For some, MMA training is mostly about health, fitness, and exercise. Then, there are those determined to be the best they can be in the form of winning competitions. The type of MMA training needed to succeed in competition can vary in many ways. The reason for this is that many different elements are needed in order to become an effective fighter. One of the most difficult areas to become skilled with is conserving energy with the performance of martial arts competition.
Now, this does not refer to cardio training and conditioning although that is quite important as well. Conserving energy is more about the proper development of the effective utilization of your energy. How many times have you seen a match where the fighter is a "house of fire" at the beginning of the match and on the verge of winning only to gas out in the first round? This would be the perfect and all too frequent example of a fighter not effectively conserving energy in a match. Thankfully, there are strategies that can be employed in order to help reduce such occurrences.
The first step would be to return to the aforementioned concept of boosting cardiovascular conditioning. You cannot conserve energy if you do not have any to begin with. As such, it is well advised to do as much roadwork as possible prior to any bouts. Also, muscular endurance building needs to be a critical part of all MMA training. Muscular endurance is frequently attained through bodyweight exercises. Regularly performing such exercises is a must for the serious athlete.
Most importantly, when sparring time comes, the MMA training must effectively display to the fighter the need to effective pace the match. There will be times when it is more important to slow things down as opposed to speeding them up. Learning when, where, and how to slow down and conserve energy is a must for effective MMA training.
Now, this does not refer to cardio training and conditioning although that is quite important as well. Conserving energy is more about the proper development of the effective utilization of your energy. How many times have you seen a match where the fighter is a "house of fire" at the beginning of the match and on the verge of winning only to gas out in the first round? This would be the perfect and all too frequent example of a fighter not effectively conserving energy in a match. Thankfully, there are strategies that can be employed in order to help reduce such occurrences.
The first step would be to return to the aforementioned concept of boosting cardiovascular conditioning. You cannot conserve energy if you do not have any to begin with. As such, it is well advised to do as much roadwork as possible prior to any bouts. Also, muscular endurance building needs to be a critical part of all MMA training. Muscular endurance is frequently attained through bodyweight exercises. Regularly performing such exercises is a must for the serious athlete.
Most importantly, when sparring time comes, the MMA training must effectively display to the fighter the need to effective pace the match. There will be times when it is more important to slow things down as opposed to speeding them up. Learning when, where, and how to slow down and conserve energy is a must for effective MMA training.