Flexibility

I don't know if this question belongs here or not, but I just started a few months ago with BJJ - and I've watched the videos online, and looked at the mastering rubber guard series on dvd, etc...

And, I think the main issue I have , which I can imagine would be the case for many people, is - how in the hell can you increase your flexibility for this? Mission Control in itself is torture on my banged up knees - I have no flexibility. Is there anything anybody could recommend as far as a series of stretches, frequency, types, etc - that you have found has improved this dramatically? I love the 10th planet series - but I doubt I can pull it off with my current level of flexibility, or should I say, inflexibility.

Thanks!

- UK

Work ethic, consistency, and patience. Try looking into stretches that open up the hips and take a look at some yoga poses. The internet has everything you need. everyone is different so try different things, but you have to keep it at, and be smart.. don't hurt yourself..

i'm going to start yoga to work on my flexblity and just general wellness..might be a good idea for your knees and your jiu jitsu. good luck.

stretch after your workouts

Originally Posted by Cookie

stretch after your workouts

Before and after. So hard to commit to that after, when all you wanna do is take a shower.

Originally Posted by udaykhosla

Mission Control in itself is torture on my banged up knees - I have no flexibility.

These are my own personal observations so take that for what it's worth and maybe others can add their thoughts to the issue.

I have a banged up lateral collateral tendon on my left leg and I can still pull mission control without injuring or inflaming it. I actually injured it (possibly) while battling against a toe hold.

In my opinion, your knee joint is not meant to bend from side to side. There is no flexibility training for this, your tendon's just don't bend that way. You should be using your hips for flexibility pulling on your hip via the knee hug. If you are pulling your shin perpendicular to the flexation of your knee, you can injure yourself. I know it may look like people are doing that, but they aren't they are pulling downward with their shins, within the natural range of the knee joint using their hip flexibility to bring the shin close enough to clear the head.

He is right! You should stretch the hip region from your lumbar muscles to the to the upper leg (hamstrings, hip flexors and hikers, deep six muscles) it takes time...it help if you have someone to help with some passive resistive stretching. May be help reset your PNF

Originally Posted by AJ Camacho

These are my own personal observations so take that for what it's worth and maybe others can add their thoughts to the issue.

I have a banged up lateral collateral tendon on my left leg and I can still pull mission control without injuring or inflaming it. I actually injured it (possibly) while battling against a toe hold.

In my opinion, your knee joint is not meant to bend from side to side. There is no flexibility training for this, your tendon's just don't bend that way. You should be using your hips for flexibility pulling on your hip via the knee hug. If you are pulling your shin perpendicular to the flexation of your knee, you can injure yourself. I know it may look like people are doing that, but they aren't they are pulling downward with their shins, within the natural range of the knee joint using their hip flexibility to bring the shin close enough to clear the head.

My coach struggles badly as has no mobility in the left hip, this is due to a disease he had at age 5 which rotted away the femural head (ball part) of the socket and the main femur bone in his leg has moved up into the empty socket space and now he suffers from severe arthritis, like anything he has to work around this as well as take strong pain killers and C&D etc Just persevere with your stretching it will come......

i find if you work at opening up your hips more then your knees it becomes alot easier then working just your knees stretch before you roll and after and try and stretch when your just chilling at home im always playing with my legs even when i'm sitting on the couch watching tv aim for double lotus it will take time it will hurt at times yes you will get pissed off but if a 295 pound guy likemy self can do it with 2 blown knees anybody can and get a good liquid joint suppliment as well

Flexibility is in the hips, not the knees. When your hips are flexible, the positions wont put pressure on your knees. I grabbed some old karate belts, tied one leg to one bedpost, and tied the other to my leg and wrapped it around the other bedpost. Went as far into splits as I could and watched TV. I tighten it during each commercial break. When you do the foot to knee stretch, curl your toes back instead of pointed so it works the hips instead of the knee.