Use these alternative therapies to add some Zen to your game.
The power of ancient and alternative therapies to aid condition have been hailed by health and fitness gurus for centuries.
Yet with fighters perpetually striving to stay one step ahead, such therapies are now utilized by some of MMA's top fighters to boost their game.
Fighters such as UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber is a firm advocate of holistic therapies, using only the most natural of products. Below are some of the more well-documented therapies available for the serious contender.
Aromatherapy
Go to any health store and you’ll find an array of essential oils in small bottles sold for aromatherapy. These little gems are not just the stuff of folklore, but potent tools to help you psych-up, wind down, or focus on your fight performance.
St Michaels Spa in Cornwall, UK, has been using aromatherapy and massage to replenish the exhausted muscles of some of the world’s top sportsmen and rock stars alike.
“As a fight requires focus, oils like peppermint and basil possess chemicals that hit the nerve receptors in the brain and allow you to concentrate,” says head therapist, Jane Barber.
“Or if you’re anxious the night before the fight try some ylang-ylang. Again use sparingly as they are really powerful.”
Hot Stone Therapy
Said to have derived from India, more than 2,000 years ago, the reputed energizing properties of ancient rock are used over the body with oils. The warmth of the hot stones improves circulation for recovery and calms the nervous system.
“The energy radiating from the stone can penetrate deep within the muscle tissue so its much better than straight massage,” says Barber.
Meditation
Having a calm and collective mindset can be the difference between make or break come fight night.
With fighters such as former UFC light heavyweight Lyoto Machida practicing the art of Zen meditation (gaining calm through breathing and clearing the mind) and Randy Couture using visualization techniques known as morphing (where he will imagine the fight unravelling in his head and dominating his opponent) having a clear focus can only improve your game.
Barber recommends meditation for all sports performance, and one that you can do anywhere any time. “Some people like to say a mantra to add to the effect.”
Acupuncture
One used by BJ Penn, and it’s not just the hearsay of therapists.
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research published a paper this year revealing acupuncture can improve performance in resistance and endurance sports.
The conclusion is that it’ll help you sustain energy for longer in the vital moments of a showdown, and even find energy reserves you never knew you had.
Acupuncture focuses on correcting imbalances of energy flow by inserting ultra-thin needles under the skin to stimulate specific points in the body. Stimulation unblocks the channels and restores the body’s balance, relieving pain and other symptoms.
Essiac
Alternative medicine has also become the life mission of one MMA fighter, Vaughan Palelei. In a more serious twist he found the ancient art of Essiac helped cure his father’s cancer, when modern medicine had failed. Taken as a herbal tea, the art is believed to have derived from the Native American Indian tribe, the Ojibwa.
It even inspired Palelei to launch a charity called Fighter for Life, using MMA fighting to reveal how alternative medicine can beat the toughest of health problems, and can save lives.
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