Monday, July 2, 2012

Taekwondo Stretches

  Many different kinds of stretching exist, having been developed over the history of various sports. Some methods have remained effective, while other methods have been discarded and are now considered useless or even harmful. This will be a quick run-through of the different kinds of stretching that are most commonly seen in Taekwondo.




Ballistic
Ballistics stretches are among the most commonly seen in sports. Characteristic of high school P.E classes across the country, they consist of toe touches and other stretches where a "bouncing" motion is created by the movement of your body weight towards the limb you are trying to stretch. Although a very classic stretch, it has been proven to be harmful to the ligaments and tendons of the body. Due to this stretch eventually leading to injury, it is slowly being phased out.


Dynamic 
A common form of dynamic stretching is the "windmill" stretch, where one or both arms are stretched by swinging them in a circular motion forwards and backwards. Dynamic stretching is differentiated from Ballistic stretching by the fact that it stays within the body's natural line of motion and progressively relaxes the ligaments.


Static 
 Characterized by such stretches as the "butterfly", static stretches rely on you holding your body in a certain position. Without exerting any force on your limbs, gravity combined with the relaxed state will slowly stretch your ligaments and muscles in a very effective and safe manner.


For a more detailed explanation of stretching, read this article.

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