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

[Arnold Schwarzenword]

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.

More flexibility in muscles means less explosiveness. Think of a rubber band. There’s a reason BJ was not known for kicks outside of the one to Diego’s cranium.

 

[Arnold Schwarzenword]

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

Not quite; Hughes attempted a single where BJ sprawled doing the splits with his leg bent in half and turned towards the sky. It was quite unusual and impressive flexibility.

 

[Arrrrgh]

Stretching is for weird creepy yoga dudes that perv at the lady gyms.

 

[PabloMEX]

Stretching is overrated. I think being not so flexible has actually saved me from severe injuries grappling for over a decade.

 

[Oregonmma]

Did the whole showing girls your medieval weapon collection on the first date thing ever work?

 

[Dorkman]

Not everyone is capable of the same range. You also start to lose strength if you over stretch.

 

[jsbx45]

I've trained for flexibility my whole life and it helps me keep going at, we'll say, an advanced age. Stretching and yoga are one of the best ways we have to stay active and healthy into later life. That being said, I was never as flexible as BJ Penn. Some folks will never get that no matter how hard they train flexibility even if they benefit from it greatly.

 

[Patman]

It's probably not worth the investment IMO. There are so many skills and so many physical attributes to train, I can see why flexibility is low on the list. You get your requisite flexibility by training skills anyways. If you're training high kicks, TDD, guard play, those will all organically improve your flexibility. Anything more probably only makes a marginal difference.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

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

You'll be surprised with people's flexibility levels. Lots can't do rubber guards or triangles properly because they aren't flexible enough.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

how do you even know that?

Because I've seen people's training first hand and analyze the training people show. Plus it's obvious when you don't see a lot of flexibility in fighters. Everything is in the results. If it isn't worked on it won't be a part of their game.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

That's not how logic works

Actually it is. That's the reason why not every fighter can throw headkicks. It's simple logic actually. I simplified it as simply as possible.

If you trained with enough fighters you would understand this during training. Lots ask to lower the target or choose to kick the body instead to replace head kicks in drills/training.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Because I've seen people's training first hand and analyze the training people show. Plus it's obvious when you don't see a lot of flexibility in fighters. Everything is in the results. If it isn't worked on it won't be a part of their game.

i don't know, sounds like a really sweeping generalization to me. and how can you possibly see hundreds of MMA fighters training? how is it obvious? like what part of the fights are you like "this guy isn't flexible"?

 

[White Whale]

Maybe they think cardio is more important than flexibility.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

i don't know, sounds like a really sweeping generalization to me. and how can you possibly see hundreds of MMA fighters training? how is it obvious? like what part of the fights are you like "this guy isn't flexible"?

It's not. You can ask a lot of fighters if they work specifically on their flexibility. You won't find a lot that do. There are reasons why you never see much flexibility depth with fighters or ever see them training or working their flexibility. Just like you don't see every fighter throwing headkicks. You would think every fighter would want headkicks in their game. So it isn't one of those things where they don't have it in their game because they don't want it, it's because they can't do it effectively in a fight. Mostly that is due to flexibility issues and them not being capable to kick someone's head the same height as theirs. Sure it's easier when you have height advantage because a body kick will be a headkick, but that's not they type of fighters and flexibility I am referring to.

Yes I've trained with hundreds of fighters. That isn't a crazy number for people that train at more than 1 gym. Even in a single gym you can train with a hundred fighters as they come and go from that gym.

 

[StoneColdSteveAustin]

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

This is nonsense. Anyone can become flexible.

 

[aerius]

MMA training has only recently left the caveman bro-science age, and only in some gyms.

 

[Brom Bones]

Not interested in sucking their own dicks. Too manly/busy training.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

What flexibility training was BJ doing because Im pretty sure most of it is natural ability.

You can stretch all you want, only certain types of people will be able to put their own foot behind their head, especially not using hand assistance.


But one thing is certain. If you are not trying to reach your flexibility limits often, you will never know what your limits are. BJ obviously tests the limits of his own flexibility often in training.

Same with head kicks, often dudes shy away from them because they lack a lot of power due to not throwing enough of them in training. Once you force yourself to throw them, get past the weak stage, they will pick up steam along the way. Always practice both sides.

 

[Blayt7hh]

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

Yeah with just a few minutes a day they could punch hard like him