Cross Body Arm Swings
This page provides details for the Cross Body Arm Swings (or Cross Chest Arm Swings). This stretch focuses on the chest, shoulder and upper back muscles. It is used by martial artists to loosen up before training for grappling techniques and/or punching routines.
Martial arts students use cross body arm swings stretches in order to warm up their muscles, improve their overall flexibility and reduce the potential for some injuries (i.e. strained pectoral muscles). If you are looking for additional chest stretches, please visit the main Chest Stretches section.
In this stretch, martial artists swing their arms back and forth diagonally across their chest. This dynamic stretch is also used as an upper body warm-up exercise by martial artists. This should not be confused with the warm-up exercise and stretch known as Arm Circles.
All stretches and exercises should be supervised by a trained instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized. For information on other stretches (i.e. hamstring or triceps stretches), please visit the main Martial Arts Stretching section.
Demonstration of Cross Body Arm Swings