Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance by Kelly Starrett and Glen Cordoza is a lifesaver. This book explains how to avoid injuries through correct body mechanics, and is a blueprint to treating injuries that do arise. After my experience I consider it essential reading for anyone, especially those involved in body-brutalizing sports like Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo.
This spring, the past 25 years of abuse from judo, jiu-jitsu, skateboarding, and sitting at a desk came to a head and my hip / upper glute / lower back went on strike. I was pointed in Kelly Starrett’s direction by Andrew from Dig Deep BJJ and after watching some of the MobilityWOD videos, decided that I needed a copy of his book. The last month of putting these exercises to work has led me to believe that over the course of a lifetime, Supple Leopard will prove to be worth its weight in physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture receipts.
Becoming a Supple Leopard is a 400-page, 9’x11’ hardcover containing thousands of high-quality color photos. Kelly Starrett is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and through MobilityWOD has become somewhat of a Crossfit saint. Similarly, Glen Cordoza needs no introduction to BJJ and MMA fans. Through Victory Belt Publishing he has co-authored some of the best martial arts instructional books on the market with collaborators like BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, Eddie Bravo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Marcelo Garcia, Randy Couture, Fedor Emelianenko, and the list goes on.
Starrett couldn’t have found a better co-author than Glen Cordoza, who is adept at describing subtle nuances of motion in complex sports like Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. Just like Cordoza’s martial arts books, Becoming a Supple Leopard follows a logical progression, building a foundation then adding steps in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. Below is a brief outline of the book’s flow.
Posture
What is proper posture, how is it maintained, and why is it important? Create a braced neutral spinal position while stabilizing the shoulder and pelvis.
Torque
Explains the concept of torque, the role it plays in physical activity, and its importance for stability, performance, and injury avoidance.
Analysis of Movement Categories
130 pages of detailed movement instruction. This is what Starrett refers to as the “formal language of movement” and these motions cover almost every movement your body needs to make if you aren’t a Cirque de Soliel performer. Movements are divided into three categories:
Category 1: Move from one position of high stability (PHS) to another, with connection (torsion force) throughout the motion (ie. squat, deadlift, standing up in someone’s guard).
Category 2: Move from one PHS to another, but with a speed element (loss of torsion force) in between (ie. jumping over a box, X-pass, 180 armbar from side control).
Category 3: Start in a transition position, move through a speed element, and end in PHS (ie. Olympic lifting, ippon seoinage).
It’s important to note that Starrett doesn’t expect everyone to perform all everyday movements with perfect Olympic lifting or ballet form. The goal is to ingrain these textbook motion principles into your muscle memory so that your body will default to the safest and most efficient possible motion pattern for a given activity.
Diagnosing Problems
How to recognize potential problems by analyzing movements.
Treatment Concepts, Techniques, and Tools
Explains mobility systems (joint mechanics, sliding-surface dysfunction, and muscle dynamics), mobilization methods (banded distraction, pressure wave, flossing, flexion gapping, etc.), treatment program creation, and mobility tools (bands, lacrosse balls, kettlebells, rollers, etc.)
The Body’s 13 Muscle Systems
This is the meat of the book – 170 pages of muscle systems and treatments. Working from top to bottom, Starrett and Cordoza explain how to restore natural movement to your brutalized tissues through an extensive array of exercises that utilize the concepts and tools introduced in the previous chapter. The systems are:
1. Thoracic Spine
2. Posterior Shoulder
3. Anterior Shoulder
4. Downstream Arm
5. Trunk
6. Posterior High Chain
7. Anterior High Chain
8. Medial Chain
9. Posterior Chain
10. Knee
11. Medial and Anterior Shin
12. Calf
13. Ankle and Plantar Surface
With Becoming a Supple Leopard, Glen Cordoza and Kelly Starrett have made a substantial contribution to athletes everywhere. The improvement I’ve felt in the month since putting these exercises to work has turned my year around. This is the book I’ve wanted since getting myself through my first knee surgery and ankle blowout in the ‘90s.
The best way to progress at Brazilian jiu-jitsu is to supplement what you learn from your instructor by identifying your weaknesses and figuring out how to improve on them. Likewise, while massage therapists, chiropractors, and physiotherapists help keep your body happy, the people with the longest athletic careers are those who take a proactive approach. Cordoza and Starrett have made it easier for everyone to perform self maintenance. Get yourself a copy of Supple Leopard, set aside 20 minutes each day for the rest of your life, and enjoy smooth, pain-free motion for years (or decades?) longer than you deserve.
Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance
By Kelly Starrett and Glen Cordoza
Victory Belt Publishing, 2013
ISBN 13: 978-1-936608-58-4
