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Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts [Paperback]

Sang H. Kim
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 10, 2004
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, which methods are best for beginners, when to graduate to advanced techniques and why you should completely avoid certain types of exercises. You'll also find information that you wont find in any other martial art book, including a detailed exploration of how your body works for or against you in your training and how flexibility can make you stronger and faster. Building on this foundation, Sang H Kim teaches you nearly 200 flexibility exercises that he has personally used to achieve the highest levels of flexibility. You'll get detailed instructions, workout planning guides, goal setting tips, difficulty levels, injury prevention and recovery, and over 400 photos to guide you. Special bonus sections: 10 Tips for Full Splits, 20 Tips for High Kicks and 10 workouts for specific martial art types.

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Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts + Vital Point Strikes: The Art and Science of Striking Vital Targets for Self-defense and Combat Sports
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sang H Kim is an internationally respected author of 8 books. He currently devotes his time to teaching, writing and presenting seminars around the world.

Product Details

  • Paperback 304 pages
  • Publisher: Turtle Press (January 10, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1880336839
  • ISBN-13: 978-1880336830
  • Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sang H. Kim is an internationally respected author of 14 martial arts books, including the widely acclaimed Vital Point Strikes and the classics Ultimate Flexibility, Ultimate Fitness through Martial Arts, Combat Strategy and Teaching Martial Arts. He has also created over 100 martial arts instructional DVDs and video programs including Self-defense Encyclopedia, Knife-defense, Power Breathing, Junsado Training Series, and Complete Taekwondo Series.

He has over 40 years experience in the martial arts. Has has taught tens of thousands of students in his own schools and at seminars in Europe, Asia and North America and reached millions more through his books, videos and DVDs.

He won the 1976 Korean National Championship and was named Instructor of the Year by the Korean government in 1983. As a special agent during his military service, he developed tactical combat methods for hand-to-hand and hand-to-weapon combat for covert operatives.

Customer Reviews

Easy to read with very clear explanations. British Mom  |  19 reviewers made a similar statement
I think I am being tortured with stuff out of the book because it is all new. John Kean  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
219 of 245 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. September 24, 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's not a *bad* book about stretching, and does contain some 200 exercises--even if half of them are about as complex as 'lace your fingers together, palms out, and push your hands away from your body' (my paraphrase).

What really bothers me, though, is a pair of problems:

First, the book mentions almost casually that static stretching (touch your toes and hold the position) has almost no correlation with functional stretching (how high can you side kick?). In the next paragraph it states quite clearly that martial artists should be focused on improving functional stretching--that static stretching is largely useless except for rehabilitation.

Now, even if that *isn't* poppycock--which I'm not qualified to judge, but it does sound flaky--one would think that this book, intended for martial artists, would therefore proceed to focus on other kinds of stretching. No: the vast majority of the exercises are static stretches. So either the advice is flawed or the book's target audience is wrong.

A second issue is PNF stretching. The book goes to some effort to push PNF as the most effective, best stretching technique: over and over, the refrain is that one should work towards incorporating PNF stretching into your workout as soon as is feasible (it's not for beginners).

But just as soon as you've become convinced of the benefits of PNF stretching, the book goes on to state--and here I'll quote--"Because PNF stretching requires detailed hands-on instruction and guidance, PNF stretching variations are not included in the exercise descriptions". In other words, the book says pretty clearly, "This is what you want, and this book doesn't describe it."

I'm disappointed that I bought this book, and can't say I'd recommend it to others.
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48 of 54 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and useful November 11, 2004
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you have been doing martial arts for a while you probably won't learn any new exercises but you will truly understand not only why they work, but more importantly how to make the most of them. Important anatomical information is distilled in a way that just about anyone can readily understand and use. This book is well laid-out and illustrated effectively to convey the information. It is holistic and thorough. Although at my age I will probably never be able to do the splits, it has measurably improved my flexibility. Great book!

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book March 9, 2005
By Petel
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ultimate flexibility is an excellent book for those who practice the martial arts, regardless of their current flexibility level. It's even great for those who don't. My wife (who doesn't practice martial arts) joins me for flexibility exercises and enjoys the workout quite a bit.

The book is divided to 3 main categories.

The first chapters deal with the scientific background. What are the mechanisms behind flexibility; what can be improved; what are the limitations; and what are the potential hazards for the un-educated, practicing flexibility. It details the major muscle groups and explains the benefit of having each flexible. It has good suggestions in terms of keeping workout logs and setting goals.

The second part has actual flexibility exercises, all clearly explained along with a photo for each. Some exercises are presented with a few alternatives-- easier versions and harder versions.

The third and last part suggests flexibility workouts. That is, what a workout should include depending on your background and goals.

Ultimate Flexibility has helped my flexibility tremendously. It's educational, clear and concise and most importantly, motivating. I now look forward for some time off so I can go out and practice some flexibility.

Bravo.

- Petel
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars So worth it September 4, 2004
By Igor
Format:Paperback
My first time writing a review for anything on this website... But I felt that this book does not get the attention it deserves. I am no martial artist - I just wanted to find a book that would give me all the information I need about attaining greater flexibility.

This book has it all - advice, scientific discussion (and I don't mean a page filled with meaningless terms - the author really tries to explain it well), quick guides and sample workouts, and of course, a wide range of stretches with pictures. It even helps you optimize your stretching routines so you spend less time on it!

The only shortcomings I can think of are lack of information on PNF stretching, and perhaps not being really martial-arts oriented (although it's a positive for me)

Just don't forget - this book gives you the bricks - it's up to you to put in the time and make something out of them

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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best October 31, 2005
Format:Paperback
When an experienced instructor teaches, he does it so simply that students understand the lessons without much difficulty. When I first opened Ultimate Flexibility for Martial Arts, I was firstly impressed not only by the variety of exercises and beautifully designed format but also by the author's efforts to show the big picture of the important elements necessary to attain flexibility without missing out on the details. I have been training various martial arts for over 34 years including 8 years in Okinawa, 4 years in South Korea, 3 years in Thailand. Wherever I was stationed overseas, I put my best efforts forth to gain firsthand knowledge from local masters. What I found is that a good teacher knows how to teach a complicated movement in a very simple way. With this book by Sang H. Kim, I feel like I am training with my masters again. He definitely put all his wisdom and experience into it.

Sang H. Kim is without doubt among the best writers about martial arts. (I thoroughly enjoyed learning from his Ultimate Fitness Through Martial Arts.) This book should be required reading for every martial artist who competes or wants to improve his or her performance regardless of style. Master Kim provides straightforward cautions and valuable tips to improve your flexibility and to prevent unnecessary injuries.

In Chapter Seven, he includes sample workouts for light contact and full contact, grappling and mixed martial art, boxing, weapon and high kicks. I personally liked his top 10 techniques. After turning 50, I realize how important it is to learn valuable wisdom from a true master. I have been adding a few new skills to my repertoire each week and use them whenever I can. I am getting quicker and safer in my Karate classes, and every class is more enjoyable.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars More à collection of exercices than a true guide to flexibility
Buying this book, I was looking after a manual of best practices routine to increase my flexibility. Well, this book really does half the job. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Thomas Nouvian
4.0 out of 5 stars Lot's of coverage
This book covers recovery, rehabilitation, and functional stretching for every aspect of a martial artists breadth of training. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Galahad25
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Bought it to help my daughter in her Taekwondo practice. She is a black belt and she likes this book, the photos and instructions are clear and easy to follow, lots of good... Read more
Published 2 months ago by L. Lantang
2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I expected.
I wanted something give me few sets of exercises rather than have information all scattered with summary of body parts. Read more
Published 3 months ago by energizerbunny
3.0 out of 5 stars Lacking in new content
The book is well written, but lacking in anything new or beneficial that couldn't be found with a simple Google search.
Published 4 months ago by Freedom Fighter
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not complete
This was a very informative book. It did not get 5 stars because it did not include PNF exercises. Read more
Published 5 months ago by R. Desmond
5.0 out of 5 stars ultimate
In just two weeks i have already improved my flexibility by following the plan in this book. awesome
if you are an older adult.
Published 5 months ago by Linda A Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Good stuff. Book is well worth money paid for it. Nice excersizes shown and you can come up with routines for yourself.
Published 5 months ago by Always
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent resource
I found this to be an excellent and comprehensive resource on stretching.

At age 55, I am a new choi kwang do student, but am quite flexible due to a background in... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Kimmie
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
this really is all you need to become a more flexible individual and I use to be a martial artist and now a boxer and this still proves it's worth since flexibility is a very... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jerry
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