Flexibility is very important to all sports including karate. There are a number of very important reasons to include regular stretching into your fitness routine.

1. Injury prevention, by lengthening the muscle you are decreasing the risk of tears and strains, as the muscle will be better able to cope with stresses over a larger range of movement.

2. Increased skill level, your joints will be freer making it easier to focus your technique in the correct position.

3. Increased speed, longer muscles means less resistance to the technique, especially for those high kicks.

4. Increased strength. Due to the length tension relationship, as the length of the muscle increases so to does its strength over a fuller range of motion.

Some Example Stretches

Start with your feet apart and your toes pointing towards the roof. Place your right forearm on the floor parallel to your leg, then with your other arm reach over your head and lower your shoulder to your leg. Make sure that you keep your torso turned so that your chest is facing the front. This will place more stretch on your lower back and your left Oblique muscles.

To place more emphasis on your hamstring rotate your torso so that your chest is facing your knee and tilt from the hips trying to get your chest as close to your knee as possible.

Start with your feet together, legs straight. Sitting up straight reach forward as far as you can keeping your knees flat on the floor. In order to place more stress on your hamstrings try to tilt forward from the hips rather then arching your back. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds

Lay on your back with your feet pulled close to your body, then hold onto your ankles and push your hips up towards the roof. In order to increase the stretch, place your hands behind your head and lift your body off the ground. This stretch requires you to be very flexible through the shoulders also.

Start sitting with your legs wide apart and knees flat on the floor, bending from the hips, try to get your chest as close to the ground as possible. Remember to exhale as you stretch down. This will relax the muscles and allow you to reach your maximum muscle length.

Start with your feet together, legs straight. Sitting up straight reach forward as far as you can keeping your knees flat on the floor. In order to place more stress on your hamstrings try to tilt forward from the hips rather then arching your back. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds

Sit up straight with the soles of your feet touching and your knees relaxed out to the side of your body. Then holding onto your feet pull your chest down towards the ground. In order to increase the stretch, place your elbows on your knees and gently push them towards the ground.

Holding onto your shin pull your leg up to the side as if you are chambering it for roundhouse kick. Make sure that you keep good posture; you may want to use a wall for added support. Holding onto the inside of your foot extend your leg towards the ceiling. Try not to lean away from your foot but rather pull your foot closer to your body.

Sitting with one leg out straight and the other one bent so that the sole of your foot is touching the inside of your other knee. Reach forward from the hips trying to get your chest to touch your knee. This stretch is good for isolating the hamstring muscles of one side.

Lying on your front with your arms stretched out perpendicular to your body lift one leg and rotate your lower body, try to get your foot to touch your opposite hand. Make sure that you don’t move your hand closer to your foot but rather move your foot to your hand. This stretch is good for the muscles that rotate the spine and also for the hip flexes.

Kneeling on one knee pull your foot up behind your body while simultaneously pushing your hips towards the ground. In order to increase the stretch lengthen your stance and push your hips further down. You may want to place a hand on the wall for support.

Sit with your knees spread out to the side and your feet pulled in behind you. Then holding onto your ankles, lower your body in between your feet until you are able to feel the stretch through your hips.

Stay tuned, more stretches to come.

*Thankyou to the Shotokan Karate Coalition and the Keith Geyer School of Karate for allowing us to publish these photos.

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