Q: Matt, have you noticed how many people condemn stretching these days? What do you think of all the trainers who say that all you need to do is move?
A: Yessir, I have definitely noticed. The other day, in the sauna of all places, a physical therapist was telling another guy that he is 100 percent against stretching.
“You don’t need it,” he says. “Just move.”
The physical therapist is partly correct. But what does “just move” mean? You can move while you stretch, can’t you?
When you practice Tai Chi, as an example, you are moving into positions you’re not used to getting into. This alone improves mobility. And the more you practice the stronger and more flexible you become.
Many people condemn yoga, but these same people think gymnastics and ballet are wonderful.
It’s funny to me because if you look at the positions, i.e. the stretched positions, that are done in gymnastics and ballet, what you’ll discover is that they are oftentimes the SAME as yoga.
People who’ve read Combat Conditioning have also told me “these exercises come from yoga.”
Not exactly, my friend. One can also argue that they come from wrestling. A quick reading of The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace will confirm this point of view.
One of the biggest “no-no’s” about stretching is that you should never bounce – yet in China, controlled bouncing is one of their flexibility secrets.
Even so, there are two different methods of gaining flexibility in China.
The first is the “eat bitter” method, where you have coaches who believe you MUST experience extreme pain to become flexible. They adamantly believe there is no other way, similar to those who believe you cannot get stronger without training to exhaustion and failure in strength training circles.
The second is more of an energetic approach, where pain is minimized with deep breathing, relaxation, controlled bouncing and isometrics. This method allows for time and nature to get the job done. Although there’s no rush – it is amazing how quickly this method works.
In all my courses, I follow the second approach.
Anyway, that’s a lot to unravel, unpack and iron out.
So, here endeth the lesson!
Matt Furey
