Specialized Training

[reverend-sin]

I was curious if any of you do specialized training to help stuff like Balance, Stretching, Footwork, Hand Speed etc I’d been taking Muay Thai for about a year before I moved to Hawaii’s Big Island and my biggest probem was flexibility and speed and footwork, I’m 6’2 and range from 170-185lbs depending on how much training I’ve been doing (trying to stay stable at 185 but it’s hard to get up that high with my income and diet) I feel like I’m very heavy on my feet and while I punch pretty fast I don’t feel like I’m fast enough.

I’ve got a problem with balance and stretching specifically, if you read my other post about Breaking the Fear Barrier the instructor didn’t pay much attention to his students that weren’t already fighters so he didnt teach us the key training points that improved flexibility which included pre and post workout stretching. it was pretty much up to each student to do whatever they already knew. After a year I still have a hard time getting my shin up to the 6′ range to deliver a round kick and even then only on my strong leg. I haven’t been able to find any good online resources for this so Ive come to you, I’d REALLY like to improve on these areas to make me a better combatant but I’m having a lot of trouble as I’ve never had any training regarding these aspects and I don’t want to end up hurting myself by training wrong. Even if I CAN get my leg up that high I get dizzy really easy.

I’m really hoping that some of you know of online articles or resources that could help me and other forum members out, perhaps collaboration between members could be possible and we could set up a reference site for stuff like this that we could direct people to if one isn’t already available.

The key things I’m looking for are hand speed, flexibility, balance, and other specialized training areas that perhaps we could set up a referral point for. Thank you for reading this and thanks for the help in advance, I’d really like to become a valuable member of this forum so I like posting subjects that should be helpful to all the members. 😀

[aflt]

Rev,

Wow, you’re asking a pretty encompassing question. There have been books written about any one of those subjects, much less all of them. 1st, let’s talk about explosive speed. Your body performs as you train it. If for cardio you’re doing steady pace running, etc, you will be in great cardio shape, but you’ll be a plodding athlete. Incorporate speed work. Here’s my running program (this is separate from other fitness and cardio aspects). M – steady pace (8 to 8 1/2 min miles) for 4-5 miles. Wed – 2 miles on a 1/4 mile oval track. 1st lap slow warmup, next 4 laps, full out sprint on straightaway, jog on curves. 6th lap slow. 7th lap full lap at top possible speed for whole lap. 8th lap cooldown. Fridays I run 2 – 4 miles, usually trail running or hills. This builds power and speed.

Next, I work weights for strength once per body part per week. But that’s not the whole resistance training program. Wed, Fri, and Sat, I work \”body weight\” exercises. Varieties of pushups, pullups, crunches. For legs I do squats, lunges, jumping lunges, and other plyometrics. To train explosive power with your footwork, plyometrics is key. There are many good books on the subject, as well as websites. Most of your hand speed actually comes from good footwork and explosive springing ability, in my opinion. I feel that with the pullups, including hanging from the bar and doing heel hooks over the bar, the pushups, and plyometrics, I not only get a good, strength and endurance building workout, I also use my body in more functional whole body motions than the typical weight workouts that work isolated muscle groups.

For balance, work slow kicks. This will work balance as well as core muscle strength. This is how Bill Wallace maintains his six pack well into his 50’s and 60’s, according to an article I read. He doesn’t do crunches, munches regularly on double cheeseburgers, etc. But, he performs many repetitions of extremely slow kicks – like a 5 to 10 slow count extension, same on retraction, with probably a hold at full extension. Great way to develop precision, muscle memory, control, balance and strength. By the way, the more upright you maintain your torso, the better balance, and the less recovery time/distance/motion you have to make upon the completion of the kick.

For hand speed, I believe much of hand speed is technique, as much as genetics and ability. The key is relaxation, both during technique extension, retraction, and inbetween techniques. Muscle tension slows you down. If you can establish a \”neutral\” (where muscle relaxation in both extensors and flexors is at its greatest point) position between techniques, and practice muscle tension only at the point of contact, your speed will be enhanced. Unfortunately, without being able to show you, it’s difficult to describe.

Flexibility is largely limited by genetics, but can be enhanced by stretching post-workout. Pre-stretching does little, and a gentle, gradually building warm-up accompanied by stretching will prepare you for physical activity, but to increase flexibility you must stretch diligently post-workout. Again, it’s hard to describe, and I don’t recall the exact technical term (I’ll try and look it up and post later) but there is a method of contract-relax stretching that requires a partner that is MOST effective at increasing flexibility, because it sidesteps/short circuits the muscles natural neurological response and tightening to protect itself from extreme lengthening, i.e. strain. You must be familiar with how to do it properly though – I’m just giving you a direction to research.

Finally, one more thing. It’s better to be controlled, smooth, and decisive than fast. As one of my MA trainers has often told me, speed without skill is a spasm. If you watch the more experienced fighters, they often seem to be moving much slower than a younger \”spastic\” but they’re never there to get hit and have things under control.

Well, some of my training tips. It’s not all comprehensive, not even close, but could gi

[clfmak]

Another form of resistance training that is popular in some circles (and I did for a while with good results) is training with Indian clubs. The motions performed tend to be better at developing total range of motion as opposed to regular weight lifting. As far as bodyweight stuff, its really good, and Matt Furey is a popular source for this, but I think his stuff is just a bit overrated- its good, but it can be found elsewhere.

A great book for training pure attributes as opposed to technique is Attack Proof. Its got good drills for improving dynamic balance (the kind you want for martial arts) and also good drills for improving your relaxation and total body connection, both of which are major factors in your hand work. All of this is practiced in a relatively spontaneous way, without really strict form, and is rather relaxed like tai chi or baguazhang. As such, most solo drills are not very physically demanding (more so for the mind and the nervous system connections, and small stabilizer muscles). This can be good or bad.

Some drills I like to do on my own when I have it in me to get up early:
I get up and go to he local park. Some of the circuits I alternate between:
various kicks (as high as possible) advancing across the field and back. Examples- front kick, advancing roundhouse, rear leg side kick, spinning side kick, rear leg outward crescent, rear leg inward crescent, spinning hook kick, roundhouse to spinning side, roundhouse to spinning hook, in crescent to spinning hook, etc. Obviously some are more practical than others. Then, I pick up my heavy bag and carry it across the field and back. Then, a different set of kicks. Between kicks across the field, I rest in a bridge for a minute or two, or a push up position. I might do some groundfighting drills with mount and guard punches and elbows, side control knees, drop knees, heel stomps, etc. I like to finish with deep breathing exercises and streching.

AFLT: I think you might be thinking of PNF streching?

[binagaki]

Re:

quote \”AFLT\:

Flexibility is largely limited by genetics, but can be enhanced by stretching post-workout.

This I don’t necessarily agree with. Flexibility is a matter of muscle strength and really nothing more. Some people think that they can’t do side splits (or front splits), but can you prop one leg up on a chair at a 90 degree angle? Most people can unless they have an actual physical problem (hip disorder, degenerative disease, etc.). What stops you from doing a full split, or utilizing full range of motion for any body part, is that your body knows it doesn’t have the strength to hold that position, so it tightens the muscles to prevent injury. Building strength is the key to flexibility.

Stretching post-workout is also good, but you don’t want to think of it as something you do just after your workout. Stretching is a workout all by itself, but it’s best reserved for after a workout because you are building strength.

quote \”AFLT\:

Pre-stretching does little, and a gentle, gradually building warm-up accompanied by stretching will prepare you for physical activity, but to increase flexibility you must stretch diligently post-workout.

There are some that will argue that stretching of any sort before a workout is completely useless. The only stretches that I do before a workout are dynamic stretches because they help to warm the body up, and they help to bring back your full range of motion. Exercises such as leg swings, trunk rotation, etc., are great for getting you ready for your workout. One recommendation is to do dynamic stretches when you wake up in the morning because they will help to keep you loose all day.

quote \”AFLT\:

Again, it’s hard to describe, and I don’t recall the exact technical term (I’ll try and look it up and post later) but there is a method of contract-relax stretching that requires a partner that is MOST effective at increasing flexibility, because it sidesteps/short circuits the muscles natural neurological response and tightening to protect itself from extreme lengthening, i.e. strain.

What AFLT is referring to is isometric stretching (however I don’t like using a partner). There are a few different methods that can be considered isometric stretching, all of which should be done after your workout or as a workout by themselves.

Standard isometric stretching involves getting to your maximum stretch and then tensing your muscles, especially those that you want to stretch. After tensing for a few seconds at 100%, relax the tension and then increase the stretch. One good addition to this is that you take slow shallow breaths while contracting, and then as you release, exhale deeply and then increase the stretch. Continue to do this until you can no longer increase your stretch (this will be mostly limited by your pain tolerance).

The method that I like is what Pavel Tsatsouline (he wrote Relax Into Stretch) calls forced relaxation. It’s just like standard isometric stretching, except that when you contract your muscles you contract with 1/3 to 2/3 strength. Continue to hold the tension until it becomes unbearable (it’s very common for the stretched body parts to start shaking and can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes), and then again exhale deeply and increase the stretch. Rinse, repeat, and stop when you can no longer increase the stretch.

I used to use partners with these stretches, but I’ve realized that the chance for injury is high because it is very easy for your partner to take you too far. Any individual doing these stretches correctly can very easily reach maximum range of motion, build strength, and increase their overall flexibility. I would recommend the following books:

Pavel Tsatsouline – Relax Into Stretch
Thomas Kurz – Stretching Scientifically

Personally I like Pavel’s book better because it’s more straightforward and he lays out the stretches nicely. Kurz goes more into the science of the whole thing, and it can take some time to glean out what you want.

[binagaki]

For speed I picked up Loren Christensen’s Solo Training and Speed Training (wow… I sound like an infomercial rigth now, sorry guys). In one of them (I don’t remember which), Christensen discusses the concept of redlining. Basically you pick a combo (or any other action that you want to speed up), and move through it 10 times at 75% speed focusing on perfect form. Take a quick rest and then do the same combo at 90% speed. Quick rest again, and then do the combo and what you consider to be your fastest speed with 100% focus on form. For your fourth set, push to 110% speed, focusing on the speed of the combo and not so much on form. For your final set, do the combo again as fast you can, but go back to making sure your form is perfect.

The concept is this: You build to top speed with perfect form, and then you push past it (this is your redline). You then immediately pull back to executing the combo as fast you can with perfect form, and what you’ll notice is that your 100% speed with 100% form the second time around will be a little bit faster than before. Continue to do this with all different combos, and eventually you’ll start to notice an overall increase in your speed (hands, feet, whatever). I’ve done this for a while now both by myself and with students, and the results have always been positive. When I do drills like this in pairs pad holders often see a noticeable increase in the speed of their partners.

I also wholeheartedly agree with AFLT that relaxation is the key. Tensed muscles move slower, so you have to relax, relax, relax. Students (especially beginners) tense up a lot, and as soon as they start to get comfortable there is a natural increase in speed. AFLT’s running program also looks to be very sound in building that explosive running speed.

There are a few weightraining techniques that can help you build explosive power which will result in increasing the speed of your strikes. The one I like the most is to move weights slowly when on the negative (i.e. lowering the bar in a bench press) and then exploding into the positive motion as quickly as you can. With this method you will be able to lift more weight for more reps, and it helps to build that explosive power (great for squats, bench press, etc). However, this is not meant to replace the standard controlled lifts. It’s meant as an alternative workout.

Apologies for the long reply, so in short, check out the books that I listed and see what you think. Take from them what you like, and build a program that works best for you. As your strength increases so will your balance, and continually work on your techniques that are giving you trouble. If you find that you’re falling over while trying roundkicks, lower the kick to the point where you’re stable, and then move up slowly. There’s no point in trying to kick someone’s head off if you fall over!

And if it makes you feel any better, high kicks are useless in a real street fight, so as long as you can kick to the waist without any problems you’re all set 🙂

Good luck and be safe!!

[aflt]

[/quote]
PNF Stretching – That’s what I was trying to remember! Thanks a million. It was a little embarrassing not to remember that, since my degree’s in exercise physiology and sport science, although it has been a few years.

As for the plyometrics, look up past articles in Black Belt magazine and some of the others such as MA Times (I believe). I don’t recall which magazine, or exactly how long ago (within the last 2 years, though) but there was a great article and routine with plyometrics that one of the world class martial artists did.

One last bit of advice to add to all of the other great routines that were mentioned: There’s a saying that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. When it comes to working out, this is largely true. There are many workouts that are beneficial, but they all stagnate after time due to General Adaptation Syndrome. It is wise to vary your workouts constantly – vary intensity, length, # of sets/reps, amount of weight, exercises, etc. Periodically, shake it all up and do something completely different! Easy enough to do in some stuff, but many martial artists have problems because they don’t like giving up their MA practice. I’m not saying do that – I am saying take a different focus. For myself, I go in 2-3 month cycles. One cycle may be a focus on basic technique execution/fighting fitness, the next may be incorporating the basics into a fluid, dynamic fighting structure. Then I may concentrate on ground fighting, etc. I always touch on everything, but my main focus can vary quite a bit. Not only does it keep the challenge for my body going, allowing constant physical improvement, but focusing on specific sub-areas helps build greater proficiency over time in those areas. If I were to try to practice everything all of the time, with my limited practice time, my practice would be a \”mile wide and an inch deep\” rather than a deeper proficiency.

[clfmak]

I’m not a fan of high kicks in real fighting, but I wouldn’t call them useless. Would you say that high kicks are useless in a mixed martial arts match? Many have ended with the roundhouse to the head. Not as likely in a streetfight. But I still wouldn’t say high kicks are \”useless\”.
Storytime: I remember back when I was a kid, my best friend angered this other kid who was two years older. The other guy, without warning, kicks my friend in the face with a spinning crescent kick (spun around and swung his leg in an outward arc), ending the fight before it began. The kick somehow jammed his lip between the wire of his retainer and his teeth- weird. Everyone present was kind of shocked- we had no idea the guy knew any martial arts or anything (and we never really found out). Anyway, this isn’t really a story to prove me right, because a preemptive kick in a childhod fight doesn’t equal streetfight. Just a story I had.

[reverend-sin]

Re:

quote \”CLFMak\:

I’m not a fan of high kicks in real fighting, but I wouldn’t call them useless. Would you say that high kicks are useless in a mixed martial arts match? Many have ended with the roundhouse to the head. Not as likely in a streetfight. But I still wouldn’t say high kicks are \”useless\”.
Storytime: I remember back when I was a kid, my best friend angered this other kid who was two years older. The other guy, without warning, kicks my friend in the face with a spinning crescent kick (spun around and swung his leg in an outward arc), ending the fight before it began. The kick somehow jammed his lip between the wire of his retainer and his teeth- weird. Everyone present was kind of shocked- we had no idea the guy knew any martial arts or anything (and we never really found out). Anyway, this isn’t really a story to prove me right, because a preemptive kick in a childhod fight doesn’t equal streetfight. Just a story I had.

Wow, I got a huge response on this topic lol thanks a lot guys, I never thought I’d get such a huge response so fast 😯 So far as Roundkicks in a streetfight I think the biggest reason you wouldn’t see a roundkick in a streetfight is because very few people can even get their leg up that high lol I’m definitely going to check out the books suggested and I’m also going to research plyometrics (never heard of it before here lol) and explosive speed, I read something on explosive speed either on bodybuilding.com or t-nation.com but I’m gonna have to look again, I believe there was an article on Increasing Intensity on Bodybuilding.com that was really good but I can’t remember all that much of it because it’s been a year or so since I read it.

I still haven’t found this fabled Krav Maga class in Hilo so I may have to stick with Rudy Valentino’s Muay Thai class after BJ Penns MMA Academy finishes their construction work but you guys have most definitely been a lot of help. If I can’t find Krav Maga here in Hawaii I guess I’ll have to wait until I get back to Seattle.

You guys have definitely given me a great deal to look up and think on, I sincerely appreciate it. It’s been really really hard trying to train on my own but you guys have already helped a lot. I hope this topic helps other visitors to the forum as well.

[armor-all]

Rev,
With respect to handspeed, I just started training with a pair of the Ringside power bag gloves. They are basically 16 oz gloves with weights you can add into the collar that boosts them up to 2 lb 4 oz each. Not sure what the end results will be, but we’ll see. Also, try working out with a medicine ball. You can surprisingly develop quite a bit of core strength and work out balance. Everlast makes one with handles that’s supposed to be pretty good, although the old school 12 pound leather ball will never fail to deliver punishment.

That’s a funny story, BTW. I also ended a fight as a kid with a kick to this guys head after we basically \”body-sparred\” for about a minute. I think we were fighting over property rights of an abandoned Michael Jackson Thriller album. That opens the door to some pretty topical jokes, I suppose…

[rosie]

On flexibility training: there have already been a lot of good points made, so I’ll just add this: I spent about five years in gymnastics, where flexibility is vital to being able to perform even basic movements. One thing our instructors always drilled into us was daily stretching. If you really want to get to your top level of flexibility, you have to stretch every day. And always make sure you are warmed up before stretching or else you risk injury. Anyone can do splits or gain flexibility in other areas (for gymnastics, shoulder and back flexibility is very important in addition to legs) if they train properly. As you get older you naturally lose flexibility, but if you stretch every day you can maintain and even increase it.

I agree with the points made about partner flexibility training. Unless you’re training with a partner who knows what they’re doing and you feel that you can trust him or her, it’s hard to fully relax which is key to getting a good stretch. Most of the partners I trained with had no feel for what was a good stretch for me. I got better results training alone.

One other thing: if you are doing resistance training in areas where you want to gain flexibility, it’s even more important to stretch daily in those areas. Flexibility is not determined by genetics or strength, it’s an issue of how long your muscles and connective tissue are. Flexibility training lengthens them, resistance training shortens them.

[foxy]

feeling wobbly?

a simple question. Have you tried traing with a wobble ball thingy?

You know, the hemisphere with a foot platform on the top.

As a former pro soocer goalkeeper, it is great for helping with balance when training with weights, etc.

Foxy

[anonymous]

For hand speed you could also take two small dumbbells (2-3 pounds), hold them in your hands, then punch into the air (all punches, straight, hook, uppercut etc). After doing this for a while, punch without the weights and you should be able to punch faster than before. You can do this exercise several times per week.

For kicks, you could do something similar with ankle weights. Put ankle weights on, then kick with them. Also move around in your stance with those ankle weights on, then take them off, you will feel a lot lighter on your feet.

One silly little everyday thing to do to improve balance could be to stand on one leg whenever you are stationary. For example, let’s say you are at the supermarket, standing in an aisle in front of a shelf, trying to decide which brand of laundry detergent to buy. While you are standing there, instead of standing on both legs, just lift up one leg slightly and stand only on one. In time, this can help with balance, too.

[clfmak]

About leg wight training: this is good mostly while doing slow motion kicks. in the training program I’m in right now, we do slow motion kicks with leg weights while standing on big coffee cans (actually, mine’s some mystery can with no label). We do one front kick, hold the chamber, turn and do a side kick, chamber the leg and do a rear kick. Thats one rep. doing this has made higher kicks much easier. I can hold out a side kick at about my own throat level now, which is pretty high because I’m like six feet tall. I’d recommend this method with weights over fast kicks with weights, which could be bad for your joints. Same goes for punching to a lesser extent. Another exercise I’ve learned (I have never done this with weights) is standing on one leg and spelling out the alphabet with your foot. Make each letter as big and as high off the ground as possible. Try the russian alphabet when you get good enough 😉

[laurar]

I swear by CrossFit – http://crossfit.com – develops strength, speed, balance, endurance etc with emphasis on functionality, intensity and variance.

MMA fighters are catching on to this as a great conditioning program and it scales to folks who don’t have any/much fitness training.

And it’s FUN!

[clfmak]

I’ll also second crossfit.

[Author]

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