Stretching for splits. Which ones?

[Numbski]

Okay. I've been stretching out regularly for about 1 1/2 years now. I've gotten a little more limber, but I've been setting my sights on being able to take away the low part of the net completely using the splits if needed. Obviously not an easy position to recover from, but if use effectively there's not way to get the puck in without taking some air.

As it stands I use essentially 3 stretches to try to reach this goal.

1. Butterfly stretch - not as in the butterfly save. Sit indian style, grab your feet and pull. I do this two ways. One where I hold it 3 times for 20 seconds, each time pulling my feet closer to my groin. I do this before a game or practice. The other is where I bring them in as close as I can and hold it for 5 minutes. I'll do this while watching tv or whatever. As I feel my muscles starting to relax, I'll try to bring my knees closer to the floor. This has been really effective.

2. Half Pad Save Stretch - I'm sure that's not named right. :P Get on my knees, take one leg out from under myself and stretch that leg out as far straight to my side as I can, and allow that set of muscles to stretch out, bringing my groin as close to the floor as I can. I do this with both legs both the ways I described for the last stretch.

3. The 'how low can *you* go' stretch - I'll do this one in the locker room before a game, and occassionally at home, but it's hard to do this one on carpeting. I'll get in front of a bench, or couch, and place both hands together on the bench. I'll then slide my legs equally to their respective sides, bringing my groin as low to the floor as possible. The reason this is difficult on carpet is because at some point you have to rotate your feet so that you are no longer standing on the bottoms of them, but rather resting on their sides, and sliding along the floor.


Alright, now for the quiz:

Are these healthy?
Are these safe?
Are there any other stretches or methods I could be using to reach my goal more quickly?

[blocker]

the first thing you have to do when stretching for the splits is strech your arm out while holding the mouse and push the search button

[Camilot]

U can improve the first one by when holding on to your feets, use your elbows to push the knees closer to the ground... (hold a little higher if u can't get them down)
I wouldn't use the 3'rd one, but instead sit on the knees (while leaning forward ) and let your knees slide SLOWLY apart to the point where u can't get any further down... the more u do it, the longer u'll be able to come down...and it streches the entire groin area
But most of all...remember to BREATHE.
good luck

[Numbski]

But blocker, I don't HAVE a mouse!

Now what am I supposed to do? I mean, after all this time, thinking I was properly equipped to do the splits, and to find out that you have to have a mouse to do it.

*sniff* I'm heartbroken...

iBooks are still cool though. :P

[blocker]

ok you got me there, what to do know?

use you're mousepad, are how do you call it?

a stretch i do is one foot in front with the knee bend and the other behind, like doing the fullsplit but with the front knee bend.
this really stretches the groin.

[Dr Dave]

Check out the article referenced in this previous thread.

The Stretching Answer!!!