Stretching for Fitness and Martial arts

 

Benefits of stretching

Flexibility is the range of movement at a joint. It means the same as mobility or suppleness and is important in sport. Stretching has a number of benefits including:

  • Increasing range of motion

  • Preventing injury

  • Avoiding DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)

  • Improving posture

  • Stress relief

  • Enhanced sports performance.

Types of stretching

There are a number of different types of stretching exercises which can be done to improve flexibility. The most appropriate technique will depend on your specific aims and include:

  • Static stretching is where the muscle is stretched until a gentle ‘pull’ or stretch on the muscle is felt then held for a period of time.

  • PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) type techniques involve contracting and relaxing muscles.

  • Dynamic stretching is very much in fashion these days, particularly in sport for warming up.

  • Ballistic stretching is where the end range of movement of the joint is forced.

  • Neural stretching refers to stretching the structures of the nervous system, for example, sciatic nerve stretches.

 
Rick Selvarajah