Flexibility performs a vital position in how nicely you may execute many combating methods. For instance, you want a sure stage of hip flexibility to throw excessive kicks in Muay Thai or to make use of the rubber guard in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Practical mobility is simply as necessary as flexibility in fight sports activities. Static stretches have their position (particularly throughout cooldowns), however dynamic stretches are what you need to concentrate on to enhance your flexibility and mobility.
This text will cowl flexibility drills that anybody can use to maintain their physique free and limber.
The 5 Greatest Flexibility Drills For Fighters
A number of the prime flexibility drills that can enhance your skill to carry out most of the methods utilized in martial arts embrace:
1) Dynamic Leg Swings: Flip Your Hips Into Kick Cannons
Dynamic leg swings assist to loosen your hips, bettering your kicking skills and lateral motion.
To carry out the train:
Stand sideways subsequent to a wall or different sturdy object. Place one hand on the wall for stability.
Swing your outer leg ahead and backward like a pendulum whereas retaining it straight. Intention for 15 reps per leg.
Subsequent, face the wall and swing the identical leg backward and forward throughout your physique (like a windshield wiper). Carry out one other 15 reps on each side.
Why Fighters Love It:
Dynamic leg swings mimic the way you swing your legs when performing methods like roundhouse kicks. It’s additionally a wonderful method to heat up your hip flexors and hamstrings with out overstretching chilly muscle tissue. The side-to-side swings strengthen your hip abductors, that are essential for sustaining a large base when performing methods like sprawling.
Add ankle weights as soon as this feels simple for extra of a problem. Your hip mobility will skyrocket, and your query mark kick will lastly appear like the punctuation it’s named after. It’s a wonderful train for anybody scuffling with kicking methods.
2) Lizard Pose With A Twist: Guard Retention’s Secret Weapon
This variation of the lizard pose is great for rising flexibility in your hips, bettering your skill to carry out strikes like shrimping.
Right here’s what it seems to be like:
Begin in a low lunge along with your proper foot exterior your proper hand, and your left knee on the bottom.
Decrease your forearms to the ground.
Rotate your torso upward as you attain along with your proper arm towards the ceiling. Maintain the place for 20 seconds and repeat in your different aspect.
Why Fighters Love It:
The lizard pose loosens the hip flexors and opens the thoracic backbone. Versatile hip flexors equal quicker shrimp escapes. Growing flexibility in your higher again makes it simpler so that you can generate rotational energy. A 2019 examine revealed within the Journal of Power & Conditioning Analysis discovered that tight hip flexors can cut back kicking energy by as much as 18%.
3) Spiderman Stretch With Thoracic Rotation: For Takedowns & Angled Strikes
The Spiderman stretch helps to loosen stiff higher backs, rising your rotational energy and talent to sprawl.
Right here’s what it seems to be like:
Begin in a push-up place and step your proper foot exterior your proper hand.
Place your left hand behind your head, then rotate your elbow towards the ceiling. Maintain the place for ten seconds and change sides.
Why Fighters Love It:
This stretch helps to loosen your adductors (inside thigh muscle tissue). Tight adductors restrict how briskly you may carry out actions like sprawling.
Growing flexibility in your thoracic backbone will increase the ability behind your strikes and throws.
4) Cossack Squats: Groin Flexibility For Untouchable Takedown Protection
Cossack squats enhance flexibility in your groin, strengthening your base and bettering lateral motion.
To carry out Cossack squats:
Stand along with your ft about two shoulder-widths aside, along with your toes pointing barely outward.
Shift weight to your proper, bending your proper knee whereas retaining your left leg straight.
Decrease your self till your proper thigh is parallel to the ground. Maintain the place for 5 seconds after which glide to the left. Carry out ten reps on both sides.
Why Fighters Love It:
Grapplers want a large, steady base to defend towards takedowns. Cossack squats stretch muscle tissue within the groin and strengthen your quads and glutes—muscle tissue that assist hold you stabilized throughout lateral actions.
Maintain on to a 5-10 kg kettlebell when performing the train to construct energy within the stretched place.
5) PNF Stretching: The Secret To Increased Kicks & Unpassable Guard
This train loosens your hamstrings, resulting in extra highly effective kicks and improved guard retention.
Right here’s what it seems to be like (Companion-assisted model):
Lie in your again and elevate your proper leg towards the ceiling. Have a associate push it gently till you are feeling stress.
Press your leg towards their resistance for 5 seconds and chill out.
Your associate then pushes your leg deeper into the stretch when you maintain the place for 20 seconds. Repeat the train 3 times with every leg.
Why Fighters Love It:
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) “tips” your muscle tissue into stress-free additional through contraction-release cycles. For fighters, this implies:
Increased Kicks: Versatile hamstrings give your kicks extra vary.
Tighter Guard: Versatile adductors make it simpler to reestablish your guard throughout scrambles.
A 2021 meta-analysis discovered PNF stretching improves flexibility 2x quicker than static holds.
Why Practical Flexibility Issues
Stretching not solely prepares fighters for coaching and competitors, but in addition enhances mobility, stability, and total efficiency.
A number of the the explanation why fighters ought to usually work on their flexibility embrace:
Harm Prevention: Versatile muscle tissue soak up impression higher. Nobody desires a pulled groin mid-takedown.
Approach Effectivity: A cell hip helps you to throw a head kick with out telegraphing it.
Restoration: Dynamic stretches flush lactic acid from muscle tissue.
How To Add These Drills To Your Coaching Routine
Pre-Coaching: Carry out dynamic stretches like leg swings and spiderman stretches to heat up.
Put up-Coaching: Carry out PNF stretches just like the lizard pose and Cossack squats whereas your muscle tissue are heat.
Intention to carry out every of those workout routines two to a few instances weekly. Whereas genetics does play a job in how versatile you might be, constant stretching improves mobility at any age. Save static stretches for cooldowns and keep away from them earlier than coaching explosive energy.
Don’t Neglect The Significance Of Stretching
Other than the technical particulars—like kick mechanics, guard positioning, and hip rotation—bettering your flexibility could make your methods way more fluid. Make it a behavior to incorporate dynamic stretches as a part of your common coaching routine.
You might also like:
Animal Motion For Fighters: Integrating Pure Patterns Into Coaching
Evolve Combined Martial Arts® is Asia’s premier championship model for martial arts. It has genuine World Champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Combined Martial Arts, Boxing, Wrestling, and No-Gi Grappling. Named because the #1 ranked martial arts group in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports activities, FOX Sports activities, ESPN StarSports, Tokyo Instances, and lots of different main authorities, Evolve MMA goals to ship one of the best martial arts instruction out there wherever on the planet.
