofascial release 3+ times a day to relieve the pain in my hip which is referring to my lower back...so really, need to give it a rest for  week.

I'm still doing my light stretches and even did some deep stretches yesterday which felt ok, plus I have been doing the Krav Maga course twice a week along with my jujitsu as well. So still keeping active and training, I'd just prefer not to do any focused hip flexor work.

 I have finally succumbed and bought a VersaFlex stretching machine. The main reason I bought it is I find it really hard to get any real stretch in a seated straddle position.  I just cant seem to keep my legs out just sitting on the floor and the online course has had a few routines built around the seated straddle position.

The good ting about it is it has a numerical readout of the angle of your stretch so I can more objectively measure progress.



My max so far is 110 degrees....lol a long way to go for the full 180!! Will be interesting to see if I can get 5 degree improvement every week or two.

Some more good flexibility/stretching links

I've found a few more good sources of information on stretching and developing flexibility and added them to the links section on the right hand side of the page.

The first is Brad Appletons stretching guide - a really comprehensive guide to stretching. Essentially its a reworking of Kurz material so if you have been thinking about buying "stretching scientifically" check out this page.

The second is the flexibility section of the martial arts planet forum. There is a great guide written by the resident expert Van Zandt and he seems really active on the forum and answers a lot of questions...check it out.

Today I did my second workout of lesson 5.
My hip flexors are so weak its not funny, doing the standing slow(ish) leg raises and circles was a bit disheartening, I can hardly do the straight leg circles at waist height. I did however have a great deep stretch after though, I think I've made a little improvement on both my front open splits.

I had a few good discoveries today, firstly for my open front split I get a much much better stretch if I wear my MA training shoes, do the stretch on the tiled section of my hall and place the back foot on a small towel to help facilitate easy movement..so that is how I will do it from now on.

As for the side split, I still have been getting pain on the front of my hip, its HAS to be due to incorrect hip alignment even though I am trying to rotate my pelvis as forward as I can, so today I tried out a few different positions and think I have found one better for me, I need to play around with it a bit more but it felt better today and no real discomfort in my hips afterward.

I've also modified my dynamic stretching again, I'm following the advice on the MAP (Martial Arts Planet) guide and doing 4 sets each leg front, side and will add back.

1st set knee height @25% max speed
2nd set waist @ 50%
3rd chest @ 75%
4th Shoulder/head @ around 80%
and add 5th if I feel I can go higher still

Did this today and it felt great.

Onlne Flexibility Seminar lesson 5

This weeks lesson is a progression of last week. Its main focus is again on dynamic flexibility and strengthening the hip flexors. Instead of doing the exercises lying down, this week we are doing them standing up, lots of raises, circles etc.

There is also a new stretching mini-routine that is for preparation for the side split. The exercise is designed to "open the joint capsule" of the hip. It is supposed to prepare the nervous system and all the tendon, ligaments and muscles for the straddle or side split.

While I haven't yet done the full routine, I have incorporated this mini routine into my stretching and I have to say it feels great, this along with the mermaid mini routine from last week are staying in my light stretch routine.

Its been a busy week so far, I've just started a 4 week Krav Maga course. A female friend of mine and my girlfriends was attacked a few months ago by a guy, she managed to hit him and run off. Apparently he has raped a few girls in the area so I thought it was a good idea for my girlfriend to get some self defense training. She isn't into learning a Martial Art and never listens or takes any training advice from me so joining a group lesson was the best alternative, plus I've been curious about all the  "hype" about Krav Maga and its reality based training so I said I would go with her if it would make her do it.

Now keep in mind, its a beginners "stage 1" course that runs for 4 weeks and I'm guessing prepares you to join in on the intermediate/advanced classes. My initial thoughts are if you are looking to learn self defense in a few weeks/months and don't want to commit to an "art" for a number of years, its probably a really good option. The first class focused on kicks to the groin and palm and knee strikes on shields and focus mitts. All really basic stuff, but stuff you would probably use if you needed to defend yourself.

I doubt anyone with any decent experience in a martial art (stress decent i.e: full power strikes on targets and some "live" training, not just set sparing etc) would get a whole lot out of it, apart from a good workout) but it looks like a good option for anyone that just wants to learn some basic self defense.

Pulled Hamstring

I've done this weeks lesson 3 times this week which is good but I've also got a minor pull in my left hamstring. Did the lesson today plus some deep stretches but had to go a bit easy on the stretching due to the pulled hamstring.

Right side open front was ok thought, think it has improved a tiny bit. Focusing on pointing my front toe forward and not flexing it to help disengage the calf muscle from the stretch and to not flex the rear foot either although thats always how I have done it.

Left was crappy, due to the hamstring so I didn't push it at all.

Side was so-so, really trying to rotate my hips forward incase thats what is slowing me down. I did my isometrics but it just doesn't want to go any deeper...sigh.

Will try and rest my hamstring a bit over the weekend, have to decide if I should do my jujitsu class tomorrow...hmmm

Off to oil massage my legs now, haven't done it in a week or so and I will definitely do a ball massage tomorrow...oh man that still sounds perverted every-time I write it lol.

Week 4 and the mermaid

As mentioned week 4 focused on a dynamic warmup with lots of lying leg raises/circles and then a thorough warmup of the hips focusing on the mermaid stretch finishing in a straddle stretch. I'm due to do my second go at it today.

I have found some really good tips from this weeks lesson/ workout. Firstly with my Dynamic stretching, I am now starting with raising the knee then the leg bent at 90 degrees then straight leg. 1 set of each, each leg. By changing this in my morning routine I have noticed a huge improvement already, not in my maximal range of motion but in how relaxed my hips feel after, definitely going to keep that change in my routine. Previously I would just start with a straight leg at a low level and raise the height each swing, this way feels much better.

My thoughts on the mermaid stretch. I hadn't ever done this stretch before, didn't really know how to do it 100% and just copied what looked like the right thing to do and only did it in a half arsed kind of way, and only because it was mentioned as important somewhere in the DVD. I really have noticed less pain (if any) on the outside of the hips when attempting a straddle stretch if I perform a decent mermaid first, this is getting increased attention in my morning routine now as well.

There have been times recently where i have been getting frustrated that my maximal range hasn't increased noticeably yet but I have to keep realistic and remind myself that I'm only at week 4 and to be honest I've pretty much gone for 20 years without any regular stretching routine, certainly not a planned program. It will come in time if I am consistent.

Elastic Steel online flexibilty course week 4 review

Just finished watching week 4. This week is more about strengthening the hip flexors improving dynamic hip flexibility and working on the straddle stretch (basically a seated version of the side or box splits).

Another 40 minute lesson with a few great bits of information, one question  I have always had but never been able to find the answer was addressed i.e: why you get pain on the outside of their hips
when  trying to do side splits which should be only working the inside thigh. A basic explanation is that as your hip flexors and rotators are shortened in the side split position, they sometimes spasm, so to counter this you should thoroughly warm-up and stretch the hip flexors and rotators first, Paul gives a routine to do this.

Good to see a complete change in workout this week, lots of interesting hip flexor strengthening work and a nice routine designed to improve your straddle stretch which centers around the mermaid stretch.

Really looking forward to tomorrows workout and stretch now.

End of week 3

I know its only 3 weeks in but this week was a pain. I was away for work all week which made things difficult. I managed to do my morning light stretches everyday in my hotel room, I did one leg session in the gym in the area I was in, what a nightmare. It is a really well equipped gym but the air conditioning was so strong it was freezing! Try getting a good stretch in the freezing cold, its not fun. It was a good workout, I upped the resistance on all the exercises and did a decent deep stretch routine even though I was almost shivering. I have NEVER been in a gym that was that cold before, it was crazy.

As it was so cold I decided not to go back for my second session of the week and that I would do it in the hotel room instead and use body weight but do higher reps, which I did.

I've got a few lingering minor pulls, one in my right hamstring right up near my glutes, and somehow I also pulled a muscle I have never pulled before on my left side lower back, it wasnt a sharp pain, just a dull pain if I rotated the wrong way. Due to these issues I've decided to only do 2 leg strengthening sessions this week and give my poor body a chance to recover a bit.

I'm back at my jujitsu class on Saturdays which I'm really enjoying, kind of getting bored with only doing leg strengthening and stretching and did my 3rd deep stretching routine after that class today.

Looking forward to tomorrows new lesson. I'll post my thoughts on it asap.

Elastic Steel online flexibility lesson 3 review

A little late but work has been busy. Lesson 3 became available on Sunday. This lesson focuses on Hamstring stretches and then on both PNF and RI stretches. I'm guessing most people know about PNF but some might not know about RI (Reciprocal Inhibition). Its where you contract the antagonist muscle (i.e: opposing muscle) so that the one you want to stretch relaxes.

I was a little disappointed in this lesson, virtually all the Hamstring stretches require a partner to do them and as I am training alone, these wont be of much use to me in my splits training. He did demonstate one that can be done solo and apparently it is the king of hamstring stretches so at least I got that. It just seems like a waste when you watch a 40 minute lesson and the first 20 minutes are of no immediate use to you.

What was good was his explaination of the differences between demonstrations of flexibility and developing flexibility. Actually I've never heard this explained before so even though I was a little disappointed in general I still did get some new really valuable information, i'll explain it.

Take for example the sit and reach test of hamstring flexibility.

Just because someone demostrates good hamstring flexibility in this position, does not mean it is necessarily a good way to develop hamstring flexibility. Actually it makes perfect sense when you think of it that way, so all that time you sit in a position straining and stretching may be a waste of time. Better to find a more sound and efficient way to stretch the muscle, then after you have developed greater flexibility and range of motion in the joint, you can go back to the origianl position and see the improvement.

This weeks homework is to continue the Extended Length Conditioning from last week with the light stretches and add in the additional Hamstring stretch from this week. Its really interesting to see we are at week 3 and we still arent required to do any deep stretches. I am doing them and that may be why the workouts are taking so ridiculously long...hmmm

iPhone let me down again

Crap...just had a long session, did the Extended Leg Conditioning exercises, added more resistance and 2 sets as per the program, then hit my stretches pretty hard and the photos are crap!

I had a damn personal trainer training someone right behind me (you can see him in the side split photo) so I was rushing trying to get the photos done when they weren't directly behind me.

Open front Splits

vs

Not sure if it was exercise induced delirium but I would have sworn I had made some progress in the gym, but looking at these I cant really see it. The other photo Left side open front  didn't come out at all, have no idea what happened there.

Side Split

vs

Maybe a little improvement but nothing to get excited about. Well... I guess I know it is going to take a while. Its just harder to measure progress than strength training or weight gain/loss, so its harder to see if you are improving.

Added links to some interesting sites

Ive added a few links that I have found useful.

Ryotoken's Blog is another training blog however his focus is on preparing for a full contact competition.  The guy does an amazing amount of training per week and his subject is a little more varied than my blog. He is however using the same principles for his flexibility regime and it will be interesting to see what his gains are like.

Trick Tutorial is focus primarily on "Tricking", which is an extreme acrobatic form of martial arts, the stuff they do is amazing. To be able to trick with any ability requires high levels of flexibility and athletic conditioning. They have a really thorough guide to stretching on the site written by Jujimufu the site creator and underground internet tricking celebrity. Check out some of his videos, the guy is amazing and very very funny and weird.

Time to go and stretch!!! seems like all I do these days lol

Good stretch today

Had a great workout today with the ELC lunge-a-thon, used 10kg for added resistance and it wasn't too hard. Its stinking hot in Sydney at the moment and I must have lost 5 litres through sweat, but I guess its easier to stretch in warm weather than cold... I will up the resistance next time as well if I can walk tomorrow. Plus the next workout session I am supposed to do 2 sets of 10 of every exercise rather than the 1 I am doing now.

Had a great stretch after the ELC, think I made a little progress but the gym was too crowded to get any photos, will try and get some more up soon to show my progress (if any). Both open front and side seems better (a little) but my true front split still sucks and I don't think it has improved at all.

I've arranged to do some training this weekend with my friend Caleb so should get some new video posted  on Sunday.

Lesson 2 update

I did the stretching and strengthening outlined for week 2 for the first time yesterday. It was really interesting with a lot of unilateral exercises, lots of lunge based ELC. Really good workout for your extended range of motion and stabilizers. I  did body weight x 10 reps for each exercise as a starting point and to see how my legs would go.

This morning I have minimal DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) so I will had some resistance to tomorrows workout, I'm thinking about 10kg, its not much but with 20 sets of 10 reps that is 200 primarily lunge based exercises!

Today's morning routine felt great as well, I've decided to do 5 minutes on the bike first to make sure my legs are warmed up, then my 10 min boxing circuit, light static stretches then the mobility swings. I've adjusted my light stretches with regards to the info provided in the online course and it feels much better. I've also adjusted my leg raises/mobility swings and do these in a much more relaxed manner than I was before, I don't try and force maximal height, I just let them swing and stay relaxed.

All in all with these changes my hips feel so much better, I cant pin point which factor is the main one, maybe it's the sum of all the changes but if I had to guess I would say the changes to my light stretches would be the biggest factor. I don't feel right giving away Pauls info but I have seen similar concepts with regards to the stretches in pilates based classes, focusing on lengthening the muscle while stretching.

Looking forward to doing the strengthening routine again tomorrow and then doing some deep stretches.