Oscar

I need some advice I started karate about 10 months ago I'd been promising the daughter I'd start taking her. Anyway as you can imagine it involves alot of stretching, I can get fairly low on the front splits but for the life of me I cannot seem to get any lower in side splits. One of the lads at the club said you need to open your hips to do side splits, he also mentioned that if I was doing lots of leg presses that may be causing the problem. He said that leg presses over develop the hip flexors and that will be preventing me getting any lower in side splits.

Years ago I used to do leg presses when I was boxing. It was just part of the curcuit a few of us did.

Question is, is there any truth in what the bloke is saying do leg presses over develop the hip flexors and would that it prevent me getting lower in side splits and is there anything that can be done to help get lower in side splits.

Oscar

Anyone???

samurai69

PNF stretching will be the fastest way to improve flexibility for box splits

personally leg press wont work hip flexors more than squats etc..................hip flexors wouldnt really effect hip flexibility for box splits or side kicks

if you are regularly doing side kicks you may want to look at stretching ITB which tightens a lot from this

search for PNF stretches theres a few guides and sites out there .............. some may require a partner others can be done against a wall or with use of a yoga strap

also look at overall leg flexibility...............eg hamstrings, quads etc..............but mostly its tight adductors that need to be stretched

Oscar

Thanks for the reply, my leg flexbility is pretty good my hamstings are are quite flexible as I mentioned I can almost get to the floor in front splits, and my front kicks are at least to head height.

You mentioned the aductors may need stretching would leg presses in the past have over developed them thus causing them to be tight?

You also mentioned stetching the illiotabial band (spelling) would the actual process of kicking tighten them or could that also be atributed to something I have been doing in the past.

Sorry to bombard you with all these questions but I would really like to improve my roundhouse and side kicks.

Cheers..