Bend over, touch your toes... Yeah Right!
Early in my 28+ years of martial training I was taught that unless you "force" your body to stretch, you will never gain flexibility. This was followed by several forced stretching routines such as standing up against a wall and putting my heel on a classmate's shoulder whereby he would lock out my knee with his hands and push my leg upward until I said stop OR screamed in pain, which ever came first. The best part about this process was that he was next. ;-) Later we learned that ballistic (bouncing) stretches were a BIG NO NO. We learned that they can cause scar tissue and micro tears of the muscles, tendons and ligaments. YIKES!
How flexible are you...REALLY?
When I first came to Tai Chi practice, with my current teacher, he told me that I was REALLY tight and needed to become more flexible. I did not understand his observation, because while I could not do a full split, I had no problem kicking over my head. He explained to me that while I could stretch my hamstrings for a high kick this was a bungee effect and not true flexibility. Then he asked me to do the same kick in slow "Tai Chi" motion. I was astonished that I could not even kick up to my waist! I had been doing "fancy" kicks above my head for years! I now understand that true flexibility requires little effort to express. You do not use the muscles to "force" the flex, they are only used to move you into their fullest range of motion.
Stretching, the facts...
Your body is an amazing tool. It will respond to any consistent request to its utmost ability. Do weight training every day and you will gain muscles mass but you could likely also become tighter and less flexible. Run distances every day and you will soon be able to increase distances with less fatigue but watch out for those knees. Sit on the couch and watch TV and soon you will be gifted with extra padding to help ease the stress on your caboose. ;-) Watch out for your elevated blood pressure and diabetes. Sorry, but it IS true. Flexibility is no different. The more your stretch (properly) the more flexible you become. I read that professional hockey goalies stretch for 1 to 2 hours every day! I know, they get paid to stretch, but still you have to admire their dedication. The way they are expected to move with lightning quick reflexes, if they are not truly limber, serious injuries are quite likely.
Slow, gentle, consistent practice is the key...
The only way to create true flexibility is with patience, and a gentle approach to the challenge. Hmm...Sounds a lot like Tai Chi. ;-) I have experienced this approach with my own body and know it works.
Try this exercise: Extend your arms out by your sides at hip height, palms facing forward. close your eyes and see if you feel any stretching going on. Now, using your visualization skills, imagine that you need to reach out just a little further, trying to touch something that is just out of your reach. Does that feel different? Each body is different so any stretching you feel will be specific to the tightness you have within yourself. If you approach your Tai Chi training with this visualization of being just our of reach in every move your make, you too will experience some very good stretching. Keep in mind you should never compromise your posture to affect a stretch. Stay tall, strong and never lock your joints to make the stretch work harder. Remember, I am proposing a gentle process of consistent request on the body, not a power Tai Chi stretching session.
Yes, we move slowly in Tai Chi but for good reason. We are working very hard to keep the core muscles engaged through our soft knees and strong posture, while working to gently, consistently request more strength, flexibility and stability with every step. All this while smiling from the heart.
Tai Chi, consider it... slow but sure.
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