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Generally warming up and stretching
are two functions that are ignored or considered too time consuming.
Getting into the meat of the workout is usually your main focus. As
a kickboxer, warming up and stretching are actually an important part
of your workout. Stretching promotes flexibility and you all know that
flexibility improves your kickboxing skills. The warm-up is integral
for safe and optimal stretching. The warm-up and stretching routine
should be closely related to the activity you predominately perform.
Since you are a kickboxer, you will warm-up and stretch using similar
movements and ranges of motion you would perform during a class.
What does
a warm-up do?
There are important physiological benefits of warming up prior to beginning
your stretching routine and then your class. These include;
1. raising your heart rate,
2. increasing oxygen consumption,
3. blood vessel dilation
4. Very importantly, increasing the heat and
elasticity of muscle and connective tissue.
5. stimulation of the nerve pathways, important for muscular contraction
A warm muscle is more easily stretched
than a cold one, so it stands to reason that the stretching is done
after the warm-up. If you choose not to warm-up, you could be running
the risk of injury.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the ability of a joint to move freely in all directions.
Flexibility is also described as a joint's movement through a full range
of motion [ROM]. There are a number of factors that can limit a joint's
range of motion; the structure of the joint itself, connective tissue
elasticity, tendons and skin surrounding the joint, and the strength
of opposing muscles.
There are two types of flexibility;
static and dynamic flexibility. Static flexibility is the ROM around
a joint with little or no power or speed. An example of this is a controlled
center splits. Dynamic flexibility is flexibility that includes speed,
and neuromuscular co-ordination during physical activity. An example
of dynamic stretching is a high round or side kick. There are different
training methods for both dynamic and static flexibility. The benefits
derived from both types include;
1. Increased performance and physical
efficiency
2. Lowered risk of injury
3. Increased blood and nutrient supply to joints
4. ROM exercises may increase the quantity and reduce the viscosity
of synovial fluid around a joint
5. Improve neuromuscular co-ordination
6. Improve balance and postural awareness
7. Lowers the risk of low back pain
8. Reduces muscle stress
Just how much flexibility is enough?
That depends on your activity. As a kickboxer, flexibility is very important.
There is however the risk of over doing it. Excessive flexibility can
cause over stretched ligaments, which decreases joint stability and
increases the risk of injury.
What is stretching?
Stretching is the process by which a force is applied either passively
or actively to tissue to elongate the musculotendinous unit. The result
of this elongation is an increase in range of motion. Most of the resistance
is not in the actual muscle tissue itself, but the connective tissue
framework in and around the muscle tissue.
Connective tissue is made up of non-elastic
collagen fibers and a small amount of elastic fibers within a protein
matrix. Connective tissue has the ability to support and protect underlying
structures from injury due to its high tensile strength. Connective
tissue is classed as visco-elastic. This means that it has properties
of elasticity and viscosity.
Elastic stretch is an elongation of
tissue that bounces back when the tension is removed. This stretch is
sometimes referred to as a temporary stretch. A plastic [viscous] stretch
is an elongation where the tissue remains stretched even after the tension
has been removed. This condition is classed as permanent. Tissue that
is stretched too vigorously or for a prolonged period of time can lead
to serious injury. As a kickboxer you would be aiming at a plastic stretch
to improve your flexibility.
How do you know you've gone too far?
There is a neurophysiological component called the stretch reflex, which
is responsible for protecting tissue from excessive stretch that may
cause injury. There are two sense organs or neural receptors that are
responsible for this protective mechanism and they are Golgi tendon
organs [GTO] and muscle spindles. GTO are found deep in the musculotendinous
junction and the spindles are found lying parallel to the muscle fibers.
The muscle spindles stretch as the
muscle stretches. The spindles respond to the velocity of the stretch.
If the stretch is extreme and quick enough, the spindle will send a
message to the spinal cord which in turn sends a message back to the
muscle to elicit a protective muscular contraction. When tension becomes
great enough to cause rupture the contraction quickly stops and the
muscle relaxes. The relaxation response is termed as autogenic inhibition
and the organ responsible for such a reflex is the GTO. Please…don't
let it get this far. This is very, very bad!
Types of stretching
·
Static stretching:
You are aiming for a plastic stretch [permanent deformation], so this
involves a slow gradual and controlled elongation through a full range
of motion, holding the stretch for anywhere from 20 to 120 seconds.
Stretching in this manner will suppress the spindle stretch reflex.
Do not stretch into a pain zone. Pain means you have gone too far and
you are activating the spindle reflex. You should feel a sense of tension
but not pain. ·
Ballistic
stretching:
This is a rapid and uncontrolled bouncing motion used in a high force
and short duration stretch. This type of stretching is used mainly for
activities that are ballistic in nature. Ballistic stretching can be
used prior to competition but only after your body has been prepared
by achieving a good degree of plastic stretching. The risk of injury
is great; therefore ballistic stretching on a day to day basis is not
recommended. My kickboxing academy has a chart that diagramatically
shows all the essential stretches you need for the art. Do them daily
after a warm-up, regardless if you have classes or not. Make sure the
stretches are plastic and not ballistic. If your club does not have
a chart, then you can find these stretches in a book called Stretching
by Bob Anderson.
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