The topic of flexibility is often talked about in martial arts training near South Tampa. This is because it allows a student to maintain a good range of motion in their joints. This flexibility (a.k.a. limberness) also enhances your quality of life. Without it, you’re likely to develop a painful injury or have your body become mis-balanced. Now that you know the importance of stretching, here are a few of the many different types of Taekwondo stretching you should know about.
Ballistic Stretching
This form of Taekwondo stretching uses your body’s momentum to force your limbs beyond their normal range of motion. As you do this, you’ll be “bouncing” in and out of a stretching position. Most doctors and researchers believe that this isn’t a useful way for a person to develop flexibility for martial arts. In fact, they’ll go so far as to say that it’s very likely that you could become injured while attempting these stretches, so you should avoid them.
Dynamic Stretching
With this type of Taekwondo stretching that’s practiced near South Tampa, you’ll be moving parts of your body and gradually increasing your reach and speed of movement. Two of the most commonly used types of stretching here are the “leg swing” (whereby you’re gently swinging your leg through its entire range of motion) and gentle torso twists.
Although these martial arts stretches may make Ballistic stretching sound a lot like dynamic stretching, they’re both very different. The main difference is that with dynamic Taekwondo stretching, you’re gently moving your body to its limited of range of motion. This isn’t done with any of the bouncy or jerky movements that are used in ballistic stretching. Therefore, dynamic stretching is a very useful part of the warm-up routine that’s used for martial arts practice near South Tampa.
Isometric Stretching
This is a type of static Taekwondo stretching that involves the isometric contraction of the stretched muscle. Throughout this stretch, neither your joint angles nor muscle lengths change. Instead, you’ll simply assume the position of a static stretch before tensing the muscle for 7 – 15 seconds, ending with relaxing it for 20 seconds.
There are a few different isometric Taekwondo stretching poses that students near South Tampa are probably familiar with. The first is a hamstring stretch that’s also done in yoga and is known as the “guerilla pose.” Here, you place your palms under your feet, then contract your hamstrings as if you’re trying to stand up. The other is a calf stretch that you perform while pushing against a wall.
Regardless of which of these isometric stretches you’re performing near South Tampa, you need to be careful not to over-stretch. Ideally, you should do strength training for the respective muscle before engaging in isometric stretching. You also should never engage in more than a single isometric stretching session for each muscle each day.
When done correctly, isometric stretching is effective because it takes a muscle that’s at the limit of a static stretch and further lengthens it. This results in an intense muscle contraction that is then maintained for a period of time, during which the contracting muscle becomes fatigued. Through this process, the body’s stretch reflex becomes less effective. The tension also activates your Golgi tendon organ, which will inhibit your muscles’ contraction while they’re relaxed. In layperson’s terms, this means that you’re able to trick your body’s stretch reflex.
Who can you turn to for help with stretching?
Elevate Martial Arts, near South Tampa, FL, is a premier martial arts academy that offers a wide range of classes for all ages and skill levels. With highly experienced instructors and a positive learning environment, they’re dedicated to helping students develop discipline, confidence, and self-defense skills. Whether you’re looking to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, or Taekwondo, they have the expertise and resources to help you achieve your goals.
