A solid core is the foundation that allows martial artists to perform many techniques in these ancient styles. Your core is the group of muscles in your hips and midsection that surround your spine, and it’s engaged every time you perform any of the countless punching, kicking, or takedowns used in martial arts.
The specific muscles that make up your core are:
- Transverse Abdominis: A deep muscle tissue that makes up your inner core.
- Rectus Abdominis: These muscles make up the highly coveted six-pack.
- External Obliques: These help to power twisting and bending motions.
- Internal Obliques: These perform similar duties as the external obliques but in the opposite direction.
- Erector Spinae: This muscle runs down your spine and helps to keep you upright. People with excellent posture often have strong erector spinae.
- Pelvic Floor: This is the base of your core.
- Multifidus: These are inner spinal muscles that help with stability.
- Diaphragm: This is the top of your core.
You’ll need a solid core to master any martial arts, regardless of whether it’s a grappling-based style like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) or a striking-based fighting system like Muay Thai.
Exploring Why Core Strength Is Vital For Martial Arts
Let’s get one thing out of the way before we dive into our topic any further: having a strong core isn’t about developing a six-pack. Your abs are only one of the muscles that comprise your core.
Martial artists develop their core to improve their ability to control their bodies, stay balanced during movements, and generate power from the center of their bodies. Having a strong core in martial arts is about developing functional strength that translates to movements used in the dojo. It has nothing to do with how many sit-ups you can perform in one go.
Some of the reasons why having a strong core is so important for martial artists include:
- Increased Striking Power: The force behind the strikes used in popular martial arts like Muay Thai, Boxing, and Judo typically starts in your legs, and your core links it to the rest of your body. The stronger your core, the more efficient the energy transfer becomes.
- Increased Ground Control And Takedown Defense: BJ practitioners know how much having a solid core improves their ability to control opponents and scramble for dominant positions. That’s because the energy for many techniques used in grappling-based martial arts, like the bridge and roll, is generated in the hips.
- Injury Prevention: A weak core also protects you from injuries since it improves your body’s ability to handle the stress training puts on your body.
The Best Core Exercises To Develop Functional Strength
Now that we’ve gone over how important having a solid core is for all martial artists, let’s go over some of the most effective exercises to improve your core strength:
1) Planks
Planks are a classic bodyweight exercise for a good reason. Performing them engages your entire core, from your pelvic floor to your obliques. It’s also a simple exercise to learn.
Grappling-based martial arts require you to engage your core whenever you have to sprawl out of takedowns or control opponents on the ground. The longer you can hold a plank, the better control you’ll have on the mats. A strong core will also allow you to generate more power when you throw strikes.
To perform planks:
- Get into the starting position as if you were preparing to do push-ups with your forearms resting on the ground instead of your hands.
- Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Engage your abs to prevent your hips from sagging as you hold the position.
2) Russian Twists
Russian twists are a rotational exercise that primarily targets your obliques. Rotation is everything in martial arts, as it’s used to generate power for strikes and throws.
Throwing punches and twisting on the ground as you look for submissions on the ground requires strong rotational muscles. Russian twists are an effective way to train the muscles that power such movements.
Here are the mechanics for performing Russian twists:
- Sit on the floor while keeping your feet flat and your knees bent. Lean back slightly while you keep your back straight.
- Hold on to a dumbbell or kettlebell and twist your torso as you move it from side to site.
- Keep your leg still while performing the movement, and touch the ground on each side as you complete your reps.
3) Deadlifts
Deadlifts are one of the most beneficial weightlifting movements for martial artists. Besides strengthening your legs and lower back, the exercise also gives your core a thorough workout, especially your deep abdominal muscles.
It’s also a compound exercise that helps to train different muscles all over your body to work together as one efficient unit.
Deadlifts can help to build the functional strength needed to perform full-body techniques used in martial arts like throws.
To perform deadlifts:
- Get into the starting position with your feet shoulder-width apart and a barbell in front of you. Your feet should be right underneath the barbell.
- Bend at your hips and knees as you grab the bar with an overhand grip.
- Pull the weight up toward you while keeping your back straight by tightening your abs as you complete your rep.
4) Back Bridges
Bridges are another way to improve your core strength, particularly in your hips. It’s a straightforward exercise to learn, and you can increase its intensity by placing a barbell over the lower part of your abdomen.
Back bridges mimic some of the movements used in martial arts, such as the bridge and roll reversal technique used in BJJ. Your ability to generate power with your hips also impacts your ability to defend against takedowns or execute techniques like flying knees.
Here’s what the exercise looks like:
- Start the exercise on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Keep your back neutral on the ground by not pressing it into the ground and not arching it upward.
- Raise your hips off the ground until they’re lined up with your shoulders and knees. Hold the top position for a few seconds before coming back to the starting point.
Keep Your Martial Arts Game Strong By Strengthening Your Core
There’s no way around the fact you need to develop a strong core if you want to be a formidable martial artist. Your core links your body’s upper and lower parts, allowing you to transfer energy between them.
You may also like:
