Seminars on Combining Strength and Flexibility Training
Three weeks ago I returned from a business trip to Poland.
In my time free from business meetings, I gave two seminars on combining strength and flexibility training.
Those seminars were organized by Dariusz Nowicki, member of the Technical Committee of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), trainer of the best Taekwondo club in Poland, sports psychologist, and author of Gold Medal Mental Workout. They were hosted in the city of Olsztyn by a sports federation of the northeastern region of Poland (Warminsko-Mazurska Federacja Sportu) and attended by its sports instructors.
The first seminar was attended exclusively by instructors of combat sports and martial arts (including MMA); the second by instructors of various sports, from combat sports to track and field.
At both seminars participants exercised with me—because there is no knowing without doing. During and after the seminars I answered questions, but only from those who exercised along with me—because only those who do may ask sensible questions about the doing.
By the way, whenever I travel to Europe and back to the USA, I do not experience jet lag at all—neither when there nor when back in the USA (there is a six-hour difference between Central Europe and Vermont). I follow the advice in Science of Sports Training and adjust to local time within the first day after landing. By this I mean that I go to bed at my usual time and get up early in the morning ready to go.
Request for help:
One of our authors and my friend, Piotr Drabik, has disappeared in September of 2006 after he landed on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaii, where he was seen on airport security cameras. He arrived there from Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), through Salt Lake City, Utah, and Honolulu, Hawaii. We (his friends at Stadion Publishing) were assisting in the investigation of his disappearance. The investigation was ineffective and eventually the case was dropped by all involved authorities.
If you have seen him on or after September of 2006, or know anything about his whereabouts, please e-mail us at infoATstadionDOTcom.
More about Piotr Drabik and his disappearance is at www.stadion.com/author_drabikp.html
Filed under: Flexibility and Stretching, Strength Training for Sports and Martial Arts | 8 Comments
Tags: exercises, Flexibility, jet lag, Piotr Drabik, seminar, strength, Thomas Kurz
Will there be any video of these seminars in a similar fashion as your previous seminars on stretching and kicking?
Dear Mr Kurz,
I second Vlad, would be great if there were a video. Moreover, I’d love to attend one of your seminars in Europe if that’s possible!
All the best & I hope your shoulder is getting better and better!
Vlad,
I don’t know whether I will release videos of those seminars, because I have not seen them yet. The seminars were videotaped by a local TV crew, in the PAL system (European video system), and the recordings have yet to be converted to NTSC (the American system). I should receive the converted video in about ten days (everything takes long time when you live in the sticks, as I do).
Oliver,
I was thinking about notifying you and others on Stadion’s list about the seminars, but the seminars were done on a short notice and in a out-of-the-way city (no airport, no high-speed train), that it didn’t make sense.
But we can talk about organizing another seminar, either in Central Europe or in USA or Canada.
The shoulder is getting better, I can do so-so back bridges. Thanks for asking.
Mr Kurz,
thank you so much, that would be awesome!
Glad that your shoulder is making progress! 🙂
Sounds good, it would be great to see the seminars done with instructors of varying combat sport disciplines. This is something interesting that we haven’t yet seen from Stadion and would be a new way to see and learn the combination of flexibility and rational strength training. Just letting you know I would be very interested. Is there any focus on more specific movements and training towards combat sports or is it all very general?
The seminar was focused on increasing static passive ROM, strength, and even correcting posture—all at the same time. The exercises presented are both general and specific. They are general to all sports because no mater what sport, athletes’ anatomy and physiology is still human anatomy and physiology. They are also specific, because different athletes may choose to focus their efforts on different movements, increasing ROM or strength of different parts of their body. For example, some athletes may focus on increasing or maintaining ROM of their hips, while others may focus on ROM of their arms, etc. I gave some examples of dynamic stretches sport-specific for kickers and for grapplers—nothing new. If you have read the definition of dynamic stretching in Stretching Scientifically, you know how to design such stretches for any sport.
Mr. Kurz,
Are there any seminars planned in the United States for your methods? Enjoyed your site very much and I have purchased your book. Thanks Scott
No seminars anywhere in this year–I had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection done in my shoulder recently and I can’t stress my arm for a few weeks. But, if I find enough time, I might release a DVD with seminars I conducted earlier this year.