WHY IS STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING IMPORTANT FOR COMBAT SPORTS?
Strength and conditioning is very important for anyone who participates in combat sports, whether you fight at a competitive level or you practice a martial art as a hobby.
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WIN OR LOSE
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In competition, poor conditioning can mean the difference between a win or a loss. A combat athlete not only needs to be able to throw powerful punches and kicks ,but he/she also needs to be able to move freely and fluidly at speed, resist the application of techniques and absorb impact. On top of this, he/she has to be strong enough to dominate the opponent should the fight go to ground and have enough gas in the tank to be able to perform at high level for five 5-minute rounds (this will obviously vary depending on your particular discipline).
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A BETTER WAY TO TRAIN
At an amateur level, Strength and conditioning is still very important. A physical training regime which is specific to your sport will help you to get the best from your martial arts training. The likelihood is your already doing some sort of physical training to compliment your sport, but are you training effectively? Wasting time on cardio machines and isolating muscle groups on the resistance machines at the gym is not the best approach. A well planned program which is more specific to the needs of your sport could help you to:
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Make your techniques stronger and more powerful
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Become quicker and more agile
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Improve mobility and flexibility
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Dominate opponents when grappling
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Increase stamina and endurance
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Increase ability to resist applied techniques
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Avoid injury
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Increase longevity in your sport
Whether your a seasoned player with many years training under your belt or your just starting out on your martial arts journey, A.P.T Combat Conditioning can help you improve your game.
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HEIRACHY OF NEEDS FOR COMBAT ATHLETES
Many combat athletes today spend too much time training their specific martial discipline, whether it is MMA, Boxing, BJJ, Karate, etc. This causes a deficit in general physical preparedness (GPP). GPP is the foundation of the pyramid upon which more sophisticated skills can be built. If there is a deficiency at any level of the pyramid, all components above will suffer. Improving an athlete's GPP will better prepare them for more sport specific activities. Neglecting GPP and training purely for a given discipline will result in over specialisation and weakness.
General Physical Preparation (GPP)
Specific Physical Preparation
(SPP)
(SST)
Skill Specific Training
General Physical Preparation (GPP)
GPP can be thought of as the fundamentals of fitness training. It consists of basic everyday (Functional) human movement patterns such as: Running, jumping, lifting heavy objects from the ground (Deadlifting), lifting heavy objects overhead, pushing, pulling, squatting, carrying heavy objects, and basic gymnastic movements such as pull-ups and push-ups, etc.
Specific Physical Preparation (SPP)
Specific Physical Preparation can be thought of as that which develops skills that more closely relate to the athletes sport or skill specific training (SSP). For combat athletes this will include but is not limited to:
Steel Club training, striking and kicking, heavy bag drills, kettlebell drills, sled pulling/pushing, tumbling (Breakfalls), Speed agility and quickness (SAQ) drills, rope climbing, plyometric drills.
Skill Specific Training (SST)
Skill Specific Training can be thought of as the technical skills specific to your particular discipline. The real ''meat and potatoes'' of your sport i.e., Striking, kicking grappling, etc.