I am 44 yrs old and just started TKD last January. Wasnt much on the stretching before and try to really get most out of my body but cant seem the get much of a wide V and really try get all of my butterflys but any thing i do where my legs go to the side hurt in the bending portion of my hip. Have no issues with front kicks etc. Starting on hook kicks now and it is just uncomfortable. Any ideas of what to try? Any info is appreciated, hate to give it up but i am hard on myself and cant stand to under perform. THX!!

Hello jweston54:

A bold step to take! Wonderful...

Any chance we can get you to post a link(s) showing us the precise-specific techniques you are having trouble/problems with?

The body is connected, our parts are far more connected than most ever realize. The typical "butterfly" requires lower back & hip musculature "disengagement". Meaning, if they are tight, no matter what else your muscles, mechanics are doing correctly, if the hips, and back muscles are tight/normally contracted you will not access the muscles you want to use in the butterfly.

Any chance you are rolling/rounding your shoulders, upper back rather than bending from the hip? Have you put firm cushions, pillows under your hips to raise them up 4-6 inches so you can
short-circuit, ignore the "problem area" for the immediate moment?

Try www.Yogajournal.com and explore their articles and video clips section of "asana". There is a style of Hatha-Yoga which is called "Iyengar Yoga" which is disparigingly called ~prop yoga~ by some. Sometimes different props can help you achieve the particular stretch(es) until your muscles let go, and uncontract back to their healthy, and proper state.

Guarantee the stretches shown below will get the muscles you are after, specifically the piriformis and IT (Ileotibial band) stretches in particular.
http://endurancesports.com/itbs.asp

You cannot rush this, that is not how it works. No matter how hard you work, and try to "force" the issue (literally) will contract, and microtear your soft tissues even more. You have to give yourself the time to isolate the muscles you're after, identify them, and then slowly disengage the ones that don't need to be involved in whatever stretch/technique.

Rush this and you will get hurt... so do not!
Jeff

Just read an interesting article about this exact issue. Here is the link (http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=13). The solution seems to be tilting your pelvis forward so that a part of your fermur (leg bone) does not push against the hip bone.

Good luck.

Good find!