Hey PJ, thanks for sharing these tips. They may sound straight-forward, but sometimes improving flexibility seems like such a difficult process that I begin to doubt the efficacy of those three simple concepts you mentioned:
1) Stretch hot
2) Stretch often
3) Try to use rubber guard in sparring
I will also give ballistic stretching a try now, seeing as how it doesn't sound dangerous the way you describe it.
The big problem I have is stretching every day. Whenever I go to class, I have no problem taking 15 minutes afterwards to stretch, but it's hard to motivate myself when I haven't worked out.