Jun 30 2010

Three Cone Drill the MMA Way!

Category: Agility,Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,muay Thai,Quickness,Speed,Uncategorized — Rob @ 3:19 PM

In the past few months I have been working on developing my fighters speed, agility and quickness. If you are a regular to the site then you have seen some of the drills that I have been performing with my fighters and hope that you have at least tried some of them if not have incorporated some of them into your strength and conditioning program.
Incorporating these agility drills into your program will make you a better athlete. Like I have said before and I will say it again in combat sports such as MMA the top dogs are now the better athletes. So what does this mean for you? Means you must become faster, more agile and quicker. Some of the drills I have already covered were the Quick Feet drill, and the 20-yard shuttle. I have added a little twist to each of the drills to make them a little more specific towards martial arts like wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.
The next drill I want to cover is the Three Cone Drill. In many cases they use this drill to test different athletes quickness and agility. Many strength and conditioning coaches use it as a base test and then train other agility drills to improve the athletes time on the Three Cone Drill. The Three Cone Drill is one of the events at the NFL Combine so it is important to many athletes. Here is what an actual Three Cone Drill looks like, and then I will give you the MMA variation.

In the variation, besides the fact that I much slower than the guy in the video above, I add a few different movements. At first you will see me deliver two knees, right into a back pedal and into a sprawl. A note as you backpedal, as soon as you see the starting cone you need to quickly sprawl. Seeing the cone and sprawling quickly greatly improves reaction time. The better your reaction time the better fighter you will be.
I recommend doing the actual Three Cone drill for two sets then bang out three to four sets of the variation. Get enough rest in between sets. This is training your agility not your conditioning. If you are tired you will not improve and it defeats the purpose of the drill. Remember this is a variation to the Three Cone Drill, just adding a little MMA to it. Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jun 28 2010

Develop an Explosive Punch!

Category: Boxing,Conditioning,Injury Prevention,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,muay Thai,Power Training,Strength Training,Uncategorized — Rob @ 7:38 PM

We all know that punching power is very important in combat sports that require you to, well punch.  Some of those would include boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA.  There are a whole bunch of other martial arts out there that use punching but these are just to name a few.  If you look at some of the most powerful punchers from the past like Mike Tyson, you will see that they use there entire body to generate force to deliver those knockout blows.  So we can all agree that punching is a total body movement from the ground up?  Great!

How do we develop a little added extra punching power?  There are many different exercises that can help us obtain a little added power to our punches.  Explosive pushups will help you increase the power of your punch as well as if you compete in such combat sports such as Judo or Jiu-Jitsu when you go to grab an opponent by the neck or gi for a takedown or to just control them.  We all know pushups are great for you and can make you strong.  If you have not already signed up for your FREE copy of the MMA Bodyweight Workout, you can do that up in the right hand corner.

Ok now back to what I was saying.  There are many different variations of pushups and all the different variations serve a purpose.  Explosive pushups help you develop power in your chest, shoulders and triceps all muscles that help when you are punching.  In a regular explosive pushup you go down in a normal pushup and when you hit the bottom position you push yourself up and your hands leave the floor.

The variation I will show you below is the explosive medicine ball pushup.  As you will see below this is a great exercise to not only help develop that explosive power but also help with your balance and as well as strengthening your stabilizing muscles.  As you strengthen your stabilizing muscle around the shoulder and chest you will notice how will become stronger and more powerful.  Just as a side note when performing this variation of pushup try and get the ball to stay still, you do not want to be chasing the ball around as you explode out from the bottom position.  This could lead to injury.  There are a couple of ways to add these in to your training. You can use them as part of a conditioning protocol or you can perform these after a compound movement like the squat or deadlift.  I personally would not use them after a set of bench-pressing because I want the exercise to be powerful or it defeats the purpose if you do it slow or already fatigued.  So check it out.  Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jun 26 2010

Muay Thai Conditioning!

Category: Conditioning,Injury Prevention,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,muay Thai,Strength Training,Striking/Stand-up,Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:01 AM

One thing I love to do is research.  Either, reading, listening or watching videos I love to do me some strength and conditioning research especially when it comes to the topic of MMA or any other combat sport.  If you don’t know already combat athletes are some of the best-conditioned athletes on the planet.  The amount of training that they do on and off the mat is incredible.  As strength and conditioning coaches we must work closely with these athletes and make sure they are training the right way to prevent injury or as with many that fight, over-training.

Designing a solid strength and conditioning program is imperative to having your fighter come out on top.  So in my travels of research I was looking at videos of some conditioning protocols that could be used with some of my fighters.  I came across a video from Alter Center Combat Conditioning.  The conditioning protocol features former Lumpini champion Neungsiam “the Rock” Samphusri, yeah say that again.  This protocol is designed for MMA and Muay Thai fighters.  Some of the exercises you have seen before others you may have not seen.  If you are looking to change up your conditioning protocol this will definitely give you a little boost to your training sessions.

So check out the video below and don’t forget sign up for your FREE Bodyweight Training Manual for MMA in the top right hand side.  In this manual you will get some great strength, power and conditioning with just the use of your bodyweight.  So make sure you get your copy.  Sorry bout the pop up ads on the video not my doing.

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Jun 23 2010

Jessica’s Journey and Conditioning!

Category: Agility,Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,muay Thai,Power Training,Quickness,Speed,Strength Training — Rob @ 4:45 PM

Over the past few weeks I have been hitting the local high school with Jessica for some good ole speed, agility and quickness work.  The wonderful synthetic field also is fun to play on but let me get back to the article.  At the end of each session I have been working on a little conditioning with Jess.  Now I don’t have to go crazy with her. Because of her intense training schedule her conditioning is the last thing I need to worry about, but I do like to add it in and go above and beyond what she will encounter in a MMA or jiu-jitsu fight.  Having a higher intensity in a conditioning session than in what a fighter would see in a fight will only improve the fighters chances of winning.

The conditioning circuit in the video below consists of the the Dumbbell Matrix and Battling Ropes and lasts for 3:37.  The Dumbell Matrix is an idea I got from  my many years of research.  At the beginning of my strength and conditioning journey  of training combat athletes I came across J.C. Santana’s work.  One circuit I came across was the Dumbbell Matrix.  The Matrix helps improve shoulder strength as well as give you the ability to keep your arms up for an entire fight.  Within the Matrix there is a lunge series in which you will hit multiple directions, foward, lateral and backward.  All Positions in which your body can end up in in a fight.  After the Matrix she moves on to the Battling Ropes.  The ropes are a great tool when conditioning fighters or any athlete for that matter.  Best of all the fighters love to use them and they can only curse at me when they are done with them.  In this conditioning protocol I have Jess do only some of the basic movements with the ropes, but after the Matrix she is pushing through it hard.  Jess is going after Cris Cyborg’s belt and I have no reason to believe she won’t get it.  So if you have some dumbbells and rope give this circuit a run for it’s money.  Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jun 21 2010

Training With Tires!

Category: Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Strength Training,Uncategorized — Rob @ 7:48 PM

Usually Monday nights are set aside for jiu-jitsu training or speed work training, but today I was invited to one of the local high schools which my training partner works at to flip tires.  This was the second time that I have had the chance to flip some tires.  There was no plan as I headed to go train. Usually there is some type of plan even with the type of training my life has brought on in recent weeks.  Recently I have not had a strict program going against all my beliefs but cross training and training when I can at high intensity’s has been working well.  So when I got to the field we pulled the tires out and I made up a training session on the spot.  Working with a heavier 300 lb tire, a lighter tire as well as regular car tire I was able to put together a pretty great training session, well at least my body says so.  Here is what the training session looked like:

1) 300 lb Tire Flips

10 sets 3 reps

2) Lighter Tire Flips

4 sets 10 reps

3) Explosive Overhead Tire Throws

4 sets 5 reps

4) Conditioning

8 sets 100m Sprints

So as you can see in this training session I hit strength, power and conditioning.  On the Explosive Overhead Tire Throws, I use clean and snatch technique to hit triple extension to be able to throw the tire overhead as far as I can.  Next time the video camera will b on hand to show you the training session.  If you have access to different size tires give this one a run.

For some more information on tire flipping also check out this cool site.  Tim Hull, also known as the Strength Doctor, has a great post on his site on tire flipping. Tim is training for a strongman competition and is a great physical therapist so check out his site. http://thestrengthdoctor.com/

Remember Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jun 15 2010

Quick Feet for MMA!

Category: Agility,Boxing,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:47 PM

Continue to use speed and agility drills to help train my fighters, below I am going to show you a way to take a simple cone drill that helps create faster foot speed and body movement for all different kinds of field sports such as soccer and football. I then do a variation of that same drill for combat sports such as MMA, boxing and jiu-jitsu. Having quick feet and being able to change direction in sport is important in creating the best athletes possible. The same goes for mixed martial artist or anyone that trains in any martial arts. Being able to control your body and move quickly at the same time is essential. A fighter must have quick feet or footwork to be able to move in and out of range of danger or move in for the attack. This kind of agility work should be placed in a combat athletes strength and conditioning program.
The cones are placed 5-6 feet apart laterally and about 2-3 feet from front to back. Watch the video you will see what I mean. In the first drill you will shuffle laterally and as soon as you hit the cone you take a quick step forward. You continue to the last cone then you sprint out. Remember to keep your arms moving as if you are moving. The second drill is just a variation. This variation will help you move quick in and out of sprawls and knees. As you reach the first cone you will sprawl get up as fast as possible step forward and deliver to knees then continue to the next cone where you will do the same movement with the sprawling. Note that on the last cone you want to sprawl this way when you get up you can go into a full sprint straight from the acceleration position which will help in your explosiveness for takedowns.

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Jun 13 2010

Sprinting, Conditioning and Fighting!

Category: Boxing,Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Speed,Striking/Stand-up,Uncategorized,Wrestling — Rob @ 10:02 PM

So yesterday I was supposed to go to the gym in the morning and getting a lifting session in but as my life has been lately things changed and I had to go to the Long Island Pride Jiu-Jitsu tournament earlier than expected. So heading there I was thinking of how to get a training session in later on in the day and I decided that I would hit the local high school for some sprint conditioning. Of course to my delight after getting home it finally began to rain after days and days of the weather forecast calling for showers. So I sat on my couch for a while and then said you know what “Screw it, I am going to sprint in the rain.” So I headed to the local track to get a good conditioning session using sprints.
During my conditioning session I noticed one very important thing, while I was sprinting I realized that I was able to train for a longer period of time. Now using sprinting, as a conditioning tool is very taxing on the body. Why was I able to train longer? My sprint mechanics or sprinting technique has been vastly improved. Using proper sprinting technique made me a more efficient runner, which in turn helped with my conditioning.
Let me relate this to MMA and other combat sports, which require good if not great technique. Let’s say for instance you are looking to take your opponent down. Most times the first shot is not a successful one, unless of course if you are GSP, after multiple shots your body begins to tire and you start to develop a lazier and lazier shot until you are totally gassed out. If your technique on takedowns is lacking then you will get tired much faster. The same goes when you use sprinting as a conditioning protocol, if you have poor technique your body will be taxed quicker and you will more than likely either slow down dramatically during conditioning or you will be to tired to continue.
In the book “Training for Speed, Agility and Quickness” by Lee Brown and Vance Ferrigno they speak about three elements that help with speed mechanics. First they speak about posture. If you have read my blog in the past you have seen speed drills that will help make you faster and also develop an explosive takedown. It was a two-part article titled, “Usain Bolt v.s. GSP” check them out http://bit.ly/anJ7dY and http://bit.ly/derl2w During a sprint you should have two different postures, at the beginning you should be in the acceleration phase, where your body is at a 45-degree angle. You can see some of the drills to help you out in the articles mentioned above.  The other is coming upright during the sprint to about an 80-degree angle, this is known as max velocity. The second element is leg action. The extension of the knee, hip and ankles are key in this element and should be one coordinated motion. Stride frequency and stride length are also components of leg action. Finally arm action is important. I have heard some say that when you run you are only using your legs. Oh really? Well those people are dead wrong. Arm action is important in sprinting and I have found that help when you are getting tired. Here are some quick pointers on how to use your arms properly while sprinting. First keep your hands open, do not make fists. Then as you run pull your arm back at your shoulder do not just move your arm at the elbow. The arm should be kept at a 90-degree angle at the elbow. Second when you are running you want your hands to go cheek to cheek. That means your hands should swipe down by your butt cheek and come up to your face cheek.
These are some of the things that will help your sprinting out and when I train my fighters I teach them proper sprint technique. Now I don’t go over this with them to make them world-class sprinters but to help make them faster and more efficient athletes. As you see the world of MMA is turning out athletes that are taking the sport to the next level. Future articles will show some more drills to clean up your sprint technique. Train Hard! Train Smart!

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Jun 10 2010

Sledge Hammer Conditioning

Category: Conditioning,Power Training,Strength Training,Uncategorized — Rob @ 8:02 PM

It was one of those days.  I knew I had to get some training in but did not want to get in the car and head over to Gracie Barra Long Island for an MMA session.  So instead I stayed home and had a great strength and conditioning session at home.  As you have read in the past I am a huge proponent of looking into and researching all different styles and methodologies of training.  One form of training that I wanted to check out was Marv Marinovich’s ProBodX.  Marinovich trains former UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn and after getting a glimpse of some the training he was putting Penn through I wanted to do my research and check it out.  So I went online and bout the book ProBodX, which is the basis of the training system.  I bought the book in January and devoured the information, I even went out and bought some of the equipment and was going to give the exercise plan a run for it’s money.  However there was not too much space in the hose to do it, as the baby girl has been claiming land fast.  So the other day gave me a great opportunity to give it a shot.  I brought all the equipment out to the backyard and followed the program laid out in the back.  There was some exercise that I could do without and then there were some that I will be using to help my fighters with balance, proprioception, and use there body as one.

So I started the session off with the movements from ProBodX and I got some good training out of it.  Then I moved on to the conditioning session.  The other day I hit the local tire repair center on my way home. I asked the guy if I could snag some tires and he was very kind to give them to me.  So armed with some tires and some sledgehammers I went to work.  Here is what I did:

Downward Swings 1 minute

Right Cross Body Swings 1 minute

Left Cross Body Swings 1 minute

When doing the Downward Swings you need to use trunk flexion.  Pretty much what that means is bending forward with your abdominals.  The Right and Left Body Swings require some rotation on the swing.  The little three-minute circuit worked out my whole body as I incorporated my legs in the swings.  After the completion of three rounds or sets I was feeling pretty toasted, as it tested my conditioning level but also how much power I could exert during a long stretch of time.  Usually after missing a training session at the gym I regret it but not this time as this strength and conditioning session felt great.  Here is the video of the three-minute circuit.

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Jun 08 2010

Agility Drills MMA Style!

Category: Agility,Boxing,Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,MMA,Power Training,Quickness,Speed,Strength Training,Uncategorized,Wrestling — Rob @ 8:12 PM

Before I start, agility is defined as the ability to change the direction of your body efficiently and effectively.   In order to perform agility drills effectively you need to be strong, powerful, have good balance and be able to control your body at all times.  Agility drills are very effective for training all sorts of athletes.  They increase the athlete’s performance and also help with the reduction in injury.  Today many athletes are prone to knee injuries and other lower body injuries, agility drills can teach an athlete how to control their bodies which in turn will help reduce the likelihood of these injuries.

Combat sports and athletes are no different from regular athletes and should have agility drills programmed into their strength and conditioning routines.  Fighters that compete in jiu-jitsu, MMA, boxing, and kickboxing are always changing direction.  Agility drills will help a fighter with their footwork as well as other aspects like takedown defense and takedowns.  Agility drills will make an athlete quick on their feet, as it will help any combat athlete as well.

The drill below is the 20 Yard Shuttle, it is used during NFL Combine and scouts use it to help them assess the players. The 20 Yard Shuttle is used as a test of lateral speed and coordination.  Like I stated above being able to change direction in a fight is essential.  So below is an example of the regular 20 Yard Shuttle and then a variation of it for combat sports.   In the variation I add sprawls to enhance reaction ability and help with the athletes ability to get up and continue to change direction in a fight.  In future article I will write about how to program agility drills into your strength and conditioning training.  Remember one thing when you do these agility drills or even speed drills, get a full recovery in, it’s not a conditioning session it’s an agility session.

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Jun 06 2010

To Program or not to Program…

Category: Agility,Boxing,Conditioning,Jiu-Jitsu,Mental Training,MMA,Power Training,Quickness,Speed,Strength Training,Striking/Stand-up,Uncategorized,Wrestling — Rob @ 7:51 PM

If you have been following my blog or know about my training philosophy, you will then know that I am al about having a solid program in place when you training. Some of the benefits of a program range from the motivational, knowing what you will be doing and hitting the gym hard, to just seeing the best results possible. I use my programs for my fighters to help increase their strength, power and conditioning in a progressive fashion. There is always a method behind the madness and it always works.
Even though I do not compete in MMA, muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu fights I have always had a program that I have followed so I could get the best out of my performances in my martial arts training. Recently, however it has been tough to juggle the strength training, martial arts training on top of the strength and conditioning coaching and family life. At first this was driving me crazy not to be able to get to the gym and get some good strength and conditioning sessions in. Program, there was no program for a while as I tried to adjust the schedule so I could get everything in.
How did I solve this problem? Well first I put things into perspective. I had to think to myself what was the most important thing and of course family time came first without a doubt. I wanted to stay strong and powerful so the weight room was the next priority followed by the martial arts training. The only reason the martial arts training came last was because I am not competing or am not planning on competing I just love to train martial arts.
So what’s the program you might be saying? This is what I have done. I make sure to get two strength and conditioning sessions in. One session is in the gym, consisting of Olympic lifts, squats, deadlifts, plyometrics, other accessory lifts and conditioning sessions. The other strength and conditioning session comes in the form of a speed, agility and quickness session. This session takes place with my fighter Jessica. While coaching her I train along side her. This has two benefits, one it lets me get in that extra strength and conditioning session and two it pushes both her and I to compete with each other in the drills. I have written about the benefits of “team” training in earlier posts.
Now for the martial arts training, I try to get in one session of MMA training in every week as well as a jiu-jitsu class and a muay Thai class. If I am lucky I get in another no-gi and muay Thai session on the weekends. On one of the nights I pull a double session, a gi jiu-jitsu class followed by a muay Thai session. Now there are some weeks where I get all the training in and some weeks where I don’t it all depends on the schedule at home. Another factor that plays into attending sessions is being in touch with how my body feels. If I am fatigued and my body is not doing well I will take a recovery day. You need to figure out what fatigue is. Being a little sore does not count. This will help you learn about your body and how to react to your body.
I have seen some great results with this program. I feel refreshed in my training. My body feels better than it has in a long time. I have had more energy. That being said I highly recommend if you are a competitor in MMA, jiu-jitu, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling or any other combat sport I highly recommend you follow a strength and conditioning program for the best results in and out of the cage, ring or mat. This way of training is good for those that train in martial arts for fun and also like to hit the gym and be strong and powerful. So yes programming is very important and I will get back on a program for the weight room once more time is available but until then, Train Hard! Train Smart!

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