I’ve been practicing martial artist for over 10 years and of the most common questions asked is: ‘How can I increase my flexibility for high kicks?”.
The common answer given by most martial artists is to simply “stretch more”.
But there are a few other even more important factors (besides simply stretching more) that will be crucial to your ability to increase flexibility for high kicks.
Overall with 10 years of experience in Muay Thai, BJJ and Judo I have discovered one of the most effective programs online to increase flexibility for high kicks in only the last year.
If you have the commitment and necessary desire to implement a solid plan to increase flexibility for high kicks then you will get there!
Guaranteed.
The problem is most people don’t have the correct plan to achieve flexibility for high kicks.
They spend a lot of time and are extremely committed to methods that just don’t seem to work or only provide small improvements after months and even years of committed stretching.
It is my hope that through this post you will finally be able to achieve your goal of smooth, fast and powerful high kicks thrown with ease and accuracy.
So let’s get started and get you on your way to throwing head high kicks with ease.
1. Follow a Daily Plan for Improving Flexibility
There is a lot of information out there available for free on how to improve your flexibility for high kicks.
But most focus only on stretching and do not factor in areas such as mobility, the hip capsule, upper body flexibility, muscle strengthening and technique which are crucial to improve your flexibility.
Your daily flexibility program should include more than just stretching but also:
- i) Mobility
- ii) Joint capsule movements (hips especially)
- iii) Static holds for strengthening muscles
2. Implement the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule states that in any endeavour we get 80% of the result from 20% of the work put in.
By dedicating 15 minutes per day and not hours of stretching, you will be well on your way to reaching your goals of fast and powerful high kicks without wasting precious time.
By only committing to 15 minutes per day you have more time to put into your technique and conditioning so you have the required technical aspects as well as necessary fitness in order to be able to apply your new found flexibility in fighting and sparring.
Saving time is huge.
Committing to hours per day for several months of even years for a little improvement is not efficient.
The time you spent on less effective stretching can be used in other areas to improve as a martial artist, such as technical skill, endurance and strength and conditioning.
3. Strengthen AND Lengthen
Flexibility is improved through lengthening and stretching out the required muscles.
But you also need to strengthen your muscles.
Especially those involved in kicking.
Static holds, dynamic stretching and mobility work will help to strengthen and improve balance in your core and all the areas of your body that are needed to throw those fast and powerful high kicks.
Don’t neglect strengthening your muscles to help improve your kicking flexibility.
This is a crucial factor in improving high kicks that many do not put enough time into.
The Flexibility for Fighters program has a series of static holds and strengthening exercises which are tough, but will open your eyes in terms of how much real kicking strength you lack once you attempt them.
4. Work on Upper Body Flexibility Also
Flexibility of the shoulders, neck, upper back, wrist and arms are also vital for any martial artist.
You will be surprised how much limitations in your shoulders, upper back and other areas can limit your ability to throw high kicks.
Don’t neglect these areas.
Spending too much time on working on splits while neglecting the upper body is counter productive to achieving high kicks.
And upper body flexibility specifically for high kicks is way too neglected by most martial arts schools and instructors.
5. You Don’t Need to Be Able to Do the Splits for High Kicks
A lot of old school martial arts programs set the full splits as the standard for flexibility for high kicks.
But the truth is full splits are not a requirement to be able to throw powerful and fast high kicks.
While they look good and are attractive in demonstrations and performances spending too much time trying to get into the full splits takes away from the areas of strengthening and mobility.
There are a lot of other areas such as mobility, upper body flexibility and strengthening muscles which will provide a better bang for your buck in improving flexibility for high kicks rather than working so much on full splits.
6. Healthy Joints are Key
Mobility and flexibility in your joints are key to your long term health and performance as a martial artist and this also applies to high kicks.
Most spend a lot of time with long deep stretching (which has its value for sure).
But time also needs to be spent improving the integrity of your joints.
Especially the small often neglected areas of your ankle and wrists. These are crucial for punching as well as kicking.
The hips are major and not enough ‘stretching programs’ address the mobility and health of your hip joint which will go a long way to improving your high kicks.
The shoulder joint is another area that is crucial to kicking technique as well as punching and should not be neglected.
A full program that also addresses the mobility, flexibility and health of all of your joints is a must to improve your high kicks as well as all other martial arts techniques.
7. Video Yourself
By taking videos of yourself performing kicks you will be encouraged to see the progress you can make it relatively short amounts of time – if you are putting in the work.
It is also encouraging to see your progress over time and how much your kicks have improved in height, power and accuracy by following an effective flexibility plan.
With videos also you can note where your technique may be lacking as well if you are balanced or favouring one side of the body more.
You can also video yourself performing stretches and see how much you improve in your flexibility over time which offer even more encouragement as you grow and improve.
8. Be Willing to Invest in Expert Programs
Experts are those who have achieved the results you seek.
They are also able to present the information you require in an easy to consume format and an actionable and easy to implement plan.
A lot of the free information out there does not give you the step by step plan to really make those large improvements in your flexibility.
Or they advocate long stretching sessions which is the common thinking in the vast majority of martial arts schools as the only way to improve your flexibility for high kicks.
Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself and to pay some money to an expert who has set out a well devised plan to help you achieve flexibility to perform high kicks with power and accuracy.
