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Although not many people can perform the splits, most people can achieve it with determination, patience and regular practice. It is not however, essential for martial artists to be able to do the splits, but it does have some good advantages.
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This page is dedicated to the teachers / students of ZOKU who can succesfully perform the box splits. Any person who can achieve this will be presented with one of our special certificates and receive a special achievement badge.
Leyah: 7th October 2012
Revae: 1st November 2012
Erin: 6th August 2013
Amber: 18th March 2015
Hannah: 12th June 2015
Ellen: 14th February 2016
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Samuel 7th August 2018
Caitlin 27th April 2020
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BOX Splits
Box / Side splits are executed by extending the legs to the left and right of the torso. Side splits are called straddle splits or middle splits in dance and yoga, and may be referred to as Chinese splits or box splits in martial arts. Other names for side splits are center splits.
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The Box splits improve your flexibility, allowing you to deliver short-ranged high kicks. But the most important aspect of gaining this type of flexibility through stretching in the splits is not neccessarily to kick high, but to extend your reach horizontally at the body level, or to the groin and knee. Also, being able execute head level kicks in practice, makes body level kicks in combat flow with ease, and less restriction on the muscles, therefore allowing them to be faster, and more powerful.
When executing a split, the lines defined by the inner thighs of the legs form an angle of approximately 180 degrees. This large angle significantly stretches, and therefore demonstrates excellent flexibility of, the hamstring and ilio muscles. Consequently, splits are often used as a stretching exercise to warm up and enhance the flexibility of leg muscles
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