gongfu

 I’m not sure if Wong Kiew Kit coined the term “The Art Of Flexible Legs” or if it is in fact, an authentic Shaolin term. Either way, for the purpose of practical study and cultivation, I like the classify seperate arts within my gong fu. Today, I was doing my leg flexibility routine. Seperate from daily stretching, I have put all of the practices that I have learned over the years together into a routine to improve, not maintain, flexibility in the hips, thighs, knees, ankles and all of the leg muscles. Putting methods that achieve a common purpose together and thinking of them as skills or little arts within gong fu is an ageold practice, but obviously no less valuable today. Theoretically, just doing the flexibility enhancing exercises of Shaolin should toughen your legs, and make them faster. The reason, is that when you focus at pressing into the ground with your feet, your mind concentrates heavily on the legs, and the blood and energy of the nervous system rushes into them improving their health. Also, the muscles are torn, but aren’t being built up, therefore, the tears are filled in with new tissue constantly, until the muscles in your legs are very very dense and healthy, making them quite “tough”. This is called “steel” or “iron” leg.

 This is what I do: I start with my feet together, and do the front bend, with my head on my knees, then a side bend, to either side, maintaining the feet straight ahead, and I make sure to come up all the way, so that whenever my spine twists, I am standing erect. Then I do a single leg stretch, touch the elbows to the heels, and a quaricept stretch on each side. Finally, I stand up, and pull my toes to my forehead with each foot. This is normal stretching that, I was taught, should be done for the legs each day.

 After the stretching routine, which takes about 5 or 10 minutes to complete, I go into a front split. Before I could do a front split, I would place a hand on the ground, and put the other hand on my waist, but use this same method. In the front split, or partial front split, the heel of the front foot should gently press into the ground, while the toes pull back towards the head. You absolutely must maintain breathing, if you stop breathing, or hold the breath, you can injure yourself, same as if you force the breath. The back foot should feel the toes pointing and reaching outward, held tightly together. Stretching for improved flexibility does not have to be excruciatingly painful and this is why;

 If you pull to the point of stretching and hold it, it is nice, and comfortable. If you go another inch, it hurts, but after a few moments, is nice again, if you go a little further, it hurts more, but once held, will start feeling great. You can stretch a long ways this way, and your brain will keep releasing endorphines.

 This is the secret to flexible legs.

 The other split goes like this:

 Put your hands on the ground in front of you supporting most of your weight in a deep horse stance. With your feet pointing straight ahead and remaining flat on the ground, slide them out to the sides, as far as you can go. Now transfer weight back onto the feet, and make sure they are pressing straight down into the ground. release the weight, and press them out a little more, then add the weight again in the same method as above.

 A full front split is when the split is performed, and the hands are around the front foot while the chin or nose is resting on the leg. A reverse front split has the back foot in the hands while the top of the head rests on the back leg.

 A full side split has both arms flat on the ground stretched out in front of you, the thighs against the ground, the side of your face on the ground, both feet flat and the ankles at 90 degrees, both feet pointing straight ahead.

 It may seem simple, until you start doing it everyday. It is easy, it just takes a long time to develop lasting flexibility. The keys are to keep going a little further, and always holding it at your peak as long as you can, and to breath naturally, without holding the breath.

 *This information is provided for educational purposes only, should you attempt to perform any of these exercises, it is done at your own risk.

 Peace,

 Dave

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