Reconstruction Work Continues (diary entry)

English: an exercise of thigh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

24.06.15 My second lesson of the evening continued my martial arts rehabilitation training. Readers of my previous diary in this particular series will know that I am training a client who has an injury to his shoulder and has experienced other problems making stand-up strike-based training a no-no for now. We began with a flow drill of spinal mobility exercises. We then integrated various other sport-specific exercises. This included straight knee-striking off a sprawl, triangle choke leg raises off the alligator rolls and sit-throughs quadruped back circles. We will continue with this theme next lesson, including more work on muscle activation. Next we revised the three submissions covered in the last lesson – oma plata, arm-bar and triangle choke from guard. Finally we began looking at restructuring form for lifts. I am a big believer in earning certain lifts. For example, you should be able to do at least 10 strict form press-ups before you look at the bench press. From a safety perspective this trains the correct muscle activation, preventing arching or placing too much pressure on the shoulder joints. As discussed in my previous diary entry in this series will recall, the overhead squat is an excellent exercise for correcting form. The front squat is also worth using as a variation on back squats for the way it forces lifters to keep a straight back throughout the lift.