EFFECTIVE WARM UPS FOR KICKBOXING
COMMON PRACTICES
In many combat gyms, it is still common to see “old-school” warm-ups in involving the following:
· Laps around the mats
· Static Stretching
· Foam Rolling
Whilst this does an okay job in elevating the heart rate and mobilising the joints there is generally limited structure behind these practices. Furthermore, it may not adequately prepare the athlete for the demands of a typical session. For the purposes of this short blog, we will talk specifically about the combat discipline of kickboxing.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF KICKBOXING
Some physical demands for a kickboxing session include:
· Rotation through Hip and Trunk
· Unilateral/offset stance loading through the lower extremities
· Use of stretch shortening cycle of Upper/Lower Extremities and Trunk
· High nervous system activity from Explosive Efforts e.g. power combinations
Unfortunately running, stretching and foam rolling simply does not optimally prepare a kickboxer for the demands of their sport.
THE SOLUTION – THE RAMP PROTOCOL
A simple way to add structure to a warm-up is by adhering to the RAMP protocol.
RAMP stands for Raise, Activate, Mobilise, Potentiate.
Therefore, to address these demands I have structured a “beginner” and “advanced” warm-up for kickboxers using the RAMP Protocol.
HOW TO PERFORM THE WARM-UP
Follow to the right to see how to perform these warm-ups in video format