PREVENTING INJURIES STEMMING FROM BAD FIGHTER POSTURE

By Angela Chang 

Whether it’s a small ache or a full-on broken bone, injuries suck. They’re almost always sure to put you out of action for at least a little bit of time. But did you know a lot of injuries are totally avoidable?

Posture

It’s no shocker that a lot of martial artists have terrible posture. The fighting stance fosters some bad habits such as internally rolled shoulders, tight pec muscles, weak hamstrings and back muscles, and bad neck placement. 

Since we spend so much time in fighting stances while training, it’s easy to receive or develop injuries stemming from bad posture alone. Taking care of your posture can avoid a lot of annoying things like inflexibility and joint pain associated with your neck, shoulders, knees, hips, and ankles – after all, the body loves symmetry.

Luckily, with some strength exercises , we can “fix” this muscular imbalance. Good posture will foster more efficient working muscles, p...