10 Stretching Steps For Martial Arts

Martial Arts Stretching Big Picture

Stretching is an essential element of martial arts conditioning, but it is often ignored.

Stretching not only enhances flexibility but can also assist in preventing injuries.

It’s an important part of any physical activity, and martial arts is no exception.

While martial arts movements are often dynamic and require a great deal of flexibility, stretching can help prevent injuries and improve performance.

Before we discuss the details regarding stretching and flexibility, let’s take a moment to familiarize ourselves. If you are enthusiastic about enhancing your flexibility, you probably fall into one of three types:

1. The newbie who is beginning from square one
2. The skilled martial artist who is disappointed with his or her advancement
3. The elite athlete who is searching for every advantage when it comes to flexibility

Contingent on your level of skill and knowledge, the way you go about your training and the way you employ this information will vary significantly.

If You’re Beginning From Scratch

You just started martial arts and/or are new to stretching and flexibility. You understand you need to be better in flexibility, but have no concept of where to begin. Begin with the list below:

1. Begin Gradually

Undoubtedly, you’re eager to begin, but flexibility is a long-term procedure. Accomplishing twice as much today doesn’t indicate you will advance twice as fast or even that you can do half as much tomorrow.

2. Make A Commitment

Flexibility doesn’t require a huge commitment. It’s considerably less tedious than cardio or even your standard martial arts conditioning. By giving a little dedication, it’s more likely to stick to it in the extended haul.

A sedentary lifestyle can lead to a host of health problems, but many of these problems can be prevented with regular stretching. Stretching increases flexibility, range of motion, and blood flow, and can help to prevent injuries. A commitment to stretching can also improve your overall mood and energy levels.

3. Choose One Exercise For Each Target Area

You have approximately fifteen target locations that must be stretched for martial arts workouts. Performing one exercise per target spot is acceptable, to begin with.

4. Spend At Most 15 Minutes Every Day

Anyone, regardless of how occupied, can give fifteen minutes of their day for stretching. By maintaining a smaller time commitment, it becomes difficult to create excuses for missing a stretching session. Fifteen minutes is enough time for a novice to go over the major muscle groups. If you are alternating target locations, for instance, the lower body one day and the upper body the next, you can either spend additional time on each stretch or just shorten your session from eight to ten minutes.

5. Reward Yourself

Stretching shouldn’t be a struggle. If you don’t relish it as a soothing activity in itself, reward yourself at the end of each workout. Stretching doesn’t have to be a task. In reality, it can be a very soothing exercise if you let it be. There’s no need to struggle through a stretching routine day after day if you don’t relish it. Rather, find something to reward yourself for stretching. This could mean setting aside some time each day to stretch in a quiet room with something soothing playing in the background. Or it could mean allowing yourself to take a break from your routine and doing some gentle stretches after a long day at work. Whatever form it takes, make sure that stretching is something you look forward to rather than something you dread.

6. Get educated

Learn more about how stretching works, which movements are worthwhile and which are dangerous, how to use flexibility in your martial arts training, and how to increase the intensity as you advance. Our Stretching and Flexibility articles are an ideal place to start.

There are a lot of different ways to stretch, and it can be confusing to know which stretches are beneficial for you. It’s important to read up on how stretching works before you start doing any exercises so that you can avoid doing any harm to your body.

Generally speaking, stretching is most effective when it is done slowly and smoothly. ballistic stretching (stretching with sudden movements) can be harmful, so it’s best to avoid that. There are a lot of different exercises that can be beneficial, but some of the most common ones are calf stretches, hamstring curls, and quadriceps stretches.

To get the most out of your stretching routine, it’s important to apply the stretch correctly. Make sure that you warm up first so that your muscles are loose and more receptive to stretching.

7. Make One Or Two Short Term Goals

Temporary objectives are effortless to complete and will cause you to feel like you’re advancing right from the beginning. Immediately take a minute to set a goal of precisely how frequently and how much you’ll stretch. Note it down using definite terms and pictures. For instance, “Beginning today, I will stretch for fifteen minutes daily just before breakfast.” If you require assistance making objectives as you advance, our planning articles have several practical techniques.

8. Assess Your Improvement Frequently

Occasionally, flexibility conditioning can be frustrating because the effects are difficult to calculate. Select a few exercises to monitor your gains. Static stretches like the hamstring stretch, standing toe touch, and side bend perform well for novices. As you advance, measuring your improvement within the frame of your martial arts training will become more meaningful to you, but for the time being, just concentrate on a few easy-tracking exercises.

9. Don’t Be Disheartened If You Plateau

Achieving a plateau, a time at which you get jammed for a short time is expected. Don’t allow a plateau to dissuade you. Rather, notice that it is your body’s manner of saying, “Hey, I’m waiting for your next challenge, and I’m ready!”

10. Remain Within Your Scope

If you are partaking in martial arts lessons, it may be attractive to mimic the moves you see more experienced students doing or to skip ahead and begin doing PNF stretches straight away. Regrettably, this is more viable to induce setbacks than advancements in your flexibility. While static stretching can appear dull and low-tech, it is a harmless and adequate means of stretching for a novice. In time, as long as you remain injury free and advance steadily, you’ll be the one that the new students are keen to mimic.