The importance of having good hip flexor flexibility in muay thai cannot be overlooked. Having supple and mobile hip flexors and good range of motion and mobility in the hips are crucial for muay thai and martial arts.
Having tight hip flexors will have a negative impact on your ability to kick and move with good balance in muay thai and need to addressed.
Mobility of the hip flexor as well as hip rotation are two important factors in improving muay thai kicks. Check out my video below.
This post will look specifically at addressing the hip flexor.
So what is the best way to unlock your hip flexors for muay thai and martial arts?
That will be the focus of this post.
But first let’s look at what the hip flexors are and why they become tight over time.
What are the Hip Flexors?
The hip flexors are composed of a group of muscle at the top of the thigh. This group of muscles connect the upper leg to the hip.
The hip flexors allow a person to bend at the waist or what is known as ‘hip flexion’ and raise the leg.
The hip flexors are important in most lower body movements including walking, running and kicking.
The muscles below are some of the main hip flexor muscles and group together to compose what is known as the hip flexors
- Iliopsoas
- rectus femoris
- tensor fasciae latae
- sartorius
What Causes Tight Hip Flexors?
One of the most commonly discussed reasons behind tight hip flexors are lack of movement and activation and tightness due to long periods of sitting in a chair.
The popular theory is that long periods of sitting in a chair cause a shortening of the hip flexors over time.
Excessive sitting can cause the hip flexors to become shorter and weaker over time.
In addition to long periods of sitting causing tight hip flexors, postural habits such as leaning forward or to one side of the hip more than the other are another factor.
Why You Need to Unlock Your Hip Flexors
Injury Prevention
Over time if the hip flexors become stiff due to inactivation and a lot of sitting in chairs, the opposing muscle group of the glutes can lengthen.
This opposing muscle reaction can make it difficult for the glute to contract and fire.
This can lead to injury over time
Having shortened hip flexors due to excessive sitting and inactivation can also cause imbalances and throw off your natural gait when running and walking.
These imbalances lead to injury if not dealt with in time.
Increased ROM & Mobility in the Hips
This is especially important for martial arts such as muay thai that require good hip mobility and rang of motion in the hips.
Hip rotation as well as flexion are key components of the muay thai roundhouse kick and having tight hip flexors will only impact you mobility and ability to throw fast and powerful kicks.
Traditional Hip Flexor Stretch in Muay Thai
Hip flexor stretching is one of the two important factors in improving flexibility and mobility espeically for the muay thai roundhouse kick.
In fact stretching and mobilising the hip flexors is one of the main movements of the ‘ground’ portion of the Whai Kru performed by muay thai fighters before they fight.
How To Unlock Your Hip Flexors for Muay Thai
Approaching the issue of tight hip flexors requires a structured program with regular and consistent activation and stretching.
I have discussed previously the ‘Trinity’ of factors to improve mobility and release tight muscles.
These 3 important factors are:
- Stretching – to restore range of motion in movement patters
- Soft Tissue Release – to treat tightness and restore length of soft tissue
- Joint Distraction – to improve function of the joint
So lets look at all three factors as they relate to the hip flexors.
1. Stretching for the Hip Flexors
Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
A pretty easy and basic movement but is very important for muay thai, the kneeling hip flexor stretch is the best stretch you can do for tight hip flexors.
This stretch is one of the main movements within the traditional muay thai dance or wai kru performed before each fight.
If you have tight hip flexors then regular performance of the kneeling hip flexor stretch is needed.
There are certainly more stretches that work on the hip flexors but the kneeling stretch is one of the key stretches to focus on.
If you are interested in a complete program of stretching to unlock your hip flexors for muay thai and martial arts check out this program by leading expert in exercise rehabilitation and fitness Rick Kaselji.
2. Soft Tissue Release for the Hip Flexors
Foam rolling of the quads and hip flexors will go a long way to reducing tightness in the hip flexors and help with restoring soft tissue length.
Foam rolling at the top of the thighs at the main hip flexor grouping area as well as focussed rolling of the quads will help tremendously.
3. Joint Distraction for the Hip
Joint distraction using a band around the hip area is a very effective technique for restoring and improving mobility in any joint.
Joint distraction is great for improving the mobility of the hip which is crucial for muay thai.
