• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

The 3 Non-Negotiable Elements of Injury Prevention in MMA

This article focuses on three factors that can help prevent injury in MMA: strength, mobility, and flexibility. When these are in balance, you're much less likely to sustain an injury.

Orion Lee

Written by Orion Lee Last updated on August 18, 2013

Today I am going to talk about something that every person can benefit from: how to prevent injury. I have been a coach for several years and I have seen and personally experienced numerous injuries. I hate getting hurt, but one thing I hate more is to see my students, friends, and fellow classmates sustain an injury, especially when it could have been easily prevented. That being said, the risk of injury will always be present when you participate in a sport or event with unforeseen variables. My goal with this article is to help you minimize the risk of injury so you can keep doing what you love to do.

Injuries occur for many reasons and I am not going to take the time to explain every single possible scenario, as that would be impossible. Instead, I’d like to focus on three factors that need to be in balance in order to prevent injuries: flexibility, mobility, and strength. These three qualities are the foundation for anyone looking to become more athletic, from the seventy-year-old grandmother to the 22-year-old elite athlete. They are the base on which you build your success. When one of these three factors is out of balance, it makes a very inviting environment for an injury to occur.

Lets start with the easiest factor to address: strength. Strength is a relatively easy skill set to attain. A basic strength and conditioning program followed several times a week under the guidance of a trained professional can improve your level of strength quickly, especially if you already practice a sport that promotes the development of strength, such as Brazilian jiu jitsu or wrestling.

The second factor is mobility, which is the ability to move a limb or joint through a full range of motion with control. Mobility work is voluntary and requires strength to perform the action, while flexibility is usually a more passive skill that involves static holds to elongate the body’s muscles. Both mobility and flexibility are important skills for any athletic person to possess, but unfortunately the development of these skills is often neglected during training. The more mobile an individual is, the more easily and freely they can execute their intended task. Whether it be throwing a roundhouse kick, passing guard, or just picking up a bag of groceries, greater mobility will always equal improved performance.

Every person is going to have unique mobility issues. To combat them, I highly suggest meeting with a professional and educating yourself on how to properly treat your specific condition. Some of the more common mobility issues I see frequently at the gym involve impingement of the hips and shoulders. Both jiu jitsu and muay Thai place heavy demand on these joints and the muscles that surround them.

One great way to improve mobility is through myofascial release and various exercises specifically designed to target the proper movement of a joint or limb. Below are two ways to increase the mobility of your hips and shoulders.

1. Myofascial release for the shoulder girdle

Start laying on your side with a foam roller placed above your hip. Slowly roll up towards your shoulder while applying pressure onto the roller. When you feel tightness, stop, take a few deep breaths, and rock side to side to loosen up the connective tissues. Then continue your way up into the armpit. Once you reach the armpit, slowly roll a few inches from side to side to grind out any tension hidden in surrounding musculature. Repeat on the other side.

2. Myofascial release for the hip flexors

Start lying on the ground with either a lacrosse ball or a PVC pipe placed in the middle of your thigh. Slowly roll up towards your hip while frequently stopping to rock back and forth to grind out the tension. Once you reach the hip, roll onto your side and apply pressure to the TFL (tensor fasciae latae) located between the front of your hip and your glutes.

The third factor is flexibility, which refers to the range of motion in a joint and the length of the muscles that cross the joints. The specific sport or activity you like to do will determine the optimal level of flexibility you need. Remember flexibility should be treated as a goal and something to be trained and improved with time. Granted, if you’re so tight you can’t touch your toes, rhythmic gymnastics might not be the sport for you, but just because you are naturally tight doesn’t mean you can never attempt a sport. Below are two stretches that can can increase the flexibility of the hips and shoulder.

1. Stretching the chest and shoulders

Start by placing your hands and knees on the ground with one elbow resting on a Swiss ball. Allow your chest to fall to the ground while reaching away from your center with the supported elbow. Think about creating separation in your shoulder socket while holding the stretch. Hold the position for 45 seconds, shake the arm out briefly, then repeat on the same side.

2. Stretching the hip flexors

Assume the same stance as you would for a split squat, with one knee resting on a pad for some added comfort. Flex your glutes and slowly press your hips forward while maintaining the contraction of the glutes. Hold the contraction for five seconds. Relax the glutes and allow the hips to fall forward. Repeat two or three times until the hips have ceased forward movement once the contraction is released.

Practice these stretches several times a day and see how your flexibility improves. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below.

Orion Lee

About Orion Lee

Orion Lee is a martial artist with two decades of experience. Beginning training in the martial arts at eight years old, Orion from an early age held a passion for fitness and well being. He has a degree in contemporary Chinese martial arts and several certifications in personal training and nutritional consultation.

Orion’s belief in both the martial arts and in fitness has always been similar to those of the great Bruce Lee, less is more and do away with the non-essential whenever possible. Orion’s extensive knowledge and experience allows him to customize challenging, technique-focused, and simple curriculums that create strong, smart, and safe athletes.

Orion has dedicated many years to studying numerous styles of martial arts, nearly four of which were spent training intensively in China where he studied sanda (Chinese kickboxing), muay Thai and wushu. Orion has specialized in the art of muay Thai for the past ten years, and has had the honor of training under several great instructors including Guru Dan Inosanto, Jongsanan (The Woodenman), Grandmaster Vincent Lyn, Kru Mike Wise, Kru John Speazzano, Kru Victor Acosta, and several Lumpinee stadium champions.

Orion currently fights out of Robot Fight & Fitness in Santa Monica, California, where he trains under Kru David Huerta and also works as the director of strength and conditioning.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

bodyweightsquats
5 Exercises For Fall Prevention
emilypappasmusclestrain
The 101 on Muscle Strains
bulletproofwoman
Bulletproof Your Body
nopainnogain21
No Pain, No Gain Needs to Make a Comeback

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Jamal Browner Logs a Monster 426.4-Kilogram (940-Pound) Conventional Stance Raw Deadlift

Sonita Muluh (+84KG) Scores Squat One Kilogram (2.2 Pounds) Above Raw World Record in Training

Olympia Legend Dorian Yates Describes His Favorite Back Exercise

Amanda Lawrence (84KG) Squats 11.5 Kilograms (25.3 Pounds) More Than IPF World Record In Training

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About