T Nation

Fighting/Training Advice

Combat
#1

Im new here. just finished studying as a PT been doing Kickboxing about 8years but now i am looking at everything with different eyes which is good and bad.

on the internet you see these videos about these guys doing really strong shit eg:

On arm muscle ups with heavy kettle bells

Fighters doing very explosive movements and back flips push-ups etc

Ladder type pullups ( like the tv series arrow )

Very good flexibility

My question how does one achieve all that ?
In all there are only calisthenics and kettle bells to see why not normal gym equipment , and can you apply it to a fighter?

i mean if you make a fighter really strong wont it transform his punching power ? or his toughness on a BJJ mat help a light weight guy against a much heavier opponent.
If you apply these crazy explosiveness and foot work to a kicking based fighter wont it make him kick better and faster ?
Eg if you take a footballs players foot work training and apply it

Because in all of these videos they do incredible tings.

i might be grasping at straws but maybe i am right/ please bare with me and info or advise would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

#2

There are plenty more knowledgeable people out here than me, but I always used common sense when seeing this stuff and immediately wanna try:
“Would this make me better at that?”

Backflips and one arm muscle ups are cool, and need a great deal of athleticis to be done, but what is your goal?
For example:
Is it kickboxing?
Would this make you a better kicker?
-one arm muscle ups might do something for core strength. Backflips maybe increase your hip extension.
-But perfecting kicks is a surefire way to get better at kicking, the exact core strength and firing pattern.

I’m all for getting strong and explosive. And feel free to choose your means of doing that, barbell, dumbbell, BW training. Rememeber that’s just a part of the equation, and actual skill in what you wanna do is paramount.

#3

Besides that, to quote Dan John "Your goal is to keep the goal the goal"
If you watch pro fighters workout, it seems like the goal is doing the reverse foxtrot on agility ladders and slamming ropes while looking like Bane. I thought they were fighters.

#4

notice how fighting sports have weight classes,they are there for a reason
no particular order
speed
power
strength
skill
endurance
natural ability
all counts, if you lack in one maybe your better in another
training gets boring try something new keep it interresting
the backflip will never help in a fight but the effects of training the backflip probably help

#5

It all comes down to efficient use of the time you have available to you, recognizing your individual strengths and weaknesses, and of course genetics.

Will building all around high degrees of athleticism (strength, speed, power, mobility, balance, endurance, coordination, agility, etc…) likely benefit any athletic endeavor? Yes.

But will the time it would take to reach very high levels rather than spending that time developing the combat specific skills to be able to apply that athleticism be worth the return on investment? In most cases of limited time and energy availability and mere mortal genetics, probably not.

Sport specific conditioning (pad work, bag work, shadow fighting, drilling grappling techniques with and without training partners, etc…) is going to produce the most movement specific athleticism as well as the crucial mechanical skills, timing, judgement, speed, and accuracy necessary to apply those skills effectively when it counts. Any time and effort spent on additional athleticism would be best spent on preventing injury first, addressing weaknesses (depending on the athlete/fighter) second and on just general athleticism if there is still available time and energy.

#6

Your question is very broad based. Sento summed it up very well. This little meme has a lot of wisdom and to paraphrase two other forum members ( Brotardscience and Robert A) training priority’s are:

Skill

Conditioning

Strength