Warm Up and Stretch Out Suggestions in Martial Arts

Admittedly, it's difficult to discipline yourself to warm up and stretch out, especially after you begin learning blocks, strikes, kicks, and other techniques pertinent to your style. Your first inclination when you get on the floor will be to prac­tice those moves. But they will feel and look a lot better if you warm up and stretch out beforehand. The best way I've found to discipline myself to thoroughly warm up and stretch out is to start—where else?—at the top. Here are some top-down suggestions:

Neck: Warm up with neck rolls, slowly rolling one way, then the other. Then stretch your neck muscles by turning your head side to side, and then by touching your right ear to your right shoulder and vice versa. Finally, point your chin up and down.

Shoulders: Warm up by rotating your shoulders forward and then backward. Then, with your hands clenched behind your head, pull one arm until your elbow is pointing toward the ceiling. Then switch to the other arm. Now, lock your hands behind your back and raise them while bending over.

Arms: Warm up by rotating your arms forward, then backward. Now rotate your wrists forward, then backward. Stretch your wrists by bending your fingers backward toward the top of your wrist. Hold one hand up with the palm facing your chest, go around the back of the hand with the other hand, grab the meaty part of the hand, which is located just beneath the thumb, then twist the hand until the palm points sideways. Repeat with the other hand. Next, hold your arms out in front of you with your hands made into fists, then shoot your fingers straight out. Repeat this as many times as you can.

Torso: Warm up by placing your hands on your hips, then rotate your hips clockwise, then counterclockwise. To stretch, push one hip to the right side, then to the left.

Legs: There's nothing worse than sore leg muscles because they're probably the most-used muscles in the martial arts. Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, bend over and, without bouncing, reach for your toes. Hold for at least fifteen seconds, and repeat ten times. Then stand with one side of you facing a wall, placing one hand on it for support. Bend your leg, pull it to your chest, and hold. Then swing it to the side, keeping it bent as if you were going to throw a kick. But instead, grab your shin, pull it toward your body, and hold. Finally, grab your ankle and hold the bent leg behind you. Switch sides and do this with the other leg.

Some of the best leg stretches are done with a partner. With one person standing with her back against a wall, the other student slowly lifts her partner's leg, stopping intermit­tently to allow the muscle to stretch. The leg is then lowered slowly back down. You can also do this exercise with the leg being lifted to the side.

Feet: Yes, even these need to be warmed up and stretched. Standing with feet shoulder-width apart and hands on hips, rock back and forth on your feet (this also stretches the shin muscles). After that, rotate your foot at the ankle. Then point it up and down. Do the same for the other foot.

At this point in your training, you needn't concern yourself with other students' stretching techniques—unless, that is, you have a question, which you can bring to a high-ranking student. Occasionally, a high-ranking student will approach you to help with your stretches or to show you how to stretch properly. This is how a well-run school operates: High-ranking students assist low-ranking students, constructive criticism is offered, and no one is made to feel inferior. So don't rush through your stretching exercises or push yourself to the point of pulled muscles. Go slow, don't bounce as you stretch, and pay attention to all your muscles, even the ones we haven't specifically gone over.

If you do pull a muscle, or incur some other minor injury, tell your instructor. He should advise you to avoid stressing the muscle until it has healed. If you injure your wrist, for example, you might do sit-ups while the rest of the class does push-ups. If it's your knee that is injured, you might do side bends when the rest of the class is instructed to do knee bends. In any case, don't try to ignore an injury out of fear of being branded a difficult student. In the same vein, if you have a bad back or sensitive knees, avoid stressing these areas. Chances are you're studying a martial art for pleasure and enjoyment, not to prove that you have a high threshold for pain.

Related Articles

• How to Stretch Your Limits in Martial Arts
• How do you know when you're warmed up?
• Warm Up and Stretch Out Suggestions in Martial Arts

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