Here are a few tips I use about Warming Up with Flexibility in mind for each and every session to get the body prepared for a good stretch!
This is a ‘head to toe’ warm up for the joints to prepare your body for a stretch, albeit a 15 minute or even a 2 hour stretch! I always repeat every stretch and least twice.
1. NECK
-head looking down to the ground, up to the ceiling.
-head looking to the left, to the the right.
-head looking 45 degrees to the left with left hand gently pull chin to chest, repeat 45 degrees to the right.
-neck rotations start chin to chest slowly rotate in semi circle to the back, return to the front, rotate opposite side, return to front.
2. SHOULDERS
-arm rotations fowards, arm rotations backwards.
-shoulder shrugs forwards, shrugs backwards.
3. ELBOWS
-elbow rotations inwards, elbow rotations outwards.
4. WRISTS
-wrist rotations inwards, wrist rotations outwards.
5. SPINE
-trunk rotations (imagine holding book and rotating trunk side to side) at least 6-8 times.
-good mornings, with soft knees bowing forwards and returning at least 6-8 times.
-side lean, feet shoulder width, both hands by side, lean to the left and let head go with it, lean to the right.
6. HIPS
-hip rotations clockwise big circles, hip rotations counter clockwise.
7. KNEES
-knee rotations, feet together, hands on knees, rotate knees in circle to the right, rotate to the left 6-8 times each way.
8. ANKLES
- raise right leg in air, rotate ankle clockwise 6-8 times, then counter clockwise, repeat other leg.
This joint WarmUp should take approx 5 mins and have you primed for a Fantastic Stretching session so that you have your joints safely prepared for the big stretch!
Our sessions at Clarke School of Choi Kwang Do in Teddington have a warm up stretch and cool down stretch in each and every class! Come join us for some self defence/martial arts classes!
