Importance of Flexibility in Combat Arts Training Recovery

Flexibility in martial arts can be the difference between a successful karate or kung fu head shot and a blown-out knee, the difference between drop sweeping your opponent and a pulled groin muscle. MMA Anthony Pettis could not have executed that incredible flying double or tornado knockout kick on Ben Henderson in 2010 without extreme flexibility, combined with power and strength.

Flexibility is at the core of strong, powerful movement in martial arts. It is difficult to achieve powerful torque for takedown without it. Flexibility is that magic place where it’s easy to strike with extreme force, backfist with intense power, throw harder, and grapple more powerfully without risking injury or harm.

Synovial joints are the most numerous kind of joints in the human body, utilizing this fluid-filled sac and synovial fluid to provide cushioning between bones. 

The knees and shoulders are good examples of synovial joints. Also, imagine synovial fluid pumping through the joints as being similar to automotive oil being pumped through a car engine while it’s warming up. It’s a similar idea for essentially the same purpose of warming and protecting the engine--or joints--with viscous fluid.

Warm up and stretch, period. One day Bruce Lee did not warm up and stretch out properly. Bruce Lee always warmed up and stretched before beginning one of his favorite “good morning” exercises that consisted of placing a barbell that weighed 100 lbs on his shoulders and bending over until he was parallel with the ground.

The one day he didn’t stretch—is the one day his martial arts days almost ended. That’s the day Lee damaged the fourth sacral nerve in his spine, because he didn’t warm up and stretch before training. Bruce Lee took six months teaching himself to walk again, did his own rehab, and came out of it faster, stronger, and better than ever.

It can mean that extra 15 minutes in the beginning of class or workout, and extra 10 minutes at the end of training, and at times running out the door or hitting the store seems much more important.

Stop! That few minutes of stretching can mean the difference between giving the ultimate competitive performance and only being excellent, the difference between practicing that new move and pain, or between a great training session and having to treat an injury.

Rooney has trained Renzo Gracie, Ricardo Almeida, Frankie Edgar, many grapplers and judo players. “First and foremost, it prevents injuries. During a dynamic warm-up you increase heart rate, increase blood flow to the muscles, increase nervous system stimulation, and increase coordination and motivation. These are all things that will set the tone for the workout that is coming.” 

It has been irrefutably proven that dynamic stretching actually improves your athletic performance by up to 79 percent across the board. This means that doing the correct type of stretches before an athletic class or event—dynamic movement-oriented stretching—can make or break a class, tournament or competition performance. Do not bounce when stretching as it ups the chances of injury or sprain. Always move smoothly.

Many scientific studies have proven that a dynamic warm-up improves performance, but the other great factor here is it’s also been proven to decrease risk of injury. Research has shown that athletes who used dynamic stretching had fewer injuries than those using static stretching before training or competitions.

Remember to move slow and gentle, not bouncing or forcing a movement. Dynamic stretches get the body moving and ready for exercise by helping increase blood flow, joint fluids, and muscle temperature. Dynamic stretches use a slow swinging or smooth movement that is never uncontrolled. Think of it this way: Get going with dynamic stretches that move you. Cool down, stretch and relax with static stretches after your training is finished.

The disadvantages of dynamic stretching are that if performed too quickly they can cause injury, and they do not improve flexibility as well as static stretches. If dynamic stretching is done too quickly, or the movement is not completed, it can create muscle tears or sprains, so care must be taken not to move through them too quickly or push too hard.

Not recommended. Ballistic stretching is a type of dynamic stretch that is very aggressive and forceful, easy to be out of control, extremely different from correct dynamic stretching which is slow, and never pushes the joint past its normal range of movement. 

Ballistic stretching is an outdated type of stretching that uses speed, bouncing, and rapid swinging movements to purposely force a joint or body part past its normal range of movement, which is never safe. 

This may trigger the myotatic reflex or stretch reflex that will cause the muscle to tighten up instead of stretch, risking sprain or injury to the joints or muscles.

Resistance stretching typically uses exercise bands, while loaded stretching uses weights, and are two methods many MMA and UFC fighters use to create a stronger core, build strength, and open new ranges of motion. This form of dynamic stretching is unique in the way it both contracts and lengthens a muscle group simultaneously. 

Resistance stretching and loaded stretching work a muscle group through its entire range of motion while under contraction and/or using weight to strengthen while stretching.

Static stretches are excellent as a cool down stretch after training, allowing the body to stay loose and take advantage of that state by relaxing deeper into the stretch, pushing flexibility just a little bit further. The body is placed into position and held there for a period of time while continuing to breath, allowing body weight or gravity to push and pull naturally on the passive body to achieve a deeper, more flexible stretch. 

One example of a static stretch is sitting with legs stretched long to the front and leaning forward over the outstretched legs for a period of time, allowing gravity to pull the upper body down and deepen the stretch into the knees, hips, and lower back.

Static stretches can potentially cause injury or create irritation of the muscles and tendons, particularly if the body is pushed too far, too fast, and still not warmed up enough yet. Also, as mentioned above, static stretches performed before training or competition lower athletic performance by up to 79 percent across the board.

The martial artist who kicks up and holds her foot at head height, statically stretching and strengthening muscles by holding the leg and foot up, and statically practicing head kicks is a good example of a static active flexibility stretch. This form of static active stretch is also used as a physical rehabilitation tool. It is very challenging to do and hold for long periods of time, so it’s typically only held for 10 to 15 seconds. 

The static active stretch is termed this because the athlete actively takes a position (active) that is then held (static) for a period of time. In contrast, it would be dynamic flexibility for her to simply kick head high, and repeat 10 or 20 times, stretching out as she slowly kicks through the dynamic stretch.

A good example of the passive or assisted stretch is the martial arts student on the floor spread-legged with the instructor pushing him lower into the stretch by pressing on his back to get the body down to the floor.

These stretches can open up hip joints, etc., with greater ease and safety, while simultaneously strengthening muscles because they are also utilized in the stretching process. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, or PNF stretching, was originally developed as a very effective rehabilitation tool. It is excellent for targeting specific muscle groups and for increasing ROM and flexibility. 

The athlete is allowed to recover for 15—30 seconds, and the process is repeated 2—4 times. The difficulty of process is relevant to the level of the athlete’s conditioning, so the stretch never becomes overly difficult for the person training.

Isometric stretching is also passive stretching similar to PNF stretching, but the contractions are held for a longer period of time. Isometric stretching is not recommended for children or adolescents who are still growing. Allow at least 48 hours of rest between sessions and only work one isometric exercise per muscle group in a session. Please use caution when utilizing this stretching approach.

Bouncing while stretching can injure, strain, or sprain your muscles, and create muscle tightness instead of looseness and flexibility. Bouncing is counterproductive to stretching. Always use smooth movements when stretching.