Post by: S Lee
You bow in, enter the dojo, bow to the shrine, and see that you have a good ten minutes before practice starts. Now what? Lately we have been going over some good ways to warm-up on your own when you get to the dojo a little bit early.
Range of motion exercises are a good way to start, but they shouldn't be done for more than a couple minutes. Muscles are like taffy, when they are warm they are stretchy and flexible. However, when they are cold they are susceptible to injury. Therefore, it is best to start warming up those muscles before you start stretching or doing strenuous activity like punching and kicking the bags. Here are some ideas:
-Knees to chest
-Jumping jacks
-Light jog, incorporating upper body movement
-Light shadow boxing
-Jump rope
-Kata
-Tai Sabaki
After a few minutes of warming up with one of these activities, your muscles should start feeling warm and loose. Depending on how warmed up you are, you may feel like stretching at this point. Another option is to start practicing techniques. Bag work, push-ups, sit-ups, weapons kata, rolls, and other techniques can be practiced for the last few minutes before class starts.
There are some things you should NOT be doing:
-Talking about non-martial arts stuff
-Sitting down to stretch
-Staring into oblivion
It is important to get the most out of every class you attend. This is true for everyone, but even more so for people looking to test. One of the things black belts look for in potential testers is their readiness and enthusiasm. This is also your chance to work that new part of your kata or to go over your offensive sparring combinations without a Sensei scrutinizing your techniques.
Keep these things in mind when arriving to practice early. Have any other ideas for warm-ups? Add them in the comments!
You bow in, enter the dojo, bow to the shrine, and see that you have a good ten minutes before practice starts. Now what? Lately we have been going over some good ways to warm-up on your own when you get to the dojo a little bit early.
Range of motion exercises are a good way to start, but they shouldn't be done for more than a couple minutes. Muscles are like taffy, when they are warm they are stretchy and flexible. However, when they are cold they are susceptible to injury. Therefore, it is best to start warming up those muscles before you start stretching or doing strenuous activity like punching and kicking the bags. Here are some ideas:
-Knees to chest
-Jumping jacks
-Light jog, incorporating upper body movement
-Light shadow boxing
-Jump rope
-Kata
-Tai Sabaki
After a few minutes of warming up with one of these activities, your muscles should start feeling warm and loose. Depending on how warmed up you are, you may feel like stretching at this point. Another option is to start practicing techniques. Bag work, push-ups, sit-ups, weapons kata, rolls, and other techniques can be practiced for the last few minutes before class starts.
There are some things you should NOT be doing:
-Talking about non-martial arts stuff
-Sitting down to stretch
-Staring into oblivion
It is important to get the most out of every class you attend. This is true for everyone, but even more so for people looking to test. One of the things black belts look for in potential testers is their readiness and enthusiasm. This is also your chance to work that new part of your kata or to go over your offensive sparring combinations without a Sensei scrutinizing your techniques.
Keep these things in mind when arriving to practice early. Have any other ideas for warm-ups? Add them in the comments!
 |
| Photo By: Ken Smith |
Warming up is a good way to feel the current condition of your body. You may be more sore or tight in one area or another and it's good to know this so you are in tune with your limitations.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing not to do when you stretch is bounce. Bouncing is like scaring your muscles. They are wired in a way that makes them tense up when something tries to pull on them too quickly. Stretch slowly as to not startle your muscles, you just want them to be a bit concerned, that's all.