When people think of stretching, they often don’t take into consideration how many forms there are and of its importance.
Most people think doing the old Rocky Balboa pre-morning jog where he stretches each calf muscle and touches his toes for about 3 seconds each is all you need.
But for fighters who are most susceptible to injury, knots, muscle cramps and strains, giving the time and right type of stretching is key in your mma training workouts.
One of the best pieces of equipments to include in your mma workout program is the foam roller.
I had a pretty bad day yesterday and today, and all day long I found myself having a hard time concentrating on my work and other important things in life.
When time came to train for one of my mma workouts, within the first 5 minutes of training all the negative energy and stress that had been building up all day simply vanished. The intense physical warm-up had me focusing on one thing and one thing only – getting through it.
When it was time to train for technique, my endorphins and adrenaline was running wild, and all my focus was on learning each technique.
Finally, the last hour of my mma workout was my favorite and what really cleared my mind completely of all the negative energy and emotions that had been bogging me down for the past 24 hours: sparring.
Throughout the whole hour, I was forced to FOCUS on nothing but the task at hand. I was placed in a position in which I had to do battle with another opponent. The act of engaging in competition and giving your all physically and mentally left NO ROOM for any outside baggage.
The only thing running through my head was defeating each and every one of my opponents and improving my game.
What’s my point? MMA workouts are some of the best stress relievers of all time.
Nothing else that I tried for the past day and a half could get my mind off of what was bothering me. I couldn’t THINK about anything else, and I couldn’t FOCUS on any work at hand.
But when I was forced into a position in which I HAD to be in the moment and focus on my opponent – otherwise resulting in pain and defeat – everything that had been stressing me out from before instantly vanished.
Sure, there is a plethora of physical benefits from mma workouts, but one of the best benefits you can ever receive is clearing your mind of any negative baggage you may currently be experiencing.
Of course, it will come back, but your mind will be a lot sharper and much more clearer, and your level of stress will certainly be lowered, allowing you to perhaps make better decisions then you might have had you sat around all day and let your negative thoughts snowball.
November 17th, 2009 
Derek Manuel 
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