About this title: Ultimate Flexibility is the book you've been waiting for. More than a collection of exercises or an explanation of technique, Ultimate Flexibility is a complete guide to stretching for martial arts, from the very basics of why you should stretch to detailed workout guidelines for every style and level of martial arts practice. Written by acclaimed author and martial artist Sang H Kim, Ultimate Flexibility is your guide to achieving maximum flexibility in your training. Begin with an in depth look at the hows and whys of flexibility and stretching. Learn about the many types of stretching, ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Turtle Press
Date Published: 2004-01-10
ISBN-13:9781880336830ISBN:1880336839
Description: Very Good. Paperback. Clean book with light bends in spine from reading and may have a bookstore stamp inside the cover. Quick response! read more
"An effective primer on the all-important topic of stretching in martial arts. Like many long-term practitioners, I spend the first 20-30 minutes of my workout with static and dynamic stretching. Still, I would like to deepen my splits and learn techniques for preserving my flex range throughout my 30's. Sang Kim is a TKD stylist, and most of his techniques will be familiar to anyone who has spend much time in a dojon.
I appreciate the clear photographs that Kim's book uses to demonstrate techniques. He shows a variety of models, with a range of body shapes and abilities - not just the muscle-bound cage-fighter or "gumby" contortionist. It's also refreshing to have an author approach the subject as a "mature" martial artist over 40. Kim's attention to proper form and injury prevention outshines other guides in this regard. I guess the explanation for the others is that most readers of martial arts manuals are in their late teens or twenties - when natural flexibility and recuperation powers are greatest. Furthermore, this topic is far more mundane and hardly sells books like four-color prints of high roundhouse kicks and shovel punches.
Interestingly, Kim also groups stretching exercises by category, such as non-contact or light sparring, grappling, and full contact. This is very useful; however, I would have also liked the book to delve deeper into the "internal" and meditative aspects of this part of practice. Spending 15 to 30 minutes "listening" to one's body through stretching is a form of meditation, and it can easily bridge into deeper forms of self-awareness. But maybe that's the book I should write.
Until that day, I would gladly recommend this book to my students as a reference."
"I first picked up this book when I was studying Kung-Fu. It helped immensely with me opening up my body for the stances as well as damage control from heavy training. Although I'm not studying Kung-Fu anymore, I reference this book just as much if not more than I did before. See, I got this physical labor job and it's super hard on my body, and I find that stretches for martial arts practice are perfect for offsetting the detrimental effects of this job. Mans gotta eat you know, and he might as well be feeling good while he's doing it."
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