Kettlebell Jerks: Functional Power For Muay Thai Fighters!

If you are interested in improving your Muay Thai skills then you have got to have a smart strength and conditioning plan in place. Building athleticism requires both skill and effort and kettlebell jerks will demand both of these traits from you. If you are serious about getting results then permit yourself a minute to read the rest of this article. There is no substitute for smart training my friend.

Kettlebell Jerks For Muay Thai Power!

So what is a kettlebell jerk and why is this lift so valuable for your Muay Thai skills? Well this is a loaded question, but for the time and space I have I will do my best to answer it. First of all, a kettlebell jerk is a total body lift that requires you to press either a kettlebell or pair of bells overhead more by pushing your body away from the weight than actually pushing it above your head. You see the kettlebell jerk press is an Olympic style lift that will help you to build a tremendous amount of core strength and stamina in order to allow you to execute more punches, knees, and kicks harder and for longer periods of time! I don't have to tell you twice that this is a valuable thing for your Muay Thai training.

Let me describe the kettlebell jerk by first giving you a visual. For the sake of this article lets assume we are executing the lift with a single kettlebell in your right arm. To begin, you must first learn to execute the clean and rack in order to get the bell from the floor to the racked position at your chest. This is a prerequisite MUST and you must learn this before ever attempting the kettlebell jerk. I have descriptions on how to "clean and rack" in other articles. Assuming we are comfortable with the clean and rack and have the bell secure at your chest level lets now look at what is involved with the jerk itself.

Begin the jerk press by first getting used to dipping your knees and rolling up onto the balls of your feet. This is a rather unique type of "feel" involved with the jerk press, but is essential in getting the body working in a manner that functions in propelling the bell above your head. You can get the bell racked with your right arm and keep it in the rack while practicing this movement a few times. Make sure that you keep your core center (abdomen) tight and maintain the bell at the racked position while getting used to dipping your knees and rolling up onto the balls of your feet. As you do the "knee dip" and bump up onto the balls of your feet then you will want to firmly plant your heels back into the ground. As you do this "heel plant" you will slightly flex at your hips and knees. Don't flex at the hips UNTIL you plant your heels into the ground.

Now the next key movement is involving the pressing action into this equation. Once again start with the knee dip and this time as you start to bump up onto the balls of your feet you will simultaneously want to start pressing the bell up above your head and away from your chest. At this point you will follow through with the "heel plant" while bending at the hips to create space between you and the kettlebell lifted above your head. Once you have gotten to this point then all you have to do is simply stand up with the bell pressed above your head. This is what I meant by you having to create space between you and the weight lifted. You are essentially creating more space between you and the kettlebell by first driving the weight up and then planting your body underneath it! Once the press is complete then simply flex again at your hips and in a controlled manner pull the kettlebell back to the racked position.

This single lift offers an array of benefits for your Muay Thai fighting skills. You are getting a ton of functional movement and power along with sharpening your body control. The lift can be executed in a number of different ways in order to achieve different training effects. You can maximize both strength and total muscular and cardiovascular endurance with this one lift. The value of a smartly applied kettlebell program will take your fighting skills to an entirely new level my friend. Remember that most fighters can train hard, but only the champions train smart!

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