Remember in the 1980s there was an advertisement that ran in many of the US pulp martial arts magazines by Thomas Kurz. The ad showed him performing the splits between two chairs with a blond babe in a swimsuit sitting on his leg. How many of us looked at that and thought, gee I wish I was as flexible as him? But it wasn’t just Mr. Kurz advertisement pushing for greater flexibility. There were the “Chuck Norris” jeans with the extra leg gusset, the leg stretcher which looked like some medieval torture device, and a host of other equipment, videos, books and the like. Even at the dojo there was an emphasis placed on stretching to increase flexibility, but the reasons why were never very clear. Some would say that it was to kick higher, others would say so that you could kick faster, while others said it was to reduce injury.
We did so many kinds of stretches in class: partner, dynamic, and static, but in the end I never did get very flexible. All said, I don’t think my Karatedo is any the worse for wear because I didn’t gain this ultra flexibility. This brings me to the topic of today’s blog post flexibility in Karatedo – what is it and do you really need it.
I think part of the problem early on in my Karatedo training was that stretching and flexibility were not explained properly let alone defined, nor was the rationale of why you needed it. Let’s start then with defining flexibility properly. In physical activity flexibility is usually defined in terms of range of motion (ROM) of a specific joint, i.e. a joint moving from full flexion to full extension. For example, you can flex your arm at the bicep and then relax and extend the arm outwards are far as possible. Next, let’s look at the rationale behind flexibility. In day-to-day life it’s obvious that we need an adequate range of motion to function normally otherwise our quality of life would be very poor indeed. Imagine trying to take a step and not being able to extend your legs sufficiently – you’d become tired very quickly, maybe slip, and possibly fall. But this definition and rationale are more for everyday life.
What about Karatedo? For Karatedo, we need to divide things a little further in terms of definitions and include static and dynamic ROM. Static ROM involves flexion and extension of a joint while stationary, and the opposite is true for dynamic ROM. Which one is important for Karateka? Or are both equally important? Are the two related? For example, maybe I can do a static straddle split to a 140 degrees, but what if I cannot achieve that same angle, for example, while performing a strong and quick side-kick? Is there any value to doing the static stretching? It can be a bit of a conundrum.
I’ve always been a firm believer that “less is more” so along those same lines more flexibility (especially the hyper-flexibility espoused in popular martial arts advertisements) is not necessarily better. Let’s look at a few reasons why that may be the case. First, in traditional Okinawa Karatedo Kata, kicks are almost always delivered below the waist (the only exception that I can think of in Nahate is the crescent kick in Pechurin and Suparempei). These kicks in traditional Okinawa Karatedo only require a normal range of motion, i.e. a level of flexibility that is used in daily life. It is only in the sporting context of Karate that we begin to see kicks above the waist.
Second, although it is commonly held that flexibility can reduce or prevent injury there is limited scientific research that supports this. For example, a review by Thacker, et. al. (2004) found that,
Stretching was not significantly associated with a reduction in total injuries
Similarly, Ingram (2003) concluded that,
…the evidence suggests that increasing range of motion beyond function through stretching is not beneficial and can actually cause injury and decrease performance
Hyper-flexibility, especially hyper-flexibility of the hip and abductor muscles, may actually increase chances of injury. For example, in a study of female dancers age 8 to 16 years of age, dancers with hyper hip abduction were more prone to foot or ankle pain and injury around the tendins (Steinberg, et al, 2012). Granted young female dancers are not your average middle-age Karateka, but it still is food for thought.
Finally, prolonged stretching is well-known to cause a serious reduction in the amount of force that a muscle can potentially generate, particularly for stretches held longer than 60 seconds (see Kay & Blazevich, 2012). I think most of us agree that maximal force production is one of the most important aspects of effective Karatedo technique and practices that deter this need to be re-examined.
What all this points to is that you don’t need hyper-flexibility to perform Karatedo Kata or technique at a skillful level. Only a normal range of motion that you would use in your daily life is required. Any stretches or flexibility training should be geared towards this taking into account your age and level of health, as well as the advice of your physician. If you to train beyond the normal range of motion, know what the pros and cons are, and make sure you check with your physician before you start.
Update – this video by Professor Doug Richards from the Physical Education & Health department at University of Toronto explains fundamental concepts and misconceptions about stretching.
Hi Mario: Here is a small part of what Mayo Clinic says about stretching: Better flexibility may improve your performance in physical activities or decrease your risk of injuries by helping your joints move through their full range of motion. For instance, say your Achilles tendon is tight and lacks flexibility. If you do a lot of hill walking, your foot may not move through its full range of motion. Over time, this can increase your risk of tendinitis or tendinopathy in your Achilles tendon. Stretching your Achilles tendon, though, may improve the range of motion in your ankle. This, in turn, can decrease the risk of microtrauma to your tendon that can lead to overload and injury. Another benefit of stretching is that it also increases blood flow to the muscle.
So if you have joints that do not regularly move through their range of motion then you may increase your risk of injury when a movement forces that joint to suddenly move through a range of motion that it never experiences. I agree that forcing movement beyond its normal range of motion or intended motion may not have much benefit and may in fact have some negative consequences.
I agree that karate movements were never intended to require stretching prior to being able to use them; if you did have to stretch before executing them they would be pretty unpractical and useless! You really cannot tell an assailant to please give you a few minutes to first stretch.
Regarding the Mikazuki Geri in Suparinpei; fortunately the motion of that kick does not require stretching as you are bringing the leg inward toward you in an arching motion and not extending out away from your body. The great thing about kicking that I have discovered is that if I begin kicking low and do 20-40 repetitions and then do 20-40 repetitions at middle level, then there is no need to stretch when I then move on to kicking Jodan level, as the previous low and middle kicks prepared the tendons, ligaments, and muscles to work at a higher level without requiring separate stretching and without injury.
I do think that light to moderate stretching is beneficial and now that I am in my 50’s I only stretch “after” I am thoroughly warmed up. Yoga is very slow and provides for ample stretching and range of motion. I find that I always feel better physically after yoga. In fact, after karate I am usually exhausted and often sore, but after yoga I feel refreshed and as if I have more energy.
Thanks for the information from the Mayo clinic. That information seems focused on the benefits of flexibility for people who have LIMITED mobility to start with. Unfortunately they don’t cite any clinical data to back their statement. In contrast there are ample reviews in the academic and medical literature that conclude that there is no real benefit for greater flexibility in injury prevention in individuals with a NORMAL range of motion – especially “gold standard” meta-analysis like those found in the Cochrane review.
The crescent kick is an interesting technique in this sense. Like you said it doesn’t require a warm-up to perform, even to a descent height. Its ties in nicely with the other kicks that also don’t require a warm-up. Of course this is common sense as you wouldn’t expect to be able to warm-up and stretch during an assault. In that vein I like Lalane sensei’s statement,
Yoga is fine and very enjoyable, especially slow moving versions like Hatha. I do a bit myself. But the big thing for me is the hyper-mobility demonstrated by some teachers – of note Toguchi Seikichi and Yamaguchi Gogen – is not something you need for good Karatedo if you already have a normal range of motion. I think that such hyper-mobility may actually detract from your overall level of force that you can generate.
Hi, Bucherin: Thanks for this most excellent post. It makes me wonder how many things are not explained fully, adequately and beneficially. So many things folks assume simply because their sensei said it is so. I like to question everything no matter the expert, the material or whatever. Goes I think to analysis and working it out to see if it works for you. Thanks.
Hello Charles:
You raise a good point. I think things in Karatedo practice weren’t explained because many teachers simply did not know and failed to ask. In an Okinawan / Japanese dojo context (with their emphasis on top down organization and rote memorization) a few generations ago this may have been excusable, but in this day and age it isn’t. I want my students to ask questions and to think for themselves. It will make their Karatedo and mine stronger in the end. Your Karatedo must stand-up to scrutiny and criticism; especially from yourself! If it can’t or you won’t do this, then there is a strong chance your Karatedo will fall into a delusion of self-serving hypocrisy.
Hello Mario,
I really like the idea of karate being natural, ordinary, and not extra-ordinary. High kicks I think stem from Japanese karate, hence the need for greater than average flexibility. sport too requires that you take an ‘athletic’ approach to your training, Okinawan karate (in general) is not concerned with sport, and so there is no need to shape the body that way.
Junbi undo followed by kigu undo works well for maintaining a full range of movements in the joints; plus, the resistance offered by the tools devlope strength. Together, junbi and kigu undo make up a grat deal of the health benefits that karate training provides into old age.
Interesting post, thanks again for the opportunity to have a think.
Mike
I think the sporting context and the male ego had a lot to do with the introduction of high kicks in Karatedo as you said – especially on mainland Japan. But inevitably this bleeds into its Okinawan cousin. For example look at this version of Useishi at the 0:58 mark posted by Jesse where the competitor extends her almost vertically!
This is certainly a case of hyper-flexibility and athleticism. In the traditional version, like the one here performed by Shimabukuro sensei below, the leg is no where near as extended.
Regular training that includes Junbi undo, Kigu Undo, Kihon, and Kata is all that you really need to maintain your “flexibility”.