10/17/2018
Practice not your art and it will soon depart. German Proverb
It doesn’t matter what your art is, if you don’t continue to use it and work at it, you will find that your skills have faded. This is true of everything, but it is especially true where your flexibility is concerned. Flexibility is a must for the martial artist. Without flexibility many of your techniques are unusable. The older you get, the more important it is not to allow your daily stretching routine to slide.
It is foundational to your self-defense that you protect yourself, not only from your enemies, but also from self-inflicted injuries. If you injure yourself in your training, you certainly won’t be prepared to protect yourself on the street, at least not until your injury has had time to heal. Inflexible muscles are easily pulled or torn during a hard martial arts workout, and injuries such as this take a long time to heal properly.
Therefore, time spent stretching and increasing your flexibility is vital to your self-defense. Everything matters! You can’t afford to take any part of your defenses lightly. Stretch daily to develop and maintain flexibility. Don’t just go through the motions half-way, but rather concentrate on your muscles as you stretch. See the muscles lengthening and becoming more flexible.
Flexibility is the foundation of your martial arts. If your foundation is not solid, everything that you build will be on shaky ground. Practice all aspects of your martial arts often. Don’t take anything for granted. As far as this goes, neglect is not your ally. If you neglect your training for one day, it will neglect you for two. Train hard and consistently. Bohdi Sanders ~ excerpt from BUSHIDO: The Way of the Warrior, available from Amazon at: or from The Wisdom Warrior website. Also, check out my #1 Bestsellers, MODERN BUSHIDO and MEN of the CODE!