Pre-Workout Stretch for Martial Artists in 7 Steps

I still remember being 12 years old and my older brother is teaching me how to play tennis for the first time.  He mentions uncaringly that we should probably stretch, but we are limited on time, so let’s just play. 15 minutes later, he pulled a muscle in his leg and couldn’t walk for a week.

When I was training in the Martial Science even before we ran in the morning, we do a head to toe stretch.  It took about 10 minutes to stretch before training. When I was in the Army, we always stretched for 10 minutes before calisthenics. Before a game of basketball, football, baseball, we always stretched. Why do all these athletes stretch?

The answer – to prevent injuries from tightened muscles.

Stretching is very important to any physical activity.  Let us break down one of the easiest and quickest stretching routines to use before a workout, it is called, “head to toe.”

Before we start, it’s important to use this as a guideline.  Make sure that all the major muscles are stretched.

1- Start with the neck. Tilt your head forward till you feel that stretch and hold for 10 – 15 seconds.  Then tilt your head back, left, and right. You can use a free hand to provide resistance against the stretch.

2- Shoulders. Roll your shoulders forward 10 – 15 times and then backwards. Then hold your arms up to the sides and make forward circles starting small then gradually larger.  Repeat with backwards motion.

3- Back. Put your legs about shoulder width apart and swing your upper body from side to side slowly with control.  Do this about 10 times on each side.

4- Hips / Upper Legs. Straighten your legs and reach for your toes.  Hold the stretch for 15 seconds.  Then place your palms above your buttocks for support and lean backwards. Lift both your hands above your head and stretch to the left for 15 seconds, then the right.

5- Legs. We now can do some dynamic stretching. Pick one leg and swing it forward like your trying to kick the sky. Then do a back kick, and swing your leg like your doing a side kick.  Perform each kick 15 times per leg.

6- Knees. Put your feet together and slightly bend your knees.  Place your palms on top of your knees caps and do circular rotations with your knees.  15 times to the left and 15 times to the right.

7- Ankle. Take one foot and place the balls of your foot on the ground.  Rotate your ankle in a circular motion, 15 times to the left and then 15 times to the right.

Seven easy steps for a very effective stretching routine.  Be sure not to limit yourself to only these steps.  If you are preparing for a long run, give your legs more focus.

Photo Credits: Nhan Khuong

Originally posted 2010-04-11 03:51:35.

This post involves:

calisthenics, major muscles, martial science, physical activity, resistance, stretching routines, workout 15 minutes

... and focuses on:

Martial Arts

Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on January 22, 2012 in Martial Arts. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.