Why Warm Up and Stretch for TaeKwonDo?

The warm-up and stretching is one of the most overlooked and underappreciated aspects of
TaeKwonDo. Warming up and stretching is essential when you are about to practice TaeKwonDo
because it raises your body temperature and increases blood flow to the muscles you’ll use during
training. The warmup and stretch usually take about 10 – 15 minutes.

Stretching is an unavoidable requirement in any sport. It makes sure that the body is prepared for
movements outside its normal range. Doing no stretching exercises before you start training can greatly
increase your risk of injury when carrying out dynamic movements.

Benefits of Stretching

When done properly, stretching can do more than just increase flexibility. Benefits include:

Reduced injuries to muscles, joints & tendons.

Reduced muscle soreness and stiffness.
Improved physical fitness.
The ability to perform advanced and skilled movements.

Easier to execute general martial art movements.

Warming Up Correctly

Many students think warming up is doing a few stretches before they start training. Stretching is NOT
warming up. Warming up is the process of literally raising your core body temperature. Stretching and
warming up in the wrong order can be unbeneficial to getting the most out of your stretching before
training.

It is not a good idea to attempt to stretch your muscles before they are warm. Therefore a simple
order to follow when warming up is this:

 Joint Rotation
 Energetic Warm-Up
 Stretching Exercises

Joint Rotation

Your general warm-up should begin with joint rotations. What this motion does is it lubricates the entire
joint with synovial fluid, this allows your joints to function more easily when called upon for your martial
art training.
You should perform slow circular movements, both clockwise and counter clockwise, until the joint
seems to move fluently. Working either down the body or up is best as then you don’t miss anything
out. Rotate the following:

Neck

Shoulders

Elbows

Wrists

Fingers & Knuckles

Hips

Knees

Ankles

Toes

Energetic Warm-Up

After you have finished the joint rotations it is time for the warm-up. Try and engage in at least five
minutes of aerobic activity such as skipping, jogging or any other action that will cause a similar increase
and get your blood pumping around your body. Increased blood flow in the muscles improves flexibility
and muscle performance and reduces the chances of injury.

Stretching Exercises

Once the general warm-up has been completed, the muscles are warmer and more elastic. It is at this
point that you should start to stretch. There are two main types of stretching that should now be
practiced. Static stretching and dynamic stretching.

 Static Stretching is where you hold a position of stretch for a certain period of time. Opinions
differ on how long you should hold a position for, but on average 15-25 seconds for this
beginning stretch is enough. (Younger children may need less time.)

A lot of people find it easier to stretch and hold the position if they have a goal, especially younger
children, so counting is one way to solve this, either by counting in their heads or counting out loud.
Static stretching should be performed in sets of 2-5 repetitions with a 15-30 second rest in between
each stretch.

Depending on your type of training, depends which muscles need to be stretch properly. Always start
and never neglect your back, this is important. From there the main areas to stretch are:

Back

Sides (external obliques)

Neck

Arms

Chest

Groin

Thighs (quadriceps & abductors)

Calves

Hamstrings

 Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretches are gentle, relaxed swinging motions, to get your body to reach its maximum range of
motion. Such exercises include; leg raises and arm swings in all directions. These exercises should be
done on both sides of the body before any vigorous training is carried out.

Each stretch should be performed smoothly, gently, and slowly to avoid any potential injury.

Pwede po ba wag nyo na pong isama Yung nasa baba Thank you

Yung mga may yellow highlighted

My Taekwondo Warm Up and Stretching Exercises Include:

Standing Warm Up and Stretching For TaeKwonDo

PART 1

 Jumping Jacks

 Circle Hips

 Knee Warm-up
 Short Stretch

 Long Stretch

 Standing Hamstring Stretch

Stretching and Warm up On the Floor

PART 2

 Butterfly Stretch

 Open Leg Stretch

 Sitting Hamstring Stretch

Standing Warm Up in Taekwondo

PART 3

 Standing Lunges

 Knees Up
Stretching and Warm up On the Floor

PART 4

 Push Up

 Mountain Climbers

http://www.taekwondo-training.com/education/taekwondo-technical-manual/stretching-and-
warming-up