Suomeksi 
In English
Effective stretching
The type of stretching described in this tip is to be carried out in a separate stretching training. Stretching for recovering from training and for preparing for one are one thing, but this way I’ve managed to increase my flexibility dramatically.Tense, relax, stretch
Many athletes are probably familiar with tense, relax, stretch –system (there may be other names for it too, but in this text I use this straight translation from Finnish. Later it’s referred with trs-stretching). The idea is, that the muscle group to be stretched is first being tensed isometrically (the length of the muscle doesn’t change, in other words there’s no movement), after this the muscle group is relaxed and then stretched. By tensing a muscle isometrically the receptors that control the length of the muscle are “bluffed” and the muscle will relax. Thanks to getting relaxed the muscle is able to stretch. Normally these receptors protect the locomotor system from getting injured and start to resist stretching by contracting the muscles.How long, how much?
When I started my own stretching project, my biggest problem was that I didn’t know how much time should be used for different stages or the amount of repetitions. Different sources offer quite different solutions. Luckily I got help from Pasi Paksunen (3rd degree), who is a physiotherapist and did his graduation work about trs-stretching. Pasi told me that he got the best results in his study, when the tensing and stretching phases lasted for five seconds and the relaxation phase for about two seconds. The stretch was repeated 5-6 times by continuing with stretch from the position reached with the previous stretch. According to Pasi too long tensing stage produces milk acid into the muscle, the muscle gets tired and don’t have the energy to stretch properly. It’s also good to remember that being stretched is work for the muscle and it needs energy to do that, even though sitting in a stretching position might sometimes feel like resting for an athlete. An example of a stretch
In many stretches an assistant is of great help, but most of the basic ones can also be done alone. Let the example be the side split, which helps especially with high kicks. Before doing this stretch I recommend, based on my own experiences, to stretch the muscles of the hip area (for example the gluteus), for at least in my case they seem to prevent the stretch from effecting the correct muscles and even hurt.
Grab for example a chair or a bench and lower yourself down to the stretch until you feel tense in the inside-thighs. Hold your back straight and hold your weight on your legs, don’t lean forwards or let your hips fall backwards. Now begin the first tensing phase by squeezing your thighs towards each other and the floor. Keep it up for about five seconds. Next relax the tensed muscles by for example leaning forward on the bench and letting your hips fold backwards. This phase is short, only about two seconds. Now raise back on your feet and let your own body weight lower you downwards. Concentrate on keeping your muscles relaxed, don’t resist the stretch. Keep it up for only about five seconds, for after this the muscles’ defence mechanisms begin to activate and the muscle gets tensed. Start a new tensing phase in the stage you’ve reached with the stretch. Go through these phases 5-6 times, or according to your own feeling. You shouldn’t make the muscles too tired, for when you go for the extreme postures injuries are always a threat. Simple means of aid
A split-stretch is easier to do if the ground isn’t too sticky. Put woollen socks (in Finland everyone has a pair) or some other piece of clothe under your feet to make the ground more slippery. An assistant can also help by slightly pressing downwards from your shoulders. Assisting should always be done according to the instructions of the one doing the stretch. According to Pasi Paksunen muscles get used to certain kind of stimulation in about six weeks. After this period you should change the system of stretching at least for some time. You can do for example so called traditional stretching, when the duration of one stretch is longer and the way of stretching softer.
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