[Coach Couzo]

Graciemag.com gives 20 tips to enhance your play in their recent Jiu-Jitsu manual (http://www.graciemag.com/?c=149&a=2913). Read #15:

Stretch!
Ever since he was a kid, Antonio Schembri has been used to stretching daily. And he never complained, unlike his opponents, whom, in time and practice, he began to submit in the most varied ways. “I’m very flexible, so I always take a strong session before and after training. Some people are stiffer, they don’t like it, but stretching is essential, especially the bottom half, legs, spine and lumbar,” says the Chute Boxe athlete. According to “Elvis,” stretching is vital even for improving the guard. “What I realize in competitions, even black-belts’, is that everybody gets along well on top, but not everyone can keep a good guard. So besides stretching, which improves the de-passing, the athlete must set up a schedule and program himself and persist in training every single variation, butterfly guard, closed guard, with inside hooks… You can’t let the guy cross the knee line, or else you’ll have to pull something out of your ass to stop the guy from passing,” Schembri teaches.

In many more traditional martial arts, flexibility is vital. As a kid, I remember spending many hours stretching in order to develop high dynamic kicks (they used to look pretty, now? – not so much). Most TMA schools that I’ve watched place a high value on stretching, but what about BJJ, Judo, and other grappling arts? My BJJ school does not stretch (as a class), does yours?

[VampireMonk]

flexibility is not just good for grappling but also for reducing stress,
that is why Yoga people stretch.

when your stressed out, stretch a lot.

get into an argument with your wife or gf? stretch tons!!!
you'll feel much better and make up and take her to a nice restaurant
and be less selfish, you will be selfless like water.

[Fight_Song]

stretch is guud.

[Hamit Aktas]

Damn I used to hate stretching. All you have to do it get used to it. And it won't as much of a problem anymore. But still, I really hated it in the beginning. And the pain you feel is worse then getting hit in the face. It's that retarded pain. Like getting a cut on your finger or something. It doesn't feel as bad when getting punched in the face, or dropping 15's on your foot when working out (no that has never happend).

I've already got very flexible hips. If I put my arm between my legs and under my knee, I can put the bottom of my knee ontop of my shoulder. Stuff like that. But I can't do the splits. I'm STILL kinda lazy when it comes to streching.

[Kawlinz]

I'm very flexible when bringing my knees towards my head... I can put my legs behind my head quite easily.. even easier if I didn't have my gut

[SmashiusClay]

I used to be able to do the splits, but some bastard landed on me playing rugby and my left knee was out of comission for about 2 months and I've never bothered to stretch to that degree again. But I'm suprised to hear that some bjj schools dont put much of an emphasis on stretching, both my sombo and judo schools take stretching pretty seriously.

[Foolkiller]

Yes. Only with legs out to the sides, not James Brown one in front one behind style.

[OpethDrums]

stretching is the opposite of flexing..

[Gregster]

Originally Posted by Superbeast

Yes. Only with legs out to the sides, not James Brown one in front one behind style.

I'm the opposite.

I like having some flexibility (quite a bit more than I should have for my somatatype) and from what I've heard from folks I know who train BJJ, it's an asset. Though I can think of no athletic endeavor where it' not.

[ClubberLange]

can do the james brown ones, still a way to go straddle style though