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Martial arts is a dynamic sport. It allows its practitioners to stand up to oppression and defend themselves and others.
As the popularity of martial arts grew, it evolved into multiple disciplines and crossed over to other sparring sports.
Different martial artists practice martial arts for different reasons. Some do it for competition and money, others pursue it for their love and passion for the sport.
The devoted martial artists believe that other than physical and mental strength, martial arts tend to provide spiritual strength as well.
Though the reason behind practicing martial arts may vary, all martial artists have one thing in common: flexibility.
Types of Martial Arts & Why They Require Flexibility?
Flexibility improves muscle strength and balance. It helps to protect the musculoskeletal system from tears and strain.
All types of martial arts require a certain range of motion and fluid movements. Hence a healthy and flexible musculoskeletal system is required.
Here is how different martial arts utilize flexibility to their advantage:
● Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-Jitsu fighters have to be quick and efficient in their movements. With stiff muscles and joints, it is hardly possible. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a defensive-oriented gentle art.
It involves ground fighting, takedowns, and submission techniques. For this reason, All these fighting techniques require flexibility and agility.
BJJ athletes should have greater flexibility to sweep their opponents, escape submission attacks, resist takedowns, and apply chokeholds.
It will help them to immobilize their opponents with different back and guard positions.
Moreover, the jiu-jitsu submission techniques involve multiple joint locks and chokeholds.
Flexible joints and muscles tend to have less damage from these locks and hold. Hence for a lesser risk of injury, the BJJ fighters need to be flexible.
● MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA) or caged fighting was originally called the Vale Tudo.
This form of martial arts has borrowed the fighting techniques of other martial arts and involves full contact with the opponents.
The fighting techniques include grappling, ground fighting, takedowns, striking, BJJ-inspired submission techniques and clinch holds.
Hence MMA fighters need to have the optimal amount of flexibility to do well in mixed martial arts.
The kicks, strikes and grappling need a full range of motion and maximum expansion and contraction of muscles.
Inflexible muscles and joints performing these techniques will suffer severe damage.
● Taekwondo
Taekwondo is an Olympic sport. To execute powerful and long strokes in Taekwondo, flexibility is indispensable.
Moreover, taekwondo training and competitive bouts involve kicks, high jumps, spinning jumps, and flips that are even more difficult to perform if you are inflexible.
For this reason, the training sessions of taekwondo emphasize stretching for greater flexibility.
● Muay Thai
The secret to the success of all Muay Thai fighters is flexibility. The more flexible a fighter the more effective his fighting technique becomes.
Every Muay Thai practitioner dedicates extra time to stretching to increase their flexibility. The fundamental fighting techniques of Muay Thai include high kicks, low kicks, and push kicks.
There is a great risk of suffering from a torn or pulled muscle when making these kicks.
Only flexible, nimble leg muscles can perform such moves without injury. Hence flexibility is extremely important in Muay Thai.
● Judo
Although judo is a defense-oriented martial art, flexibility in judo is supremely important otherwise some serious injuries are guaranteed.
Flexibility-enhancing exercises are included in the training routines of all Judo fighters.
The fighting techniques of Judo are divided into three main categories.
- Grappling (Katame Waza)
- Striking (Atami Waza)
- Throwing (Nage Waza)
To escape the attacks based on these techniques or to execute these techniques successfully the fighter’s joints and muscles should be flexible or they can suffer injuries.
The most common judo injuries include sprain or contusions of knees, shoulders, and elbows.
● Karate
To practice karate, developing endurance and flexibility is of the utmost importance. Unlike judo, karate is an attack-oriented martial art and involves an extreme range of motion.
The aggressive nature of this sport demands flexible muscles and joints.
● Kickboxing
A hybrid Japanese martial art, kickboxing includes different fighting techniques adapted from Karate and Muay Thai.
Agility, endurance, and muscle strength are the main attributes of kickboxers. These physical attributes require a great deal of flexibility.
The kickboxing bouts involve kicking, striking, and defending attacks.
Therefore, it is equally important to have a flexible upper and lower body. Effective strikes and kicks require a full range of motion in the hip.
Before getting on with the real game, the kickboxers undergo various hip and shoulder stretching sessions.
Types of Martial Arts Flexibility
There are three main types of flexibility required for martial arts that can be developed through training.
Static Active Flexibility
Active or static active flexibility is the ability of a joint, muscle, or group of muscles to move through a range of motion and holds that range in a static position without any external help or support.
Active flexibility is the most essential type of flexibility required to perform well in all martial arts and as result, the range of your attack is also increased
Dynamic Flexibility
Dynamic flexibility is a type of active flexibility. A joint, muscle, or group of muscles can move through a range of motion without holding that position.
Similar to active static flexibility, dynamic flexibility indicates the stretching capacity of a joint or muscle without any external help or support.
Dynamic flexibility is extremely important in martial arts.
Passive Flexibility
Passive flexibility means the ability of a joint, muscle, or group of muscles to move through a range of motion with some external support or help.
It is critical in all martial arts to achieve higher flexibility to improve their range of motion which helps to perform better during matches.
A greater emphasis is laid on passive flexibility training by karate instructors. It will help to improve Active flexibility over the course of training.
How to Become More Flexible for Martial Arts?
From the above discussion, it is well established that all martial arts disciplines require a certain level of flexibility, and now let’s discuss how to improve your overall flexibility.
Active Stretching
Active stretching is the best method to enhance flexibility in martial arts. It prepares you for the main training by warming up your muscles.
In active stretching, the antagonistic muscles support each other to move through a range of motion and hold that range without external support.
Here are some examples of active stretches:
- Arm stretch (Bicep and tricep stretch)
- Warrior 2 yoga pose
- Cobra pose
- Calf stretch
- Hamstring Stretch
Passive Stretching
In passive stretching, you maintain your position for some time. The whole body is relaxed and the target muscles are subjected to external pressure.
An athlete can use his/her hands, belt, or other equipment to stretch a muscle.
Stretching your leg against a wall or a ledge is assisted stretch and over the period you can improve your active flexibility with passive stretching.
Many Trainers highly recommend passive stretching to newcomers.
Here are some more exercises you can try.
- Butterfly stretch
- Child’s pose
- Neck stretch
- Quad stretch
- Backstretch
Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching (widely used as a pre-workout routine) involves slow movements that would gently extend the muscles through a range of motion. Unlike ballistic stretching (discussed infra), there are no jerky or harsh movements in dynamic stretching.
On the other hand, dynamic stretching is different from active stretching because the athlete is constantly moving and not retaining position.
It is also known as Movement-based stretching and it involves no force and uses the muscles themselves to stretch.
Here are some exercises for dynamic stretching.
- Slow Arm and Leg Circles
- Push-Ups
- Squats
- Jump Lunges
- Spinal Rotations
- Glute Bridge
- Hip Flexors
Isometric Stretching
Isometric stretching is a static stretch that involves the isometric contraction of stretched muscles. An isometric contraction involves the resistance of a muscle group due to the tightening of stretched muscles.
Martial artists begin an isometric stretch with a passive stretch. Once in a passive stretching position, only three easy steps are involved:
- Tighten the stretched muscle
- Hold the position for a few seconds
- Relax the stretched muscle.
- Repeat
Isometric stretching is the fastest way of developing flexibility required for martial arts.
Ballistic Stretching
Ballistic stretching is similar to dynamic stretching, but it involves fast bouncing movements to extend the muscles beyond their normal range of motion. Whereas dynamic stretching does not extend muscles beyond their normal range.
Although ballistic stretching is usually not recommended due to its forceful nature.
In martial arts, ballistic stretching is used to jump and kick high. Here are some examples of ballistic stretching:
- Standing Lunge
- Sitting Toe Stretch
- Standing Toe Stretch
- Shoulder Rotations
- Swinging exercises for arms, chest, and legs
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation uses human reflexes and deep muscle stretches and isometric contraction for increased flexibility. PNF is quite effective in increasing hamstring and glute muscle flexibility, both of which are extremely important in martial arts. Moreover, PNF enhances endurance, muscle length, and strength and also reduces the risk of martial arts injuries.
Don’ts of Martial Arts Flexibility Training
Increasing awareness about the benefits of different martial arts is encouraging more people to start martial arts training. All martial arts require flexibility and this flexibility training provides the following physical and mental benefits to their practitioners:
- Improved muscle health
- Endurance and agility
- Stress release for improved mental health
- Improved focus
- Better physical performance
The best part is that anyone can increase their flexibility through adequate training. But don’t overdo it. Here are some limitations of flexibility in a martial art that you must not overlook.
- Serious injuries
- Arthritis or other diseases of bones and joints
- Obesity
- More muscle mass
- Genetics
These factors can affect your flexibility. For this reason, don’t be frustrated if you are unable to develop a certain level of flexibility within your desired time frame. You will get there eventually. Perseverance, dedication, and consistency are key.
Takeaway
Flexibility is an important aspect of all types of physical activities. The same applies to martial arts. All martial arts techniques require precision, strength, and a range of motion that comes with a flexible body.
The effectiveness of a fighter’s fighting style and attack depends on how flexible he/she is. As flexible martial artists can execute these techniques more easily. That’s why you will never find an inflexible martial artist. As martial arts are not possible without flexibility.
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