Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts (Paperback)

by Sang H. Kim (Author) "Before we get into specifics about stretching and flexibility, let's take a moment to orient ourselves..." (more)
Key Phrases: kicking height, supplementary stretches, flexibility for kicking, Martial Arts Application, Primary Benefit, Torso Twist (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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'l 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.

Includes Exercises and Workouts for:

Core Workout
Warm Up
Cool Down
Light Contact
Full Contact
Grappling
Mixed Martial Arts
Boxing
Weapons
High Kicks
Splits

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: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,143 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #14 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Stretching
  #50 in	Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Martial Arts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing., September 24, 2005

By	R. Jernigan (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and useful, November 11, 2004

By	L. A. Kane (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At Last!, April 26, 2004

By	Mike Selby (Cranbrook, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews

This is easily the best and most significant book ever written on flexibility. Dr. Sang H. Kim provides the reader with a life-long foundation of achieving and maintaining peak flexibility. Brilliantly laid out and easy to follow, this fantastic book will have you stretching immediately, focusing solely on your individual goals and needs. If you have only dreamed about doing full splits, kicking high, or obtaining a grappler's flexibility, this book clearly illustrates the step by step process to achieve these dreams. Ultimate Flexibility is simply superb!