A Fighter s Core: A Study of Pilates for a Martial Artist

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1 A Fighter s Core: A Study of Pilates for a Martial Artist 1Kendal Au Body Arts & Science International Comprehensive Teacher Training Course January-April, 2007 Center Studio, San Francisco April 22, 2007

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3 Abstract In this study I address the issues of one person who is a martial artist and some general approaches to working with martial artists. The included case study is of a martial artist who has military posture with an anterior curve in his lower & middle thoracic spine. After addressing his postural issues, I discuss the following areas which are important in using Pilates for cross-training martial artists: Lateral flexion & rotation Open & closed chain work with core stability and motion Unilateral work Speed Breathing 3

4 Contents Abstract... 3 Anatomical Description... 5 Jessan s Posture... 6 General Work for Martial Artists... 9 Lateral Flexion & Rotation... 9 Open & Closed Chain Work, Impact & Core Stability in Motion 10 Unilateral Work Speed Breath Results

5 Anatomical Description Military Posture The person in my case study is Jessan Avery, a 41 year old male, in generally good shape, exercising at least 3 times per week. He has a military posture which I describe this way: His head is very close to neutral, just slightly anterior of his center line. His cervical spine is normal. His chest is lifted and low back is arched such that his thoracic spine bends from normal in the upper portion, to an anterior position in the middle and lower portions, joining the lordosis of his lumbar spine. The anterior bend in his middle thoracic spine deviates from typical military posture. His pelvis is in an anterior tilt and his shoulders fall posteriorly. His hamstrings are weak and tight. His knees don t have the hyper-extension typical of military posture. His quadriceps are strong and tight. His peroneals are overdeveloped relative to his gastrocnemius and he supinates his feet. His abdominals are long and weak. All of his back extensors are strong, tight and overly developed relative to the rest of his body. He has a slight lateral rotation of the femurs 5

6 and his hip adductors are very weak. He has no notable injuries or pain. Jessan s Posture Jessan has an atypical military posture (see anatomical description) which he has trained his body to maintain because he believes it helps his martial arts and is good for his back. He has no notable injuries or pain. His goal in taking Pilates is to improve his over all performance in Wu Shu. (Wu Shu is a multi-discipline martial art that emphasizes form. It is the martial art used in movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero.) Jessan has been practicing Wu Shu for over 20 years. Even though Jessan s posture is functional and he isn t in pain, I wanted to work on it because I believed it would greatly improve his range of motion and ability in his activities. To address his posture, I have done the following: Supine Rib Breathing to help him relax and learn to move his intercostal muscles as well as to use his abdominal muscles to draw his front bottom ribs down towards the mat and his hips, giving a subtle stretch of his over extended thoracic spine, and getting him accustomed to more movement in the thoracic area. Spinal articulation and massage such as Roll Downs (as an exercise and not just a postural assessment tool) Pelvic Curls, Short Spine, Monkey Original & Roll Like A Ball or Seal Puppy, to increase flexibility and control throughout his spine. These exercises also work the abdominals which is good for correcting his posture. Abdominal exercises such as 100 s, Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, Criss-Cross, Reverse Knee Stretch & Sitting Pikes. His abdominals are much weaker than his back extensors so my goal with his ab work is to bring more balance such that his posture improves. I haven t emphasized Roll Ups 6

7 or Up-Stretch Series exercises because he has a stronger tendency than most to rely on his overdeveloped hip flexors to do them. I will bring those exercises in more as he learns to stay out of his hip flexors. Reformer (preferably Cadillac when available) footwork for his hamstrings which are underdeveloped compared to his hip flexors. I encourage him to do this footwork with a lot of focus on keeping his knees and feet moving in the same plane as each other throughout the exercises where the feet are in parallel position to help his legs work out of lateral rotation and to train his feet out of supination. I encourage him to find the sensation of initiating this footwork from both his hamstrings and his adductors and to pull up on his pelvic floor to keep his tail bone to the mat and find stability in his torso. Reformer hip work Like Frogs, Down Circles, Up Circles & Skates to work on his adductors to pull against his lateral rotation, and develop his hamstrings. Because he lives with his back in extension, I avoid any back extension exercises with him except where it is part of another exercise like reaching the back and neck long during saw or spine stretch. Using exercises which have objectives other than back extension but have a moment of partial extension, like saw or spine stretch, I focus on teaching him to reach long thru his neck and back while pulling his ribs and scapula down. His arm work is done supine for now because it is easier to keep him from over extending his back and allowing his ribs to pop up if he s lying on his back. Later, it will be more appropriate for him to do his arm work kneeling or standing while maintaining torso stability without any aid and good abdominal engagement. 7

8 I also have him doing push-ups (with both tricep and pectoral focus), front support, or leg pulls to help him develop his pectorals and scapula abductors. He has a tendency to adduct his scapula so the main focus of all his work in front support position is on abducting his scapula. Standing Lunge Hamstring Stretch to address his tight hamstrings and psoas. Because Jessan picked up his posture doing an activity he loves and identifies strongly with, he attaches a lot of his self-image and self-esteem to it. It has been a bit of a struggle for him to be willing to change out of it. I have said to him, in the hope of encouraging him, that if his spine is flexible and his abs as strong as his back, he will be able to get into any posture he wants. This seems to help him a little. 8

9 General Work for Martial Artists The second issue I address with Jessan is how to improve his overall performance in his martial art. Among other sources, I have relied on my 5 years of experience in Shao Lin and 2 years experience in a few other martial arts, to develop an approach to this work. There are several key areas of focus in Pilates which, I believe, are important for most external martial arts. I will review them here. They are: Lateral flexion & rotation Open & closed chain work with core stability in motion Unilateral work Speed Breathing Lateral Flexion & Rotation There are a number of types of movements in martial arts: punches, kicks, blocks, dodges, tumbling, ground fighting, grappling, submissions (usually limb twisting), throws, falls, and footwork. Each of these movements, more often than not, requires lateral flexion and/or rotation. To non-martial artists, it might seem as though throwing a punch or a kick is simply moving a limb away from the body. In actuality, punches and kicks derive much of their effectiveness when they are initiated from a slight twist of the hips. In a punch, this motion creates a lateral rotation starting in the hip rotators and working up through the abdominal muscles with an emphasis on the obliques, then the latissimus dorsi and anterior serratus of the side used in the punch. In a front kick, there is first a sinking of the low transverse abdominis and an activation of the pelvic floor, followed by some lateral 9

10 flexion to lift the leg, and then a slight rotation of the hips and an engagement of the obliques to execute the strike. In the case of a punch across a very short distance (say 6 inches), the motion must be initiated in the obliques since the arm cannot be extended and, therefore, cannot be relied on to create significant force. Abdominals can create significant force in a small space when in rotation or lateral flexion so if the fighter treats the arm as an extension of the abdominals, she can create force with a punch without relying on her arm. When kicking, strength and range of motion in lateral flexion play a more important role than when punching. I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is for a fighter to have awesome lats and serratus and superb abs, most especially the obliques. Working with Jessan, I have him do a variety of Side Overs, Side Lifts, Side Bends, Twists, Mermaids, Spine Twist Supine, Side Reach, etc. and I always add rotation to any abdominal work where it is appropriate (Chest Lift, Hamstring Stretch, Abdominals Legs In Straps, Mini-Roll Ups etc.). Open & Closed Chain Work, Impact & Core Stability in Motion The nature of fighting arts is to begin movement as an open chain exercise, move to closed chain and return to open chain again as a fighter strikes or blocks an opponent and then recoils. When impact initiated by the fighter takes place, an open chain exercises becomes closed chain for the length of the moment of contact. When the impact is over, the fighter returns to open chain movement. This dialectic between open and closed chain motion requires a particular type of core stability and gives that stability 10

11 special importance. A fighter s core needs to become accustomed to stabilizing even while the torso is in motion and while moving through open and closed chain exercise or taking impact from an opponent. Because a martial artist will also sustain impact unexpectedly when being struck, there is a demand for reflexive core stability as well. Developing an acute mind-body awareness of the muscles that provide core stability while in motion and moving from open to closed chain exercises will teach the martial artist greater control. Since core stability during all motions is fundamental to all Pilates, it is teaching the awareness of how this works and creating a good balance of open and closed chain exercise that will help the fighter. Open chain exercise in general often requires greater reliance on one s own body for stability. Closed chain exercises often provide an object on which to stabilize. Therefore, I suggest a stronger focus on open chain exercises. Approaching a fighter s core stabilization work this way will increase their control, balance, awareness of their center of gravity, and combined with spinal flexibility, will greatly increase their range of motion, all of which will increase a fighter s overall power. Working with Jessan, I use exercises like lying and kneeling Side Kicks and Leg Circles, which challenge core stability while the legs are extending away from the core relatively rapidly. As Jessan s posture improves, I will move him to Side Kneeling and Standing Arm Work series for the same reason. I work towards Corkscrew, Corkscrew Advanced and other advanced mat exercises over time. When he s stronger, I will teach him rowing. When possible I have him do his hip work on the Cadillac. Most importantly, I cue him constantly to be aware of his core stability while in motion. Unilateral Work 11

12 There are two reasons to do a lot of unilateral work with a martial artist. 1. Almost everything a martial artist will do will be unilateral motion, so training unilaterally will be supportive. 2. Most martial arts, with the exception of some weapon fighting, will be performed better when a fighter does not favor one side. Unilateral work can be used to counter handedness. The precision and pace of Pilates in unilateral work will teach the fighter good control of her movements. In addition to Jessan s lateral flexion and rotation exercises (which are unilateral) I have him do Single Leg Footwork, and when available, Single Leg Hip Work on the Cadillac. I m working him up to doing the Side Kneeling and Standing Arm Work series especially Punches and Butterflies. Speed Most martial arts rely on having fast reflexes. Many movements in the fighting arts use the momentum of speed of a motion to derive power in a blow. At the same time, precision, efficiency and control of movement is very important. A fighter s movements cannot be effective if they are sloppily executed. As in Pilates, precision and control in an exercise should be achieved before trying to do an exercise quickly. It is important, however, to build speed. When working with Jessan, I sometimes have him start slow at the beginning of an exercise and then have him pick up the pace towards the end. Sometimes I wait many sessions to speed up his work. Breath There are a couple of reasons to focus on breathing when working with a martial artist. First, controlled and rhythmic breathing coupled with mind-body awareness is considered a very important source of a martial artist s power. Developing a good flow in a session and encouraging steady breathing habits will be beneficial to the martial arts client. 12

13 Second, martial artists are often taught to use a forceful exhale when they deliver a blow. The forceful exhale increases the power of the blow. This has a lot to do with the activation of the abdominal muscles. Most martial arts schools don t teach their students to be aware of the fact that forceful breathing is activating their abs and that this is a source of power. Training the martial arts client to use forceful exhaling properly in Pilates will teach the client a type of muscle-breath connection they most likely have not learned and will exponentially increase their ability to utilize their breath in their art. For example, learning to activate obliques with forceful exhaling during Mini- Roll Ups with Oblique Focus will teach the fighter how to use their breath to activate their obliques when they need them to execute a punch. Each increase in mind-body awareness about how to activate individual muscles using forceful breath will contribute to the control, precision and power of the martial artist. Results I chose this topic hoping to better understand my own experience of learning Pilates which suddenly made me aware of the holes in my body strength when I was a martial artist. I was in great shape then strong, athletic, flexible and generally capable but I now know that I would have been really incredible if I had been cross training with Pilates. Jessan s posture has already improved, mostly due to greater spinal flexibility and abdominal strength at this point, and he is so happy with the increased range of motion throughout his body that he has become the latest new fan of Pilates. Jessan says he has broken through a place of stagnation in his Wu Shu and has begun learning things he thought he might never have. His teacher is impressed as well and is considering taking Pilates to learn its secrets. 13

14 Bibliography Notes from my Shao Lin training Author unknown, Juho Passive System, publishing information uknown Hee Il Cho, The Complete Martial Artist, Vol. 2, West Los Angeles, CA; Hee Il Cho 1981 Sean Conchran, Complete Conditioning for Martial Arts, Champaign, IL; Human Kinetics

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