Effects of warm up on strikes

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Saw this in my professional newsfeeds - might be of interest to some:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/...nalCode=rspb20

The effect of warm-up on peak impact force of the rear hand strike in full-contact combat sports

Abstract

Warming up is a generally accepted practice that leads to improved performance and reduces the risk of injury in a wide range of sports. However, the evidence about the influence of warm-up in combat sports is limited and, specifically, little is known about the impact which delays between a warm-up and the start of a match may have on fighters' performance. This study investigates the influence of warm-up and cool-down on one of significant performance predictors in full-contact combat sports, the peak force of a rear hand strike, in a sample of 31 athletes.Peak impact force was measured before, after, and at two time points after a standardized warm-up routine; skin temperature and heart rate were also monitored. Warm-up and cool-down periods were substantial predictors of body temperature and heart rate, but we observed no effect of the warm-up routine on strike impact force. Strike impact force remained unaffected even after the cool-down intervals.Strike impact force does not seem to respond to physiological changes elicited by a warm-up. This measure is partly related only to fighters' physical characteristics, namely the body weight. Athletes and trainers could thus concentrate on other aspects of successful performance during warm-up routines.

[JCN]

I use warm ups to prevent injuring myself more than anything else.

[45dotACP]

I use warm ups to prevent injuring myself more than anything else.

That's pretty much the best reason for a warmup. Especially if you are training something dynamic or explosive on an area of the body that is vulnerable to injury.

For striking, I don't warm up much neither will I warm up much for a regular BJJ roll starting from the knees. Those are basically a big warm up for me. It gets me moving, gets my muscles loose, gets my cardiovascular system pumping.

I'll warm up before doing some heavy weightlifting. I want my muscles to be warm and to have already moved them through the range of motion that I expect from a specific exercise. Especially if I'll be putting stress on my knees or I'm working on something that's close to the max of what I'm able to do.

Wrestling, or sparring form standing, for instance, is going to be an exercise that I'll want to warm up for. I don't want to be putting all that torque or force against my knees or spine if the muscles are cold.

But throwing a hard cross isn't going to stress my joints much.

[BWT]

I use warm ups to prevent injuring myself more than anything else.

Stretching and warmups are a wise move.

I skipped stretching before getting on the elliptical and doing other lunch workouts. About 2-3 months ago I had debilitating knee and low back pain. I was just running in, exercising, and leaving. Stretching over several days restored functionality. I guess I should’ve always stretched but I got away without it for lunch workouts.

I kind of look at it like the joke I once heard about flossing and only flossing the teeth you want to keep. I kind of adopted that for stretching at this point. Only stretch the things you want to work and not be injured.

[JCN]

Stretching and warmups are a wise move.

I skipped stretching before getting on the elliptical and doing other lunch workouts. About 2-3 months ago I had debilitating knee and low back pain. I was just running in, exercising, and leaving. Stretching over several days restored functionality. I guess I should’ve always stretched but I got away without it for lunch workouts.

I kind of look at it like the joke I once heard about flossing and only flossing the teeth you want to keep. I kind of adopted that for stretching at this point. Only stretch the things you want to work and not be injured.

Since I had my wrist injury that nagged me for months, I’m super careful about giving a good warm up before draws and reloads and not pounding them at full speed as the impact when torqued is a very vulnerable combination.

My initial injury was outdoor max speed draws in sub-zero weather.

Not smart.

I’m accepting that I’m getting old and have to respect my physical limitations.

The analogy to this study would be: is a max speed draw any different in speed than a warmed up one? And the answer is probably not speed wise but probably accuracy wise (something they didn’t test for this study).