the body — for example, working its way from the elbow
to the shoulder to the neck to the back. Ignoring it can
take you to the breaking point, stranding you in a cycle
that can last for years and become chronic.
The cure is simple: Sit out when you’re hurt. That doesn’t
mean you need to stay home. You can attend class as an
observer. You can engage in training but not spar. You can
do light non-contact sparring while abstaining from full
contact. Or you can just take some time off. If you’re a true
martial artist, your art will be with you for life, so taking off
a day or a week won’t be an issue.
Prevent Injury With a Proper Warm-up
There’s a reason old-school karate, judo and jujitsu classes
were an hour and a half to two hours long. The human
body thrives when it’s warmed up in a progressive manner.
That means you’re able to more efficiently and effectively
use your skills after you’ve engaged in exercises that
target mobility, flexibility and strength.
These days, most classes are shorter in duration,
sometimes as short as a half-hour, mainly because
of our busy schedules. However, if you want to avoid
injury in the long term, you need to devote more time
to your martial pursuit. Try not to run into the dojo late
— something I often see — and jump right into a 300-
kick drill. Maybe you’ve done this in the past without
repercussions, but eventually, your body will snap under
the pressure of going from zero to 60 without a warm-up.
In the martial arts, warm-ups are critical because they
do exactly that — warm the body in the ranges of motion
and movement patterns required for the specific art.
Ideally, you’ll arrive early and devote at least five to 10
minutes to a customized routine to give your body what
it requires. This is in addition to any organized warm-up
that precedes the formal lesson.
If you’re at a loss as to what to do to warm up your
body, start by slowly moving through the limb motions
you do when you practice techniques. If you plan to
be kicking, slowly cycle through leg stretches without
holding any particular position. Then engage your core
with dead-bug and plank exercises to wake up your back,
arms, legs and glutes.
Prevent Injury With Shadowboxing
A decade ago, I attended a Gracie jiu-jitsu seminar
in which the instructor unexpectedly advised us to
shadowbox. Now, I was used to shadowboxing because of
my jeet kune do, muay Thai and kali studies, but hearing
that it could enhance my jiu-jitsu practice was confusing.
Standing in front of the class, the instructor began to
demonstrate the movement patterns required for sweeps,
reversals and escapes, only by himself. He back-rolled,
front-rolled and moved his legs, then had us do the same.
Much later in my career, after traveling and training in
countless countries in a variety of martial arts, I realized
that every style should teach shadowboxing as a way to
prevent injury and enhance skill. Shadowboxing is a form
of mobility practice. It takes you through all the ranges
of motion of your art without creating the tension or
resistance you encounter when you drill or spar.
In past years, however, with the growth of the martial
arts in general, I’ve seen countless students in many
different arts skip over this excellent form of practice.
Instead, they opt to jump right into sparring. I doubt they
know what they’re depriving themselves of.
Sure, shadowboxing requires skill and discipline, as
well as attention to detail and feedback, but it’s also a
proven way to enhance your performance and warm up
your body. Thus, it helps you avoid injury on two fronts:
by fixing poor technique and by getting your body ready
for exertion.
Yes, practicing martial arts — just like engaging in
any sport, art or life pursuit — entails risk. However,
you won’t live a life worth smiling over if you choose to
abstain from that which drives and inspires you. The
happy medium is to adopt a long-term plan, to keep
an eye on the big picture, and to take the steps needed
to prevent injury so you can train in the martial arts as
long as you live.Dasha Libin Anderson, MS, NASM-PES, is an instructor
in jeet kune do and the Filipino martial arts under Dan
Inosanto and Dan Anderson. She also owns a brown
belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. For more information, visit
universityofmartialarts.com.In the martial arts,
warm-ups are critical
because they do
exactly that — warm
the body in the
ranges of motion
and movement
patterns required for
the specific art.
58 BLACKBELTMAG.COM § AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019