Mobility, Flexibility, and Injury Prevention
What this domain tests
Joint-specific range of motion, warm-up design, the injury profile of MMA, and evidence-based prevention work.
Core rules
- Mobility is usable range under control; flexibility is passive length. Train the first, measure both.
- Dynamic warm-up raises muscle temperature and primes the nervous system; prolonged static stretching (>60 s per muscle) immediately before maximal power can acutely reduce force output.
- Screen joint by joint: ankle dorsiflexion, hip internal rotation, thoracic rotation, shoulder external and internal rotation, cervical range.
- Common injuries cluster around the knee (ACL, meniscus), shoulder, hand and wrist, ribs, ankle, plus skin infections from mat contact.
- Prevention staples: Nordic hamstring curls, Copenhagen adductor work, neck harness training, rotator cuff work, single-leg balance, and load management.
Worked example
A fighter has a 6 cm knee-to-wall ankle test and recurrent ankle sprains. Reasoning: limited dorsiflexion changes landing and cutting mechanics, and prior sprain leaves proprioceptive deficits. Prescription: daily calf and ankle mobility, single-leg balance with reach, lateral hop-and-stick landings, and ankle loading in the warm-up rather than long static holds before sparring.
Traps that cost marks
- Long static holds immediately before power or sparring.
- Ballistic stretching a cold athlete.
- Treating a screening score as a prediction of injury on its own.
- Forcing end range on a fatigued joint late in a session.