Stretching plays a vital role in preparing the body for exercises associated with various sports and activities. It increases blood circulation and decreases the body’s susceptibility to injury. It is a dynamic form of exercise that is also the easiest to perform and is a pleasurable activity. It is the perfect solution for long periods of inactivity and relaxes the body instantly. Martial arts are the classification of codified traditions and practices of training for combat. Their objective is to defeat a person physically or defend oneself from physical threat. Certain forms of martial arts are linked to religious philosophies such as Buddhism, Daoism or Shintoism. Martial art stretching is a specific form of stretching exercises that are aimed at improving the flexibility and strength of martial arts enthusiasts to enhance the efficiency of their training sessions.
Stretching helps increase the body’s flexibility, reduces muscular tension, decreases stress and fatigue. It is great for those pursuing martial arts where the focus is on tuning the mind and body. Stretching exercises help fight various pains and aches and decrease the risk of bruising significantly. It is a significant part of most martial arts training regimes consisting of punching, boxing, karate, taekwondo, wrestling etc.
Benefits of Martial Arts Stretching:
It increases the body’s flexibility by elongation of the muscles.
It allows for the application of complete range of motion of the joints.
It helps keep the body relaxed and fights stress.
It helps combat stress and strain.
It enables enthusiasts to take hard blows on the body without bruising.
It improves blood circulation and strengthens the heart and lungs.
It improves mental alertness and muscular coordination.
It tunes your mind and body.
It improves body posture and balance.
It reduces muscular tension and soreness.
In martial arts long sets of punches and kicks are necessary for the development of the enthusiasts. These require flexible joints and fast muscular movements.
Martial Arts Stretching and exercise sessions:
Stretching techniques are the most effective and the fastest means of increasing the body’s flexibility or the absolute range of motion in a joint or a series of joints. By improving the body’s flexibility, you can significantly augment your performance in martial arts by increasing the range of motion that will go a long way in enabling you to execute higher kicks and speedy movements. Flexibility training is an important component of most martial arts training sessions and also plays a significant role in improving the overall health of the body.
The resistance to elongating muscles depends upon the connective tissue. When the muscles lengthen, the surrounding connective tissues become more rigid. Inactivity of certain muscles or joints can result in certain chemical changes that curb flexibility. Through various stretching exercises the body’s musculotendinous division is elongated which helps lengthen the muscle fiber leading to a larger range of motion. This helps in making various body parts more flexible and improves martial arts performance.
Factors influencing stretching:
The two most important factors influencing flexibility are force and duration. The connective tissue lengthens maximum when a low force is applied for a long duration consisting of 15 to 30 seconds. Tissue temperature also plays an important role in increasing the efficiency of stretches. A slightly raised core body temperature helps increase the elasticity of muscles and decreases stiffness.
Tips for safe Martial Arts stretching:
Warm up: It is essential for you to warm up before performing any stretching exercises in order to raise the temperature of the core tissues. This can be done by skipping, running, walking, or aerobics activity for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Wear appropriate apparel: It is essential for you to wear the right kind of clothes while stretching in order to increase the range of motion. Loose fitting clothes are good, but for optimal performance you can wear cycling shorts, thermal leggings etc.
Breathe deeply: It is recommended that you breathe deeply while stretching as this increases the oxygen supply to the muscles. It is unadvisable for you to hold your breath at any point of time.
Increase the stretch: If you reach a plateau or feel that you are not benefiting from the stretch, you must increase the duration of the stretch.
Avoid overstretching: Stretch only to a point where you do not feel any pain in order to avoid any injury or muscle damage.
Stretching exercises are beneficial for martial arts enthusiasts when done by using the right techniques. Thy help improve performance and increase the efficiency of various hardcore martial arts moves.
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