Dynamic Flexibility and the Martial Arts
Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007
by Robert Jones
Academy of Kempo Martial Arts
What is it?
Dynamic stretching is a type of stretching that uses movement and momentum to stretch a muscle. It does not hold a final stretch like static stretching and it does not bounce in and out of the stretch like ballistic stretching. Some examples of dynamic stretches are large arm circles or lunges (both without weights). The method generally is to gradually increase the range, speed or both to get the most benefit from this type of stretching.
Strengths
· Dynamic stretching reduces muscle tightness before a workout.
· It can reduce the occurrence of muscle tears.
· Dynamic stretching is different from ballistic stretching because dynamic stretching gently moves your muscle into the stretch where ballistic stretching often forces a muscle past it’s normal range of motion.
· Dynamic stretching often replicates movements that you will use in your active workout or competition.
Weaknesses
· Because muscles have a kinesthetic memory, if you are performing dynamic stretches when your muscle is tired at a less than maximum range of motion, you risk training your muscles to perform at regressed state.
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Tips and Tricks
· Always do a quick (3-5 minute) total body warm-up before using dynamic stretching techniques such as jumping rope, jogging or some other full-body movement.
· Perform the exercises in sets of 8-12 repetitions.
· If your range of motion starts decreasing during your repetitions, it’s time to stop.
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