Importance of Stretching

 

In order to live a healthy life and to keep fit and stay in shape you have to necessarily practice some kind of exercises. Exercise is in fact a necessity and any improper forms of exercises can do damage to your body especially if you are engaged in activities like martial arts.

Martial arts is a special kind of training that uses many specific and advanced techniques to gain control of your body and mind to be able to defend against any possible attack.  You will face your enemy without much warning and your success depends entirely on your skill to anticipate your opponent s next move and take corrective actions to counter them.

Martial arts should only be practiced with the assistance of a well trained capable instructor or practitioner as Martial arts will demand a well-coordinated body and mind. This is important in order to prevent unnecessary injury while training. In order to achieve results you need to keep your body flexible and to achieve this you need to do stretching routines on a daily basis.

 

Once you start with your regular martial arts stretching, you will feel all your muscles getting more relaxed and flexible getting you warmed up for doing any martial activities. Stretching after your training can help you to cool down and release any tension in your muscles.

 

If you are a regular martial arts performer, then it is a must for you to practice martial arts stretching before and after your regular sessions. You may be aware that martial art is totally based on reflexes and in the event of your muscles not cooperating with you in your drills, t you may injure your tendons and ligaments.

 

To begin with, any martial art classes will in fact start only with important stretching exercises which may take from 15 minutes to 1 hour depending upon the type of martial arts you are planning on learning. Please make it a point to do your martial arts stretching only with a qualified instructor to prevent any unnecessary injuries.

 

In martial arts, whatever tradition or style you happen to follow, the importance of stretching and developing an improved level of flexibility is even greater. There are two main reasons why it is so important - because many techniques such as high kicks cannot be performed at all unless you have the requisite level of flexibility, and because a great deal of stress can be put on the tendons and ligaments of your joints during martial arts training and most particularly during an actual fight, and a good program of stretching will serve to increase the strength of your tendons and ligaments as well as increasing your flexibility.

 

Although I do not have the space on this single page to run through a complete training regime I will assume that anyone reading this will be a student of martial arts and will therefore have already learned a few stretching exercises as part of the training at their club or dojo, so I will focus here on some general principles to help you gain the most you possibly can from your stretching

 

 

1.    When doing your stretching as part of an all round training session you should consider dividing it into two sets, one to be performed at the beginning of the session as part of your warm up and one later on in the session, perhaps right at the end. Often stretching is used purely as part of the warm up, but like any other physical training if you want to get the most benefit from your flexibility exercises then you should already be warmed up before you do them. Dividing it into two means you can still get the benefits of using these exercises as part of your warm up routine, but you will also be able to push yourself further and make greater gains whilst performing them later on in your training session.

 

2.    A short 5 minute stretching routine first thing in the morning can make a big difference. You should notice a significant improvement in flexibility throughout the whole day.

 

3.    Don't forget to loosen up your joints as well as the muscles. Spending 2-3 minutes doing this before you go on to do your stretching helps you to push yourself further without pain and the risk of injury. Circling the hips, putting your hands on your knees and moving them in circles and swinging the arms around are all examples of quick and easy exercises to help loosen up the joints.

 

4.    Introduce as much variety as you possibly can into your routine. Don't just stick with one, or even two exercises for each muscle group. This doesn't mean that you have to do a massive number of exercises every time you train - you can use one per muscle group in an individual session, as long as you do something different in your next session, and then something different again the time after that. This is important because no single exercise can replicate the wide range of movements, each with a different stress pattern that you would experience during a fight. The more variety you put in the better you will be prepared to deal with any situation effectively and without the risk of injuring yourself.

 

Stretching is the deliberate lengthening of muscles in order to increase muscle flexibility and joint range of motion. Stretching activities are an important part of any exercise or rehabilitation program. They help warm the body up prior to activity thus decreasing the risk of injury as well as muscle soreness.

The benefits of stretching are many and have been proven through various studies over time. Stretching benefits people of all ages, and is intended for the young as well as the elderly population.

 

According to the Clinical studies, the top five benefits of stretching include:

 

·         Increased flexibility and joint range of motion:
Flexible muscles can improve your daily performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus become easier and less tiring. Flexibility tends to diminish as you get older, but you can regain and maintain it.

·         Improved circulation:
Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Blood flowing to your muscles brings nourishment and gets rid of waste by-products in the muscle tissue. Improved circulation can help shorten your recovery time if you've had any muscle injuries.

·         Better posture:
Frequent stretching can help keep your muscles from getting tight, allowing you to maintain proper posture. Good posture can minimize discomfort and keep aches and pains at a minimum.

·         Stress relief:
Stretching relaxes tight, tense muscles that often accompany stress.

·         Enhanced coordination:
Maintaining the full range-of-motion through your joints keeps you in better balance. Coordination and balance will help keep you mobile and less prone to injury from falls, especially as you get older.

It is essential to practice proper stretching techniques. Doing so will allow you to avoid any unnecessary injury. Tips to proper stretching technique include the following:

·         Warm up first
Stretching muscles when they're cold increases your risk of pulled muscles. Warm up by walking while gently pumping your arms, or do a favorite exercise at low intensity for five minutes.

·         Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds It takes time to lengthen tissues safely. Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds — and up to 60 seconds for a really tight muscle or problem area. That can seem like a long time, so wear a watch or keep an eye on the clock to make sure you're holding your stretches long enough. For most of your muscle groups, if you hold the stretches for at least 30 seconds, you'll need to do each stretch only once.

Don't hold your breath while you're stretching

·         Stretch both sides
Make sure your joint range of motion is as equal as possible on each side of your body

·         Stretch before and after activity
Light stretching after your warm-up followed by a more thorough stretching regimen after your workout is your best bet