Nobody wants to get injured during training, especially when it could have been prevented. Having said that, there will always be a risk of injury when you take part in any form of martial art. MMA is a contact sport and therefore using protective gear is greatly recommended, especially for beginners. Since we believe in training safely here at UFC Gym Vietnam, here are 4 tips to minimizing your risk of injury so you can keep doing what you love.
Stretching and Warming Up
You should always warm up your muscles and stretch your body before any form of training in order to try and prevent injuries before they happen. Warming up helps the blood to flow more easily around your body and muscles, which allows for your metabolism to work and produce energy that your body uses during the physical effort.
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The second part of warming up involves stretching, which is even more important to follow in mixed martial arts, particularly grappling based martial arts. Such techniques can stretch your joints and challenge your muscles during submissions. Therefore, stretching before your workout can really help you to ease any sudden stresses that may be placed on your muscles, ligaments or tendons. You do, however, need to be careful with your stretching methods, as over stretching can affect your muscle strength greatly.
Know Your Limits
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No one wants to get injured during training but, as with any sport, there is always a risk. The risk is particularly high with submission moves, as they place a large amount of pressure on joints to cause some level of pain; this pain usually comes from the joint that is about to snap, tear or break. Therefore, when practising such techniques, especially if you are a beginner, you need to make sure to stay safe and know your own limits.
Make sure not to use unnecessary force or get carried away against a friendly opponent, you don’t want this happening to you, therefore take the same level of care against your opponent.
Wear Proper Protective Gear
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You may feel like a warrior when not wearing any protective gear during training, however even most professionals do it and recommend it to others as well. Wearing protective gear will greatly reduce the risk of getting many injuries. Likewise, training safely will mean that you can spend more time in the ring rather than needing time to recover, which will allow you to master your skills and techniques faster. Some examples of protective gear that you should look into include, Gloves, Shin Guards, Mouth Guards, Groin Protection and Head Gear.
Rest!
Your body repairs itself while you are asleep and therefore may not be able to cope if you are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. When training intensely, you will put a lot of stress on your tendons and muscles, thus resting will get your body to heal as you normally lay flat, without moving. Don’t underestimate the power of sleep, especially after a tough training session!
These are just a few tips on how to limit injuries when practicing MMA. If you’d like to find out more, or discover how to train safely and in a more effective way, contact a personal trainer at UFC Gym Vietnam today!
To celebrate 10 years of Making Life Better in Vietnam, CMG.ASIA, which manages California Fitness and Yoga Centers, Eri International, UFC Gym Vietnam, CaliKids Academy and Yoga Plus, is hosting the Super X Prize, with a total prize value of more than 5 billion VND. This is a way for the corporation to thank all the loyal clients who have invested into their health with us over the past 10 years.
Visit http://www.xprize.vn or contact reception for more information on this exciting event.
Baptiste Solente (Calipso)
Learn more about UFC Gym Vietnam:
District 2 - Ho Chi Minh 3rd Floor, Thao Dien Pearl, No. 12 Quoc Huong, Thao Dien Ward
UFC Gym Website: http://www.ufcgym.com.vn/
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