Effective Warm-ups for Sword Fighting Classes & Competition

Introduction

Whether for sword fighting classes or competitions, people skip warming up too often. Doing so decreases their performance and increases their risk of injury. In this article, I’m going to describe both why a warmup is important and how to do it correctly. I’ll be relying on information from Essentials of Strength and Conditioning, a textbook put out by the National Strength and Conditioning Association that serves as the preparatory text for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) credential. For reference, the CSCS is a standard requirement for trainers and coaches working with elite college and professional athletes. Whereas a personal trainer specializes in health and fitness, CSCS professionals specialize in developing peak athletic performance.

Performance Benefits

Warming up prepares an athlete mentally and physically for exercise or competition, and as mentioned above, it can cause physiological responses that can increase post-warmup performance. The responses can be divided into two categories: Temperature-related and non-temperature-related.

• Temperature-related effects: increase in muscle and core temperature, enhanced neural function, and disruption of transient connective tissue bonds 

• Non-temperature-related effects: increased blood-flow to muscles, elevated baseline oxygen consumption, increased postactivation potentiation

What does that mean? It means that, following a sound warm-up, your muscles will both contract and relax faster; you’ll see improvements in the rate of force development and reaction time; your muscles and joints will have lowered viscous resistance; your oxygen delivery will improve, as will the blood-flow to your muscles; and your metabolic reactions will be enhanced.

Not only that, but the warm-up–especially done consistently–will increase your psychological preparedness. It becomes a conditioned signal that it’s time to perform.

Key idea: The structure of the warm-up affects potential improvements; as such, the warm-up needs to be specific to what’s going to be performed. In this case, sword fighting.

How to: The General Warm-up

• What: ~5min of slow aerobic activity

• How: It’s your choice; things like jogging, skipping, and cycling can all accomplish the goal.

• Goal: Increase heart-rate, blood-flow, deep muscle temperature, respiration rate, and perspiration.

How to: The Specific Warm-Up

• What: Following the General Warm-up, 10-20min of movements similar to the movements to be performed and includes rehearsal of the skill(s) to be performed

• How: Due to the required specificity, this will change depending on the session.

  • If you’re working a specific skill or movement, you can be very specific; if you’re getting ready to compete and need everything online, that warm-up is going to be different.

  • Dynamic stretching is a good place to start.

• Goal: Progress gradually, increasing muscle and core temperatures without causing fatigue.

• Note: Should end no more than 15min before the activity to be performed.

Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretches are functionally-based exercises that use sport-generic and sport-specific movements to ready the body to perform. Sometimes called mobility drills, rather than focusing on individual muscles, these stretches target sport-specific movement patterns. Some general guidelines:

• Do 5-10 repetitions per movement, either in place or over distance

• When possible progressively increase the range of motion (ROM) on each repetition

• When appropriate, increase the speed of motion on subsequent sets, but always maintain control of the motion

• Work you mind-muscle connection: actively control muscular actions as you move through the ROM

Dynamic Stretches for Sword Fighters

Now that we understand the importance of warming up, let's delve into some specific recommendations for dynamic stretches tailored to sword fighting.

1. Arm Swings

• What: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and extend your arms out to the sides. Swing your arms in a circular motion, gradually increasing the range of motion.

• How: Start with small swings and gradually make them bigger as your muscles loosen up. Perform both forward and backward arm swings to target different muscle groups.

• Goal: This exercise increases blood flow to your shoulder and arm muscles, preparing them for the dynamic movements involved in sword fighting.

2. Leg Swings

• What: Stand beside a sturdy support, like a wall or a post. Swing one leg forward and backward in a controlled manner.

• How: Start with small swings and gradually increase the height and speed as your leg muscles warm up. Perform this exercise for each leg.

• Goal: Leg swings improve hip mobility and help you maintain balance during sword fighting. They also engage your hip flexors and quadriceps.

3. Torso Twists

• What: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and extend your arms straight in front of you. Rotate your upper body to one side and then the other.

• How: Move your torso slowly and steadily, making sure to keep your feet planted firmly on the ground.

• Goal: This exercise increases the flexibility of your torso, which is essential for both offensive and defensive movements.

4. Lunging Twists

• What: Take a step forward into a lunge position. Twist your upper body to the side of your forward leg while keeping your lower body stable.

• How: Hold the lunge position for a few seconds before returning to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

• Goal: Lunging twists enhance the flexibility of your spine and hips, allowing you to move fluidly and respond quickly to your opponent's actions.

5. Sword Simulations

• What: Hold a practice sword or a stick (make sure it's safe) and simulate the various motions and strikes you'll perform during your class or competition.

• How: Execute slow and controlled movements to mimic actual combat scenarios. This exercise allows you to rehearse your skills while warming up.

• Goal: Practicing with your weapon during the warm-up helps reinforce muscle memory, ensuring that your movements are precise and fluid during the fight.

Conclusion

A good warm-up routine helps sword fighters perform better in both classes and competitions. Take your time, and don’t rush (or even worse skip) this aspect of your training. It’s part of the discipline.

It’s also worth noting that we’ve been talking about warm-ups, not flexibility training. Will regularly performing warm-ups as described improve improve your flexibility? Absolutely. If you feel like your flexibility needs improvement, though, you might want to consider adding a dedicated flexibility program to your training schedule.

Whatever the case, though, remember that your skills are only practical insomuch as you can physically apply them. The demands of fighting especially erode performance (e.g., taking damage, physical and mental fatigue). The better prepared you are, the longer you’ll be able to use your skills to the best of your ability. Between two equally skilled opponents, whose conditioning flags first can easily determine the winner of a contest.