Before we begin any training session at the Karate club we always go through some form of stretching/warm up routine. Stretching is so often something people neglect to do at the beginning or end of their own personal training sessions outside of the club because they don’t have the time or are too tired to do anything else.
We stretch to improve our flexibility. Flexibility is the range of motion that is available to a joint or joints. Flexibility is important because:
- It improves muscle balance around a joint, thus improving posture
- It reduces the chance of injury when we perform our Martial Arts or in every day activities
- It increases the blood and nutrient supply to muscles and cartilage, thereby also reducing muscle soreness after training.
- It will also increase the height that we can achieve with our kicks.
We have put this page together as a guide to help you with your stretching, please download the PDF to keep as a personal guide and also please watch the two videos on this page which are very good at showing you how to perform a stretching routine to improve your Martial Arts.
Remember to only stretch as far as you feel comfortable.