Why don't fighters train to be flexible like BJ penn?

[FIghtxIQ]

This is not a given.

I can tell you firsthand, I trained under one of the best muay thai coaches in MMA, he trains and corners Amanda Nunes, Edson Barboza, Marlon Morares, etc.

They don't stretch, on purpose. They are not flexible. They maintain average range of motion and believe in the "whip" tightness of the stretch reflex enhances the power and speed of the kick. Edgar was actually able to address this on Rogan's podcast as well (he trained with same crew).

I'm sure there are great kickers who are flexible as well, but it's not a black and white thing.

Anyone who's ever trained in a "power" dependent sport, even like lifting, knows that stretching can be detrimental to strength very quickly. The consensus from most high level people now is that maintaining good range of motion with strength (like the other guy was saying) is optimal over having above average range of motion and not being strong in those end ranges.

There is a difference with static and dynamic flexibility. Anyone training kicks and head kicks will be training dynamic flexibility. Fighters should have great dynamic flexibility. It's all flexibility though. Grapplers would benefit with static flexibility but they also use a lot of dynamic flexibility.

All the high kicks they throw is the reason they have great high kicks. They train their dynamic flexibility that way. Others won't do high kicks at all or move the target lower so they never build their dynamic flexibility at all.

 

[Adrian Anis]

 

[CroCopsLHK]

Does this man have a tiny face or and oversized head? Clearly his face only occupies the lower 50% of that melon. Looks like an optical illusion or maybe a photoshop

 

[Dirty Frank]

Hey it's my cousin Eduardo

 

[AaandStill]

 

[markys00]

why don't you train to be taller?

Or train to have a pointier nose.

Or to have bigger hands.

Sheesh, I'm tired of these manlets 6'3 and under

 

[FaTaL FaTaL]

Seriously, just a couple of minutes a workout to develop your flexibility. Flexibility is so underrated in MMA, you can avoid being pressed into bad positions off discomfort, your TDD improves, your submissions improve.

That’s called genetics, imagine usman trying to be flexible

LoL

 

[markys00]

No it isn't. Flexibility is something fighters would have to train individually. It's not a part of any program for the most part. Reason why you don't see every single fighter throwing headkicks.

That's not how logic works

 

[Sasha]

All the penn's of the world should be flaccid and motivated.

 

[ThunderStruck]

Why don't peoples train to punch as hard as Ngannou?

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Many don't train flexibility at all. It's not a part of their training at all. Basic stretches and warm-ups is not the same as training flexibility.

how do you even know that?

 

[LATEXXX COMMANDO]

While I agree that flexibility helps, BJ's flexibility was a gift. Unattainable for most.

 

[backlight]

People still not knowing the difference between flexibility and range of motion

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

I can't even bend over to touch my foot

 

[Deleted member 449757]

They haven't looked into it.

 

[Masturbin]

I am sure some fighters are so stiff that they can't throw a headkick

 

[mkt]

Because he has 7 losses and got knocked out by some random bum

Says the low-IQ newbie who can't understand that some fighters fought way beyond their prime.

 

[mkt]

Wasn't Penn really flexible naturally? I'm sure he stretched a bit, but he was kind of a physical freak even though his physique wasn't very impressive.

 

[StonedLemur]

He got too focused on muscles. His whole training/fighting mentality switched up once he moved up in weight. Reason why he is always flexing in his pictures now. I think all the small muscles and skinny talk got to him from before. Like when he tried to flex on Floyd's bodyguards and they called him skinny. Plus the people commenting on invisible lats syndrome or whatever they used to say about Conor and his flexing/walking pose from before. Muscles don't equal fighting ability, he had the right mentality before.

You set this thread on fuckin fire sir lol.

 

[Coolkid666]

All he did was rubber guard and rogan freaked out about the flexibility