The human body is a very flexible tool. However, flexibility is an often misunderstood term. We can see that most people define a very flexible person as one who can do the splits. Impressive, but I don't think I've yet come across a situation where I needed to do the splits.
In Systema, we strive for functional flexibility. This means that the joint may move freely within its range of motion. It's not as easy as it sounds. An example of good flexibility is to be able to squat with the back perfectly straight, and the knees and feet perfectly parallel. We should be able to do this easily, and yet we cannot. This is because the muscles of the back and stomach are too tight to allow us to keep the form of the body. The muscles of the legs, knees and hips are too weak to support the movement. The same goals apply to strength: we try to develop strength in all situations and directions for a balanced physique.
We can understand flexibility more easily if we look at the joints. The joints of the body have robust and flexible design. If we look at a ball and socket joint like hips or shoulder we can see a structure which is held in place by the ligaments and has a large range of movement in three dimensions.. A two dimensional joint like the knee is not as flexible, but still relies on the ligaments to keep the various structures in place. Tendons move the joint by attachment to the muscles. While ligaments are elastic, the tendons are much less so. Article on ligament and tendon characteristics. Muscle does not contribute to the strength of the joint in a direct way, but acts to stabilise specific motion and prevents damage through misalignment.
The hip and shoulder differ in the range of motion and load that the joint is capable of withstanding. The shoulder has a high degree of mobility and is subject to small loads whereas the hips have less movement than the shoulder but can withstand a much higher load. This is reflected in the relative depth of the joint; the shoulder has a shallow socket in comparison to the hip. It is for this reason that shoulder dislocations are more common than hip dislocations, but accumulative joint damage is more common in the hip.
It is possible to stretch the ligaments of any joint by taking it outside of its range of motion, or applying a force to the joint in a direction from which it is not designed to withstand. Because the ligaments are now loose, moving the joint through a greater range of motion is now possible, although such flexibility is often specific to a particular path of the joint and may be very weak in this position.. Forcefull ligament streching is understood by many as the basis of building flexibility and a healthy physique. However a joint with loose ligaments is no longer held firmly in place. For a period of time, the muscles take up the slack in the joint, performing the action of the ligaments. Constant tension draws the muscle fibres tighter and squeezes the blood out. This can cause premature wear of the cartilage, which does not readily repair itself, pain and postural weakness. An extreme example of joint damage and surgery can be observed in footballers with torn cartilage. Surgery is usually applied to this problem and the 'offending' tissue is removed, a temporary solution which leads to arthritis in the 30s. Less extreme surgery can include shortening and tightening of the ligaments, followed by physiotherapy. Continued forcefull stretching and loading of an initially healthy joint will lead to a misshapen socket with the subsequent formation of splints of bone on the ball. Replacement of the joint is then usually recommended. Injuries and treatment of the shoulder joint - Hip replacement. - Description of the hip
The knee is a common place for injury to occur. The knee is the largest joint in the body and subject to heavy loads. The knee works differently from the shoulder and hip joints, moving largely in 2 dimensions, however still relies on ligments for stability and may be moved out of is natural range of motion during many conventionally accepted stretching techniques. The knee may twist to a degree in certain circumstances, and any load applied in this position has the potential to damage the joint. This is why exercise should be done with the feet parallel, allowing the knees to take the load within the normal range of motion. Knee injuries can be observed in sports or activities with a high degree of repetitive motion. My own experiences of continous Aikido training in Japan resulted in a short term (it stopped as soon as the training did) but unpleasant knee condition. Anatomy and injuries to the knee
We all want to take care of our joints and be flexible. The key to useful flexibility is to relax the muscle surrounding the joint, whilst protecting the ligaments. This allows the joint to work freely whilst supporting the movement. Relaxation of the muscle, especially under effort, is difficult to achieve for someone new to the subject. Methods of muscle relaxation include awareness of the state of the muscles themselves. Most muscles rest at somewhere between totally relaxed and totally tense. One can become aware of this state by combining breathing with a concious effort to tense or relax the muscles in different areas of the body, either while lying down or standing. In a person who is psychologically relaxed, healthy and understands how to breathe, the muscles are more relaxed than tense at rest. However, under load the muscles may perform the same action at the same speed, but differ in tension from person to person. Shifting tension around or from the body in different situations will increase the relaxation and hence flexibility of the person. Because muscle relaxation is largely psychological, results can be acheived very quickly if the right approach is followed. Furthermore, if we exercise the muscle within the range of motion of the joint, we develop strength throughout our entire range of motion and build a healthy injury resistant body. (continued >)
