krav maga recovery

[dckm]

hi,

i’m new to krav maga, i’ve been in it a month and so far, i come home tired and sore but loving it.

yesterday i was holding the pads doing front kicks and today i’m noticing my elbows and forearms are sore and even when I hit the punching bags they hurt.
should I lock my elbows when holding the pads for kicks??
will an elbow brace help any? I’d like to go tonite but i have a feeling i won’t be able to go at 80% or better with my elbows still sore.

[crazy-train]

Re: krav maga recovery

the soreness could be from the muscles being used in ways their not used to, or because of holding pads really stiff. in that i mean that there’s no give from your arms when the pads are hit and the force travels through your arms making them more sore. i’m not saying you don’t want to hold the pads stiff/strong….just hoping i’m getting my idea across.

i would not lock elbows for holding pads, you’re just going to jam the joints or in an extreme case, have some hyper extension occur.

that’s all i got, hopefully somebody here can help better than i can. i’m a visual person, seeing how you’re holding the pads and such would help me understand the possible problem. i’d say the best thing to do would be to talk to your instructor about it.

[sdkraver]

Re: krav maga recovery

I concur with crazy train, my experience as a new student was I locked my elbows, and they got sore/injured as a result. Now I keep a slight flex and have no problems with my elbows.

Same with my thumbs, I supported the straps with my thumb rather than the heel of my hand, and this impeded my ability to type or use my hands effectively for many tasks, opening a jar, etc. Took several months for both injuries to recover fully.

So, you’re being smart by addressing this quickly, like crazy train suggested I would go see your instructor before class and ask for a demo on holding the pad, it can save you a lot pain and inconvenience.

[phlegmon27]

Re: krav maga recovery

Hey dckm. Definitely do not hold the pad with stiff arms. A slight bend at the elbows is good, and punch down slightly at the striker’s shin as the kick comes up. This will take some of the stress off your arms, and put it on his/her leg. If you are at Krav Maga Nova, I won’t be teaching again until the 29th, but feel free to ask any of the other instructors for a demo. The last thing we want is for you to miss any training with a preventable injury.

Phil

[dckm]

Re: krav maga recovery

quote phlegmon27:

Hey dckm. Definitely do not hold the pad with stiff arms. A slight bend at the elbows is good, and punch down slightly at the striker’s shin as the kick comes up. This will take some of the stress off your arms, and put it on his/her leg. If you are at Krav Maga Nova, I won’t be teaching again until the 29th, but feel free to ask any of the other instructors for a demo. The last thing we want is for you to miss any training with a preventable injury.

Phil

Hey Phil this is Brendan (you showed me a quick and easy knife defense with a front vertical kick saturday after KM Bag). I’ll be back out Saturday for level 1 and then bag. I’ll get some feedback on holding the pads saturday.

thanks for the responses.

[phlegmon27]

Re: krav maga recovery

Hey no worries, dude. Keep up the hard work, your technique is really coming along.

[dckm]

Re: krav maga recovery

quote phlegmon27:

Hey no worries, dude. Keep up the hard work, your technique is really coming along.

will do, and thanks for staying and answering my questions on technique. i’m serious about this krav maga and want to get better quickly. i think i’ve found a new healthy addiction

[Author]

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