Most people understand that there is a difference between exercise for the sake of health and longevity versus exercise for the specific purpose of increasing sport performance.
Those who are interested in mixed martial arts and already have a dedication to working out should be commended. Your mental grit and willpower will make you a better fighter.
However, despite their good intentions, many would-be fighters are doing various exercises and performing work out routines that will have little or no impact on their performance in the ring. Worse yet, they may be doing things that are decreasing their MMA conditioning.
Ultimately, there are two questions that need to be asked for every exercise, drill and workout. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s just that I don’t think that a yearly planning session should be held due to guilt, holiday obesity, and (probably) loads of alcohol. Yes, I think the beginning of the new year is a great time to re-evaluate existing goals and reflect on where you’d like to go this upcoming year …
But my pessimistic side bears out the truth every year - the vast majority of people unceremoniously dispense of their goals like fruit cake after the holiday spirit was died off. Into the trash it goes, never to be thought of for another 11 months.
If you are one of those people, put on your big boy pants. It’s time to be a rational adult, capable of making and keeping commitments. Forgive yourself, open your mind and lets move on to the major thrust of the article.
(I’m no economist, but my understanding is that the USA’s current financial condition is largely due to banks giving loans to people who were unwilling or unable to keep commitments. )
Here’s the idea -view your goals like a loan and put down a hefty down payment. What’s one of the worst ways to purchase a piece of real estate? Contrary to the late night TV gurus, the worst way to do it is with “no money down.”
Let’s say for instance, your goal is to lose 20 lbs. Starting right now, pay out a 10-20% down payment. The moment you finish writing the goal down on paper - you’re writing down your goals aren’t you? - begin a 48 hour juice fast, run 3 miles, cut off all of your body hair. Whatever it takes, lose 2 pounds.
When you make an extraordinary effort in getting the down payment done, the habit monthly payments will be much easier. The bigger the initial sacrifice, the better. Sacrifice breeds commitment.
In my mind, if you cannot sacrifice a down payment RIGHT NOW, you cannot complete your goal. What makes you think that if you lack the will power to give it a shot right now that somehow you’ll be able to do it later?
One of the absolute failures of men is that they believe that the future will somehow be fundamentally different. “When I have a bigger house I’ll be happier.” “When the weather is warmer, I’ll exercise outside and lose 10 pounds.” “I’ll accept and love my wife when she stops whining all the time.”
Things don’t change, we change.
The only moment you will ever have is RIGHT NOW. You never experience the future - you only experience in the NOW. (In the future, it will still be right now)
Procrastination isn’t just a troublesome scheduling problem, it’s an active decision to do the wrong thing RIGHT NOW. When you have a worthy goal and don’t start now, you are making the wrong decision.
Think about that.
If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right now. Don’t put life, happiness and fulfillment on hold. Get started today.
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Obviously, some considerations must be made. If 10% of your goal is impossible to accomplish in 24-48 hours, you can do 5%, or 2% for a longer term goal. Just make sure the sacrifice hurts - it’ll be good for you.
Also, check out the book The Power of Now. It really hits home the whole, “now is the only moment you have” sort of thing. Very interesting read.
Alright, first things first. It’s been a good year, and I have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve got a great family and a nice place to live. I’ve stayed injury free and got to train 200+ days this year. I have some awesome students, who keep me on my toes. Things are good.
Now then, you’re probably wondering what I’ve gotten you for Christmas, greedy whelp. I don’t blame you. Uncle Bart is a giver.
Check out this video of Genki Sudo at the Westside Grappling Tournament, 2001.
Genki transitions like a bandit - side control, north south position, mount … Sudo really gets the “Position before submission” mantra.
Also notice how he “bites” down with his legs. Do not pass go, do not pass guard, do not collect $200 dollars. In that first match, he finishes the opponent via triangle and one thing that made that happen was his immediate response when the guy tries to stack the guard and escape. Sudo grabs a leg and pivots to the side. Very exemplary.
Warning: I’m no doctor. Train under the capable supervision. You are responsible for your own actions.
Get more sleep at night. Studies have shown that sleep plays an important role in learning - those moves you learned in class won’t stick in the brain without out it. Plus, no sleep = weak muscle recovery from workouts.
Stop running and start sprinting. I have mentioned this before - proper cardio for MMA isn’t just hitting the treadmill for an hour. Fights are generally a collection intense exchanges (strikes, take down attempts) and slower, grinding muscular endurance (ground and pound, wrestling for submission) - neither of which are well-modeled by running a marathon in the gym.
Go for positional dominance before submission attempts.
Video tape yourself shadow boxing and sparring.
Review the video and try to analyze what you’re doing well and what techniques need to be sharpened.
Send the video to me and I’ll give you a couple of ideas. (First come first serve!)
Review the video with your Sensei or coach. They probably know way more than I do. Plus, they probably like you enough to help you out with moves on the mat.
Find an expert and see if you can pick their brain. There are a lot of guys who are very accomplished that would be flattered if you offered to take them out to lunch and ask them some questions.
Know the “behind the scenes” guys. There are only a few high profile trainers and coaches, but many more skilled professionals. Just because they don’t have their names splashed on CNN or have an internet marketing team to make them well known on the interweb doesn’t mean they aren’t hardcore.
Interview fighters. You’d be surprised how many guys in the pro-amateur range are willing to talk with you and share insights.
Occasionally, spar with much heavier training partners.
Occasionally, spar with people outside your gym. Just keep your ego in check and be respectful.
Occasionally, spar with MUCH more advanced training partners.
Occasionally, spar with less advanced training partners and destroy them, figuratively. If you can’t run a rubber-guard clinic on a white belt, you don’t know the rubber guard.
On that note, try out the rubber guard.
If you haven’t, join an MMA gym. And train there.
Listen. Instead of talking about MMA, training, and weightlifting - try to make it a goal to listen about these topics. You might learn something.
Practice being more humble. A lot of good information gets filtered out of your brain before you even get to think about it. Some athletes become harder to coach the better they are. Don’t be one of them.
When you travel, plan a stop to the local MMA shrines / training facilities. Many places have open mat times and you only have to pay a small drop-in fee to train. Call ahead to make sure they’re cool with it.
BUY instructional videos. Seriously. Actually purchase them with money you made. I understand the allure of the internet pirating and YouTube. However, there is a distinct psychological effect that happens when you use hard earned money to pay for something. You’ll take the instruction far more seriously and will be more likely to incorporate what you learn. Thomas Paine said, “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”
Limit the time you search the internet for new techniques. Instead of watching 20 different vids, watch two and immediately try out the moves.
Workout without music. Let the sound of metal, sweat, and groaning be your symphony. Be focused, hardcore. Music is essentially a distraction or a crutch.
Increase the difficulty of your workouts in novel ways.
Try “micro-loading” - adding only a few pounds extra to lifts and drills.
Cycle training punching with different weights of gloves.
Do your cardio with extra clothes on - or if you train naked, just put some clothes on.
6 weeks before a competition, spar and wrestle with the exact rules that will be adhered to there.
Like the above, use the specific type of gloves, shorts and protective gear that will be allowed at the competition.
Shadow box in your car or when you’re out for a walk. Whats that? You have some illogical social fear about being seen doing MMA? Wuss.
Choose the stairs over the elevator. Then choose to sprint the stairs so you can beat the elevator.
Stop thinking that your cool Affliction t-shirt or Tapout shorts are making you any better at MMA.
Drink more water.
Practice deep breathing exercises.
Practice staccato, punctuated breathing exercises. (”Breath of fire” or “spitfire” breathing).
Make sure you are properly moving your head when striking. Fade your head to the right when you left jab, ect. Review the basics of mma striking.
Train specific moves in cycles like you would with body parts and exercises. Tuesday is toehold day. Friday is omoplata only day. The idea is to structure everything you can for optimized improvement.
Practice feigning and baiting opponents in lighter sparring sessions, but be strictly assertive and aggressive in more intense bouts.
Stop wearing cushioned shoes when weightlifting. Get specific weightlifting shoes or go barefoot. Mind where you drop your weights and you’ll be fine. This will help you better train your muscles and nervous system. I don’t have time to explain why, comrade. Search here and search for the barefoot section or go here to read why shoes are destoying the way you walk.
Occasionally train with tight clothes that squeeze you. This simulates an opponent grappling with you, limiting your breathing, etc.
Take six months off training at your current gym and learn something completely different. Go study Muay Thai if you train with the local wrestling team. Go learn ninjitsu, or boxing, or whatever. It might be heresy to train at you competing dojo’s, but it’ll do wonders for you and your perspective.
Watch MMA fights with a pen and paper. Make notes.
Start a MMA journal. Write down what you learned in class.
Be a re-runs guy. Instead of watching something new, re-watch something old and glean more knowledge about a move you already know. The saying goes - “I’d rather have 5 moves I can fight with than 500 moves that fight me.”
Train a little bit every day rather than a lot a few days a week.
Maximize your strength to weight ratio. MMA weight classes define the game - you need to add strength without body mass or decrease body mass without losing strength. It may look nice to “get big” , but in competition with weight divisions, size doesn’t matter.
Cross train in yoga or pilates. I know you may think they’re sissy. However, after a while you’ll find that you are more flexible, stronger (especially in strange positions), and have better body coordination.
Naturally increase your testosterone levels.
Keep your hands up.
Practice what you already know in as many different contexts as possible. An armbar can be used in no less than two dozen ways, in a myriad of positions.
Increase your mental toughness.
Have a vivid imagination - fantasize about being riddiculously good at MMA. Can’t get to your dreams if you don’t have them.
Practice visualizing success. In your mental eye’s vision, see a movies of yourself pulling off moves in completion.
Mentally see, as if you were doing it, yourself hammering an opponent into submission.
When you practice your strikes, imagine that each of them is landing onto an opponent successfully.
Train your mind to focus like a laser. Being 100% focused on the exercise or drill at hand will increase your proficiency.
Develop workout mantras to help you correctly breathe and stay focused. “Jab, jab, boom!”
Learn to give and take coaching directions phonetically. At first, coaches will have to break down each movement by saying things like, “Lift your knee an inch higher, engage your armpit muscles, straighten your spine, turn your fist over 90 degrees….” At higher levels, coaches will say things like, “Stay rooted!” instead of telling you to keep your center of gravity between your feet and under your hips, all the while keeping the knees slightly bent. “Push through the target!” “Drive from your hips!”
Pick only a limited number techniques and ideas to develop within one training cycle.
Have a fulfilling sex life. Sex, in its proper place, is vital for a full and healthy life. It does many good things for you physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Doing “it” can aid in healing, pain management, etc.
Predetermine whether or not to have sex before competition for the right reasons. Now as for the long standing advice to abstain sex before competition, my official opinion is “It depends.” There is a good article by National Geographic called “Does Sex the Night Before Competition Decrease Performance?“. Basically it states that physically, sex the night before doesn’t affect athletic performance but it could affect you psychologically. If you are restless and nervous the night before, it could help. This same calmness could weaken your concentration. Also, if you believe it that sex would release needed tension and aggression, refrain.
Become a fighter psychologically as well as physically. Don’t be afraid of calling yourself a fighter. Get into it. When you, deep down, associate yourself with being a fighter you’ll train harder and avoid those cupcakes at Christmas with ease.
Stop smoking.
Stop drinking alcohol. Yes, I even mean on the weekends. Among other things, it’s a worthless source of calories, dehydration, lost training time, and potential injury. How many accidents start off with just a few beers?
Don’t drink energy drinks. If you’re having trouble with your energy it’s probably caused by bad nutrition, hangovers, poor sleep habits, over-training, or lack of willpower. Treat the cause, not the symptom.
In that vein, lay off the juice you’d buy at the store. Packed with sugar. Eat fruit instead, or juice it yourself.
Be specific with your strikes. Instead of just striking the face, punch the specific knock out points and angles.
Systematically weaken your opponent. Relentless punch the exact same spot on the ribs. Shin kick the same spot on the left leg. If an opponent gets a cut, exploit the area. Like chopping a tree.
While you want to exploit your opponent’s weaknesses, don’t get sucked into a reactionary mindset. You’ll lose tempo and aggression if you sit around waiting for an opponent to show his weakness. As they say, fortune favors the bold - most often fights are won by the more aggressive of the two fighters.
Find where you can make maximum progress in minimum time. If you already have a 300 lb squat but a 100 lb deadlift, six weeks of focus will make a dramatic difference in the deadlift.
Avoid over training and know the law of diminishing returns. More training doesn’t always mean more benefit.
Don’t waste time making decisions where either choice is reasonably equal. Ex: You’ve got a fight next month and you are just about as good fighting on the ground as you are standing up. Should you focus on wrestling, Muay Thai, or jujitsu? Draw a name out of a hat.
Link to this article from your blog or in a forum, stating how cool it is. It’ll make you 15% stronger, I swear.
Develop a specialty move.
Be a king at the rear naked choke. It’s a fight stopper - very hard to escape and effective.
Pick a fighting style that naturally aligns with your strengths.
Be good at a move that nobody in your area or weight division is good at. After you attend a few competitions, you’ll get a sense of some under-used moves. It’s always a shocker when a heavyweight lands a spinning back thrust kick. People don’t expect it.
Train in front of a mirror.
Occasionally train with a blind fold or in the dark. If you fight long enough, you’ll be in a situation where sweat or blood is hampering your vision. Plus, wrestling in the dark helps you develop a body sensitivity where you can “feel” what your opponent is doing or about to do.
Physically, shore up your weaknesses. It’s far more important to add 30 lbs to your military press if your one rep max is 50 lbs than to your 440 lb squat.
Technically, shore up your weaknesses. Trust that an enemy will try to exploit them. If you can’t escape the most basic submissions, don’t try to make your decent left jab great. Learn the escapes.
Train with pain. There is a psychological skill to dealing with pain, be it sharp and sudden or dull and grinding. In a fight, your opponent is going to make winning as difficult as possible. You are going to be fatigued mentally and physically. You will have to fight against pain. Find ways to train increase your ability to perform under stress and pain.
Know the difference between discomfort pain and injury pain.
Tap out early, tap out often.
Train your nervous system, as well as your muscles. Hand speed and reaction time have large neurological components.
Train in all 3 dimensions. Use free weights, sandbags, and kettlebells. Work all the strange-named stabilizer muscles. Fighting is very non-linear, and no doubt you’ll find yourself ascew in dozen of odd positions in any given fight.
Always wear the maximum amount of protective gear. It’s like wearing a seatbelt. There isn’t a good reason to put yourself at risk and have to stop training for 6 months due to an injury.
When you do get injured or sick, get competent medical care ASAP. Being macho won’t make you a better fighter, being smart and logical will. If it turns out your rib isn’t broken, great. But if it is, you can put yourself out from fighting entirely by training while injured. Every gym has a guy who has some weird Chinese remedy or massage technique. When alternative medicine can do nothing but help - sure, try it out, but don’t replace proven fixes.
Keep track of your opponents eye movements. Often, a fighter will flash a brief look at the area he is about to attack.
Never underestimate the jab’s usefulness. It sets up combination and takedowns. It hampers your opponents vision.
Keep your chin down.
Practice with your friends, family and spouse - but always keep it fun. If they were into MMA like you were, they’d work out at your gym.
Practice controlling the distance between you and your opponent. Circle, jab, circle, jab, parry …
Let your instructors do their jobs. Don’t back talk or try to teach other guys in your classes. Coaches can push you to new levels - even though you “know” more than they do.
Learn to “cut off” the ring with your strikes and angles. Cornering your opponent is a tricky, but important thing.
If you are truly outclassed in all respects, try to keep the fight standing up. You still have “a punchers chance” or that is to say, you can pull off a lucky punch. The more experienced your opponent, the more likely it is to pull off a lucky punch than a lucky submission.
Do your dirty work in the gym long before the fight and expect it come out in the ring. The last few weeks before a fight aren’t a time to learn new techniques. It’s time to cement what you do well and not get injured.
Don’t be overly pedantic about strategy on the day of the fight. Train how you want to fight, and then trust your training. Sudden large shifts of gameplan, nutrition and exercise typically backfire.
After you have done your serious training, have some fun. Laugh and play - playing around can make you a better fighter. Plus, this is not the movie gladiator. You can smile if you want to.
Setting goals is by far the most important thing you can do when constructing an MMA workout. If you don’t have a clear picture of where you need to go, you won’t know how to get there, how long it will take, or when you’ve arrived.
Are you doing MMA workouts to prepare for an organized fight? Are you just doing them to get in shape? What exactly are you looking for in your workout?
If you’re like me , you probably already have a long mental list of things you want from your workouts. Do you want to develop knock out punches? Learn to dominate the clinch positions? As a mixed martial artist, the workout is your vehicle to achieve these goals.
It Is Not A Goal Unless It’s Written Down
By now, you’ve got a mental list of some things you’d like to have as a fighter. Now comes the brain work. Write your goals down, and prioritize them as best you can. Take the top two or three goals and for now, file away the rest. Later, you’ll need to choose exercises and drills that advance these goals, construct specific workouts, loads, rest periods, cycles … but like I said, later. My goal in this article is to talk about goal setting, capeesh?
Note:
If you’re starting out in MMA, exercising, or just martial arts in general, you’ll need to review your goals and adjust pretty often. You’re in a state of unconscious incompetence - you don’t know what you don’t know. It’s okay - we’ve all been there - but be prepared to shift gears often. It’s hard to determine how important something is, especially in relation to everything else … because you don’t know everything else.
SMARTY Pants
One way I’ve improved my goal setting is by using the SMART goals method.
“SMART” is acronym: that means your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
This works with the meta-goals in MMA and the workout sub-goals. A meta-goal could be, “I want to be the light-heavy weight UFC champion” and “I want to be a superb striker” would be the chosen sub-goal you’d like to focus on. But both of those goals are a tad too lofty - perhaps something like “I’d like to increase my leg power by 30% as measured by the squat and deadlift in 12 weeks” is “smarter”.
Certainly, you may not have enough knowledge to construction something like that yet, but wait grasshopper. It will come. Just remember: The workout is a vehicle to the ultimate goal.
If you’re trying to loose weight by doing MMA, pick and choose your activities to maximize that. If you want to be a great striker, your goal could be to increase hand speed.
If you know where you want to go, everything down the line will be much easier to figure out.
