Ever wondered if you need to be able to do the splits just to start a martial art? Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that when it comes to Shorinji Kempo, while flexibility is certainly a bonus, it’s far from the most important thing!
Flexibility: Not the Be-All and End-All!
Many people imagine martial artists as incredibly agile, capable of gravity-defying kicks and contortions. And while some martial arts might lean into that, Shorinji Kempo has a different approach. We focus on a varied and balanced system that doesn’t demand extensive conditioning, strength training, or techniques that rely on raw power or athleticism. Instead, our art uses scientifically-grounded principles of balance, leverage, momentum, and accuracy to help you effectively defend yourself.
This means you absolutely don’t need to be super fit or incredibly flexible to start. Our classes are designed so everyone can train to their own level. The “power” in Shorinji Kempo comes from precision and speed, not brute muscle, so it’s perfectly suitable for anyone, regardless of their body type, fitness level, or age. Our teachers, like Sensei Nicki, understand how to make the moves work even if you’re smaller or shorter, proving that technique trumps raw physical attributes. It’s about learning how to use your body to its best potential, whatever its individual properties.
Where Flexibility Does Lend a Helping Hand
While not a strict requirement, improving your flexibility can definitely enhance your martial arts journey. It plays a role in helping to prevent injury. Plus, a good range of motion helps with techniques in both the ‘hard’ (Goho) and ‘soft’ (Juho) ways of Shorinji Kempo. For instance, better flexibility can assist in performing dodges and deflections more effectively in Goho, helping you avoid an attacker’s strength rather than meeting force with force. It can also aid in the continuous contact movements of Juho, such as escapes from grabs, throws, and pins.
Bending into Better Habits: How to Improve Your Flexibility
So you’ve decided that being more flexible would help. The great news is that improving your flexibility is a natural part of training in Shorinji Kempo. It isn’t something you target with isolated, intense drills, but rather it’s an integrated and natural outcome of the varied and balanced training system.
Every Shorinji Kempo training session begins with a warm-up, known as Taiso. These warm-ups specifically include stretching to prevent injury. By regularly participating in these Taiso, you are consistently and gently working on improving your range of motion. This builds a fundamental level of flexibility over time, without it feeling like a separate, strenuous chore.
While Shorinji Kempo does not demand high kicks initially, the practice of Goho (hard techniques like punches and kicks) can enhance your flexibility. As you practice the techniques, your body will naturally develop the flexibility needed to achieve these specific angles and distances for effective strikes and kicks. The consistent repetition and focus on technique, rather than brute force, gradually improves your range of motion.
The Juho (soft techniques) involve continuous contact with an opponent, focusing on escapes from grabs, throws, and pins. These techniques rely on principles such as balance, leverage, and timing. The fluid, continuous nature of these movements, which aim to exploit an opponent’s momentum and balance, inherently requires and builds flexibility in your joints and muscles to maintain control and perform the techniques effectively.
Shorinji Kempo also incorporates Seiho (healing and resuscitation techniques), which are based on traditional Chinese medicine meridians. Seiho can be used to relax tense muscles and involves joint manipulations and massage. While primarily used to help others, the understanding and practice of Seiho can contribute to reducing physical tension in your own body, thereby improving your overall range of motion and joint health.
As you continue your training journey, you’ll find that consistent, structured practice is essential for progress. You’ll be matched with people at your own level and given one-to-one instruction as needed, ensuring you learn more complicated movements slowly at first. This gradual, mindful practice naturally builds your physical capabilities, including flexibility.
Beyond the Dojo: Life-Long Benefits
The physical benefits of improved flexibility extend far beyond your martial arts practice, enriching your everyday life too. Enhanced flexibility contributes to better joint health and improved mobility, which are particularly beneficial for people of all ages, including seniors.
Beyond the physical, Shorinji Kempo is a holistic system that trains both mind and body. Techniques like Seiho (therapeutic acupressure massage) are part of our teaching, which can help to de-stress someone or relax tense muscles. While Seiho is applied to others, the overall emphasis on body awareness and health within Kempo training fosters a greater connection to your own physical well-being, contributing to less tension and better relaxation in daily life.
Ultimately, whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced practitioner, Shorinji Kempo offers a welcoming environment where you can develop practical self-defence skills, build confidence, and improve your physical capabilities in a balanced way, without needing to be a contortionist!