Issue 090
July 2012
Modern warriors are beating fight-camp pain with new-fangled tape techniques. Could Kinesio Taping help you reach the finish first? Here’s the 101 on MMA training’s latest advancement…
Sumo’s influence on the annals of mixed martial arts history may have ended 26 seconds after it began when 440lb sumo wrestler Teila Tuli’s front tooth went airborne at UFC 1, but Japan’s national sport is directly responsible for one of MMAs more recent and revolutionary approaches to physical recovery: Kinesio Taping.
Developed in the early 1970s by chiropractor, Dr Kenzo Kase, Kinesio Taping was born from the need to help heal Japan’s giant grapplers as the effects of bludgeoning high-impact collisions took their toll on combatants’ ankles, shoulders and everything in between. Combining the practice of kinesiology – the study of human movement, performance and function – specialized tape (Kinesio Tex Tape) and taping techniques, Kinesio Taping is designed to aid the body’s natural healing process by supporting the lymphatic and muscle systems.
Shown to substantially reduce recovery times and improve fitness levels, Kinesio Taping can assist with a multitude of conditions, from tension headaches to lower back sprains, shoulder impingements to shin splits, herniated disks to calf cramps and much more besides. An increasingly utilized method of healing in recent years, the multi-color pieces of different-shaped tape have been applied to a number of high-profile athletes that include current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, soccer icon David Beckham, 14-time NBA All-Star ball’er Kobe Bryant, golfing legend Tiger Woods, and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who described the tape as having “magical properties” in his book Every Second Counts.
“The tape is unique in the fact that it is stretchy,” explains Ashley Ridout (kingscrossosteopathy.co.uk), the in-house osteopath and Kinesio Taping practitioner at one of London’s top MMA gyms, Urban Kings, who also has a Masters in Osteopathic Medicine, a BSc (Hons) in Physiology and has treated World and European champions in MMA, K-1 and BJJ. “It puckers the skin so that it physically lifts the skin up almost like a ripple effect. This creates space under the skin (between the epidermis and the dermis – the first and second layers of the skin), which helps to release fluid circulating underneath away from the site of irritation or injury. By releasing fluid this reduces swelling and also helps to increase blood flow to the injured area to aid recovery.”
What makes Kinesio Taping especially appealing to athletes is the ability to wear the tape, and reap the benefits, whilst continuing to train: a win-win for any gym-rat racing from one training session to the next. And it’s not the same as that white tape you might have seen wrapped around the ankles of your favorite Octagon warriors. “Most sports tapes, up until Kinesio Tape or similar products since, have been traditional sports tapes, the white non-elastic type. Whilst they are effective for certain treatments, that tape was designed more for stability or restricting movement. By contrast, Kinesio Tape doesn’t restrict any movement; it actually stretches with the body as your joints move.” But that’s not to say the tape is indestructible to the wear and tear of a busy training schedule.
“The sweatier someone gets, or the more showers or baths they have, the less time it will stay on for. But mainly it depends on the type of training someone is undertaking. For example, if you’re doing kickboxing or Muay Thai it will stay on quite well and for a long time, several days perhaps, but if you’re grappling, particularly if you’re wearing a gi which will rub against the tape, it can come off quite quick and need re-applying.“ Which begs the question, how costly is the average application for the aspiring or part-time fighter with little time or money to spare?
“Not long or expensive at all,” says Ashley. “An initial consultation to understand the extent of someone’s physiology and injury may take some time and expense, but the average application of a Kinesio Tape is about five minutes. Most of the time and effort is in the preparation: cutting it and shaping it to meet the patient’s needs.”
However, like the application of an air-tight submission, it’s attention to detail that gets the job done and reaching for the nearest roll of duct tape won’t yield the desired results. You’ve got an ache and you want to slap on some Kinesio Tape to fix it? You’re better off leaving it to a professional. “Someone could probably watch a video and give it a go themselves, but the difficulty comes in the anatomy and knowing what the underlying problem is and what you want to achieve. Take drainage for example, the lymph (a yellowish watery fluid that circulates through body tissue picking up fats, bacteria and other unwanted materials for disposal) will always drain towards certain areas of the body. So when you apply the tape you want to encourage it to drain in a specific direction, so you’ve got to understand where it goes and how to apply it to get it to do that.”
Rest assured, however, that whilst correctly applying the tape is a job for the professionals, there are plenty of colors available to match fans of flamboyant gym attire. “There are schools of thought about color therapy,” says Ashley, “but in reality it probably doesn’t make any difference. Although people tend to avoid the beiges and opt for the black, pink and blues which can make for quite visual combinations.”
IS IT OCTAGON LEGAL?
Though Kinesio Tape is perfect for the gym, could you wear it in a bout? While Nevada State Athletic Commission head Keith Kizer, lead arbiter of what is and isn’t allowed in the cage in Nevada, hasn’t come into contact with Kensio Taping for the ring yet, there’s a chance it could be permitted in competition. Kizer told FO: “I would have to see and feel the tape – and know where it is being applied… Nonetheless, taping of the knees and ankles is generally allowed, provided they are taped in such a way as not to affect the bout (e.g., no sharp or rough edges, no excessive padding, no affect on submissions in MMA, etc.).”
