A lot of it has to do with desire (dedication) to achieve and maintain flexibility.
How long does it take to achieve gumby-like flexibility? It varies from person to person. I went at things at an easy pace, slowly gaining a little flexibility over two or three years.
How much time does it take to maintain? Honestly, the warm-ups at the beginning of class are typically adequate for maintenance. I do a little extra stretching a couple of times a week, but only a few minutes.
There are a few common mistakes people make with stretching.
- Bouncing, also known as ballistic stretching. Yes, you can achieve rapid gains in flexibility with this method, but you run the risk of tearing muscle. Because of the bounce, by the time you feel any pain the damage is already done.[/*:m:1zzi054m]
- Stretching downward. We all want to get to where we can touch our nose to our knee in a seated stretch. While it's a nice milestone, it also builds a bad habit. We want to stretch long, not down. So, try to touch your nose to your toes. It won't reach, but you will feel a significant difference in your stretch.[/*:m:1zzi054m]
Now, what are some things you can do to improve flexibility?
- Stretch all aspects of your body from head to toe. Balanced stretching is key. Develop flexibility everywhere. Don't be like the bodybuilders who focus on their upper body only.[/*:m:1zzi054m]
- Hold your stretches for a longer duration. When I am running classes, I usually warm people up with an 8-10 count. For flexibility, you want to extend this to a 15, 20 or even a 30 count.[/*:m:1zzi054m]
- Stretch your fulll range of motion and hold position.[/*:m:1zzi054m]
- Taking a deep breath then releasing it will often buy you additional stretch when going toes-to-nose. [/*:m:1zzi054m]
- Pre-workout stretching helps identify issues with movement, and isn't so much for gaining flexibility. For best gains, stretch at the end of your workout when the muscle groups are tired.[/*:m:1zzi054m]
- Static, gravity-assisted stretching. If you think about the stretching you do while seated, like touching your nose to your toes, you can lie on the floor with your legs against the wall. Gravity will pull your legs down. But, be warned, you can easily over-stretch this way and be very sore.[/*:m:1zzi054m]
Doing the splits looks cool, but it hasn't done much for my game. It might save me from a dastardly kouchi-gari in Judo, and it does stretch an odd little muscle set in your gluteus maximus, but otherwise serves no purpose I can find. But it looks cool.
I think flexibility also allows me to be softer. I'm not concerned with protecting myself, so I can really relax and get into things. If I had less flexibility in a specific area, I might hold back like when protecting an injury.
Like most of things with our martial arts, we are practicing aspects of life that most people don't. These things carry us forward into our later years in a very heightened state. Most people don't stretch, or work on maintaining their balance (much less improving it), or falling. These are "life skills" that will serve us well.