Rating: 
Summary: Good book for martial artists
Review: I purchased this book and read it all the way through. I started toward the end of February and followed the advice on stretching. Right now as of March 13, I think, I am only about two inches from the floor in doing the front split and my kicks are much higher and more controllable. I'd recommend this book to any student of the martial arts. The only drawback I found was that some of the instructions were a little bit difficult to understand. Therefore read the book all the way through before you start and make sure you follow the advice exactly as it is stated. I'm still working on my side split but I'm making progress.
Rating: 
Summary: Stretching Scientifically yields phenomenal results
Review: I read this book several years ago after starting martial arts training in my later 30's. Prior to following the methods of Stretching Scientifically, I had slightly better than average flexibility. In less than 6 months after reading this book, and most importantly, actually following its methods, I could do the full splits in all 3 directions while simultaneously flattening my body to the ground. Now at 40, I've maintained the stretch, and take full advantage of it in martial arts. I've trained with some great world-renowned martial artists, but have not met anybody who understands stretching the way Thomas Kurz does. This is a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Author knows his topic, but fails to convey content clearly
Review: It is obvious once you are done reading this book that the author has a strong grasp of the science of stretching. There are good stretching techniques mentioned in the book, complete with exercise plans depending on your sport and an Question/Answer section. However, the book reads more like a technical thesis than something intended for a non-medical audience. For a book that is past its third revision, the pictures HAVE to be updated from grainy black-and-white and confusing stick figures. Finally, one can't help thinking less of the author when he peppers his writing with comments that show a lack of understanding of existing martial art stretching techniques. There is much that can be improved in this book. If you don't mind spending the money (it's more expensive than it should be) then you'll find some helpful ideas, but not much more.
Rating:
Summary: A deep-into-the-matter guide to stretching!
Review: Kurz's book is probably the best book on stretching available. It explaines how muscles work, what you do to them by stretching and the correct order of stretching exercises which is very, very important to get any results from stretching. I'm using his method (warm-up, dynamic stretching, work out, active static stretching, passiv static stretching and finally isometric stretching- in that very order!) for 3 months now and I'm very close to the full side split. His method works, believe me. It's not true you can't see what routine to choose, the exercises are divided into stretches for different parts of the body. So if you desire the side split use the routines leading to the sidesplit daily as described. I'm pretty sure anyone can do the full split in less than one year using Kurz's advice.
Rating:
Summary: Stretching for the Splits.
Review: One of the first things that I've noticed about this book is the high quality photos used to show the exercises, unlike the line-drawings most other stretching books use. This book is for the person who wants to get results quickly and will stick to doing a set of exercises over a few months. The book is realy divided into 3 parts- the first part goes into detail about the biological aspects of stretching and flexibility. The second part shows in detail the exercises (grouped by body-part), and unlike most other books, the results of the exercises (side,front splits etc.). The third part has a Q & A section and workout plans for sports. Having started the exercises I've found them quite demanding but, there is only 1 or 2 exercises for each body part. Having said that, I have no problem believing that the exercises are effective and will continue to use them in my exercise program.
Rating:
Summary: The best book on stretching ever.
Review: Provides strait-forward, practical, step-by-step instruction in a stretching method that provides miraculous results instantly.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit pricey for what it is.
Review: The book is a paperback and all of 122 pages of reading, of which 52 pages are dedicated to pictures. I do feel that the pictures are extremely useful, however I feel the book is way overpriced for what it is. There are another 24 pages dedicated to a question and answer section. The beginning of the book talks in great detail of physiology (16 pages)-although this is important information, I don't feel that the average reader would gain much benefit from it as it is very technical. Although I feel that the information provided is useful, I also find it very hard to read. I find myself doing "homework" for the book- looking up the terminology to better understand what it is he is talking about. I am an RN and still had trouble following the book. I found a basic plan for the workout that is designed by me, for me, using his theory and techniques, but not without doing a lot of research on my own. I feel the author should write books specific to the sport at hand, i.e. track and field, gymnastics, martial arts, baseball, etc. and get more detailed about the specific workouts for that sport. Also it would be nice if he would talk more in laymens terms. He frequently sends the reader to one of his other books or videos to read. The question and answer section in the last chapter does this a lot. So in conclusion, the book is okay, it has valuable information. One should read it at least twice to absorb the information and have a dictionary and pen and paper by their side. I did do an outline of important points for my own understanding. There are about 30 pages of "meat" that is very helpful. So it is up to the consumer if they want to pay 18.95 plus shipping for 30 pages of useful information. The pictures are very helpful--the book wouldn't make sense without them, so I suppose we could include those as well. Okay, 82 pages of "meat".
Rating:
Summary: A bit pricey for what it is.
Review: The book is a paperback and all of 122 pages of reading, of which 52 pages are dedicated to pictures. I do feel that the pictures are extremely useful, however I feel the book is way overpriced for what it is. There are another 24 pages dedicated to a question and answer section. The beginning of the book talks in great detail of physiology (16 pages)-although this is important information, I don't feel that the average reader would gain much benefit from it as it is very technical. Although I feel that the information provided is useful, I also find it very hard to read. I find myself doing "homework" for the book- looking up the terminology to better understand what it is he is talking about. I am an RN and still had trouble following the book. I found a basic plan for the workout that is designed by me, for me, using his theory and techniques, but not without doing a lot of research on my own. I feel the author should write books specific to the sport at hand, i.e. track and field, gymnastics, martial arts, baseball, etc. and get more detailed about the specific workouts for that sport. Also it would be nice if he would talk more in laymens terms. He frequently sends the reader to one of his other books or videos to read. The question and answer section in the last chapter does this a lot. So in conclusion, the book is okay, it has valuable information. One should read it at least twice to absorb the information and have a dictionary and pen and paper by their side. I did do an outline of important points for my own understanding. There are about 30 pages of "meat" that is very helpful. So it is up to the consumer if they want to pay 18.95 plus shipping for 30 pages of useful information. The pictures are very helpful--the book wouldn't make sense without them, so I suppose we could include those as well. Okay, 82 pages of "meat".
Rating:
Summary: Requires sweat to extract the info.
Review: The book isn't well-organized, and that might not be Kurz's
fault. I'm sure his training is valid and scientifically tested;
I have little doubt that the techniques work and there is an
underlying logic to the book; I've used similar methods
successfully for years in some form or another. First, the beginning science is padding, filler. You don't need
to know, in so much depth, how stretching works unless you're a
medical student. The rest of book is tantalizingly close to giving you a
stretching routine you can adapt, but fails to do bring you
to a worksheet or methodology. Kurz gives four sample regimens
for stretching but does not delineate a complete routine using
all four methods. There are some routines near the end of the book that purport to be sport-specific. A better version of this book would show all the stretches, in the order you might perform them (especially in grouping them), and then charting sports and the stretches that might benefit the most. Three stars for potential and content. A solid rewrite could put
this book over the top. And I can't understand the five-star
reviews of this book, but my guess is a good mix of genetics and
luck, plus no exposure whatsoever to a disciplined approach to
stretching, might explain it. I'd recommend it for folks who have never approached stretching
in a disciplined manner before, or have not had good instruction
in training methods that use stretching.
Rating:
Summary: Stretching Scientifically: A User Review
Review: The techniques taught in this book are effective, and that is beyond dispute. I have personally benefitted from their use,even though I am 57 years old. I do wish, however, that Kurz had made the valuable information more easily accessible. The way the exercises are grouped is somewhat confusing, as the same exercises are duplicated in three of the four sections. It is not clear whether one should practise one, two,three or four types of exercise in one session or what. It is nearly useless to the general reader to have the latin names of the stretched muscles given at the end of the description of the techniques. Since that is information which may only be of use to specialists of one sort or another, then it would be far more valuable if Kurz had put that information in an Appendix, there indicating which exercises stretched which muscles or groups, so if someone knew that he wished to stretch the psoas, for example, they could turn it up in the index, and speedily identify the stretches needed. The book is unfortunately forbidding in its print size and vocabulary. Its illogical structure makes it difficult to access the important technique information it contains.I have no doubt it would be most useful to specialist trainers, who would have the needed patience to wade through the technical information, but the general reader who wants to learn how to improve his stretching is not facilitated by its weight of displayed leaning. If a re-write is needed, (the material really does deserve a wider audience) then I would like to offer my services in the endeavour. W K Alleyne
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