One important aspect of movement and strategy in the martial arts may be more hidden to the casual observer. It is something that will minimize our exposure to strikes, help us keep our balance, enable us to move quickly, and even help prevent chokes. What is this magical technique? POSTURE! That’s right. Keeping your head up and your back straight is an important part of most combat sports. Here is why:
Vision - Having our head down can compromise our ability to see well and be aware of our surroundings. Our heads tend to direct our gaze and facing down will tend to keep the eyes down. Similarly, looking down will not only limit our vision but also tend to bring our posture down. Having an upright posture will enable us to see well and be more aware of what’s happening.
Exposure - With good posture we can keep our head and face farther away from an opponent’s hands, feet, elbows, knees, etc. This will also keep our necks away from choking hands and legs. Generally, we want to keep our chins down to protect our jaws and necks, but at the same time
Vision - Having our head down can compromise our ability to see well and be aware of our surroundings. Our heads tend to direct our gaze and facing down will tend to keep the eyes down. Similarly, looking down will not only limit our vision but also tend to bring our posture down. Having an upright posture will enable us to see well and be more aware of what’s happening.
Exposure - With good posture we can keep our head and face farther away from an opponent’s hands, feet, elbows, knees, etc. This will also keep our necks away from choking hands and legs. Generally, we want to keep our chins down to protect our jaws and necks, but at the same time
we must be careful to maintain good posture to minimize our exposure to threats.
Mobility - Any time we lean over we lose our mobility. Being able to move in any direction quickly is an important aspect of offense or defense in striking or grappling. By compromising our posture, we also become more prone to takedowns, throws, and sweeps.
Strength - Probably the most important type of strength we can have in the martial arts is what’s called ‘Functional Strength.’ This is the strength of our back and core, and the ability to use our bodies as a coordinated unit. This is developed through exercises that mimic real-life movements, engaging multiple muscle groups all working together. This greatly improves our overall strength, balance, and coordination. FS exercises like squatting, pulling, pushing, reaching, twisting are commonly found in martial arts fundamentals and drills. These exercises allow us to perform the most physically demanding moves in our art. Fucntional or Core Strength is not only essential for performing well in the martial arts, but also in our daily lives.
Injuries - Having a strong back and neck are essential in training, sparring, or self-defense situations. Maintaining back and neck strength will also help minimize injuries to these crucial parts of our bodies. Keeping those areas aligned and strong will minimize problems like pulled muscles, herniated disks, pinched nerves, and muscle spasms, to name a few. These injuries can be debilitating and have a ‘snowball effect’ for other injuries. Most people are familiar with the mantra “lift with your legs, not your back.’ Good posture aligns the body and minimizes risks to our joints, muscles, bones, and connective tissues.
Health - Good posture also improves our overall health by promoting good breathing, circulation, and digestion. Studies show it also improves our focus, mood, energy, and self-confidence which are invaluable for our mental health. As we age posture and core strength become even more important to our overall health. We’ve all seen older people struggle with poor posture. Issues like osteoporosis can often result in permanent disfigurement. This can further cause other health complications, limit our mobility, and increase our risks of falling...one of the key factors in decline in the elderly.
The best way to get this right is to consistently practice good posture in training. For most of us, this means exaggerating our posture or ’posturing up’ as we train. To do this we should reach our head up towards the ceiling and drop the hips down to the floor. The knees should be bent and hips tucked under slightly. For most of us the last step is to pull the shoulders down, press the center of our back forward, and pull the chin back slightly. Once we learn how to do this well we should abandon a ‘piece-meal’ approach and do the positioning without thinking too much about specific body parts.
As with many aspects of training, this is usually a work in progress that requires consistent mindful practice. The good news is that, over time, we will get better at it and make it part of our training in the Dojo...and our daily lives.
Mobility - Any time we lean over we lose our mobility. Being able to move in any direction quickly is an important aspect of offense or defense in striking or grappling. By compromising our posture, we also become more prone to takedowns, throws, and sweeps.
Strength - Probably the most important type of strength we can have in the martial arts is what’s called ‘Functional Strength.’ This is the strength of our back and core, and the ability to use our bodies as a coordinated unit. This is developed through exercises that mimic real-life movements, engaging multiple muscle groups all working together. This greatly improves our overall strength, balance, and coordination. FS exercises like squatting, pulling, pushing, reaching, twisting are commonly found in martial arts fundamentals and drills. These exercises allow us to perform the most physically demanding moves in our art. Fucntional or Core Strength is not only essential for performing well in the martial arts, but also in our daily lives.
Injuries - Having a strong back and neck are essential in training, sparring, or self-defense situations. Maintaining back and neck strength will also help minimize injuries to these crucial parts of our bodies. Keeping those areas aligned and strong will minimize problems like pulled muscles, herniated disks, pinched nerves, and muscle spasms, to name a few. These injuries can be debilitating and have a ‘snowball effect’ for other injuries. Most people are familiar with the mantra “lift with your legs, not your back.’ Good posture aligns the body and minimizes risks to our joints, muscles, bones, and connective tissues.
Health - Good posture also improves our overall health by promoting good breathing, circulation, and digestion. Studies show it also improves our focus, mood, energy, and self-confidence which are invaluable for our mental health. As we age posture and core strength become even more important to our overall health. We’ve all seen older people struggle with poor posture. Issues like osteoporosis can often result in permanent disfigurement. This can further cause other health complications, limit our mobility, and increase our risks of falling...one of the key factors in decline in the elderly.
The best way to get this right is to consistently practice good posture in training. For most of us, this means exaggerating our posture or ’posturing up’ as we train. To do this we should reach our head up towards the ceiling and drop the hips down to the floor. The knees should be bent and hips tucked under slightly. For most of us the last step is to pull the shoulders down, press the center of our back forward, and pull the chin back slightly. Once we learn how to do this well we should abandon a ‘piece-meal’ approach and do the positioning without thinking too much about specific body parts.
As with many aspects of training, this is usually a work in progress that requires consistent mindful practice. The good news is that, over time, we will get better at it and make it part of our training in the Dojo...and our daily lives.
RSS Feed