Let’s look at some of the reasons why mobility exercise, in addition to your martial arts lessons, should not be overlooked.
It Lowers The Chances Of An Injury
If your joints are more flexible, you’re less likely to be hurt in or out of the dojo. Injuries can develop when a person’s joints and muscles are pushed beyond their capabilities, and such injuries are more likely in those who have tight muscles and joints.
We’ve all seen MMA fights when a fighter got trapped in what appeared to be a tight armbar but was able to break free owing to their elbow joints’ tremendous mobility. If a person with restricted elbow movement refuses to tap out during a close grappling match, they might easily receive an injury.
It provides you with more attack options.
Increased agility improves your ability to execute a wide range of martial arts techniques. Throwing a roundhouse kick, for example, necessitates a certain amount of hip and groin movement, and it would be difficult for someone with tight hips to raise their leg high enough.
To perform spinning moves like the spinning heel kick, you’ll need even greater mobility.
Enhances Posture
Mobility exercise improves posture and increases the efficiency of your motions. People who spend most of their time bent over a desk or crouched over while grappling are more likely to have bad posture.
Improved Warm-Up
Running and jogging are excellent ways to warm up for martial arts training, but mobility exercise provides greater benefits. Blood is sent to the tissues that are being worked on, and synovial fluid is sent to the joints utilized during mobility training.
Hip circles, for example, are an efficient technique to warm up your hips before exercise. It delivers blood to the external rotators, glutes, and hip flexors, which govern the leg. It also prepares your hips for a workout by lubricating them with synovial fluid. Add hip circles to your warm-up practice because most martial arts involve a lot of hip mobility.
Drills to Improve Mobility
Let’s go through some easy workouts you can add to your training now that we’ve covered why you need mobility training to realize your full potential as a martial artist.
Hip Circles: Hip motions are a significant element of many martial arts techniques. Standing erect, lift one of your knees to your chest to conduct a hip opening. Make a circle and move it side to side across your body with your knee. Rep with the opposite knee. Walking may also be used to do hip circles.
Shoulder Pass-Throughs: This exercise aids with posture improvement. To do it:
- Stand up straight and grab a pole or broom with a broad grip.
- Lift the stick in front of you and above your head while maintaining your arms directly.
- Without hyperextending your back, try to take it as far back as you can.
- Return to the initial position after a few seconds of holding the position.
Spiderman Walks: This workout has several advantages because it exercises various joints. Get into a forward lunge stance and extend your hips for a few seconds to do the drill. Return your hips to their original position, stretching the hamstring of your other leg. Return to the beginning position by twisting the hand closest to your front foot upwards. Repeat the drill on the other side.