There he is Jason Bourne standing in front of the park bench that he was resting on before being awakened by two policemen as he realizes that the policemen were about to arrest him or cause harm to him for no apparent reason he explodes with a brutal viciousness that leaves both cops laying on the ground stripped of their batons and guns in the blink of an eye. This was a scene from the movie the Bourne Identity based on Robert Ludlum's novel. But is it possible for someone to move that way in real life?
We have all watched professional cage fighting and were amazed at how explosive these fighters are with their movements. What is it exactly that allows these athletes to be able to explode with such veracious intensity? The subject of this article is to explain 5 ways that the reader can develop explosive striking ability in order to help them become better fighters, martial arts practitioners or just to defend their selves.
1. Resistance training - It is a definite no brainer when it comes down to realizing that you need some type of resistance training in order to supply your muscles, (Especially the fast twitch muscles with adequate resistance levels in order to help them develop and enable that explosive power you are looking for.) As a professional Mixed Martial Arts athlete I train frequently with weights using base movements such as the Squat, Clean and Jerk, Clean and Press, Dead Lifts and Bench Presses. All of these movements focus on the large muscles of the body that are responsible for the major gross movements. These are also explosive movements. I train in 3 week cycles focusing the first week on moderate weight that can be lifted for around 12 to 15 repetitions before failure. Week two focuses on heavy lifting that can only be lifted between 6 to 10 repetitions. The final week I go very light and work with a weight that I can handle at as many repetitions as possible for 2 minutes. It is okay to switch the resistance levels cycle by cycle as well.
2. Band training - I also use a series of rubber bands connected to the main supports in the walls of my gym at home in order to resist my kicks and punches against heavy bags in various positions. I have the bands rigged so that I can work on my grappling dummy (an old heavy bag) as I focus on my ground and pound techniques. I also have them attached to harnesses and walls where I can train on a hanging heavy bag using my stand up striking skills. In general I go for 5 minute rounds at various resistance levels and focus on explosiveness and form.
3. Plyometrics - The good old Clapping Pushup, Box Jump, Squat Jump and Squat Thrust all are great in developing explosive power. All of these movements require an explosion at the beginning of the movement.
4. Negative resistance training - This can be done in any number of ways and can be applied in weight training and body weight resistance training. This only requires that you explode on the positive portion of the movement (example the press in the bench press or push up) and then control the movement on the way down (negative). You can do this assisted or un assisted; however the term assisted is a contradiction in terms because the partner never really assists in controlling the weight. They add resistance to the weight by pushing against you. Whenever I have a partner available I use this method as it is invaluable. I usually train each movement for 3 sets to failure. BE Careful!
5. Practice striking - Just like anything thing else the more you do it the better you get at it. I generally throw over a thousand punches a day. The actual practice of striking is required to help your body find the most efficient way for you to move. We are all built differently and move differently, and we all have our own little idiosyncrasies, such as disabilities, injuries etc. You need to practice a lot in order to build that explosiveness that you are looking for in your striking.
There are far too many methods of explosivity training to discuss here. The ones I have given are just a few of the many. Please discuss any change in activity with your healthcare provider before trying these methods and be safe. Good luck and good training till next time!
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Curtiss
We have all watched professional cage fighting and were amazed at how explosive these fighters are with their movements. What is it exactly that allows these athletes to be able to explode with such veracious intensity? The subject of this article is to explain 5 ways that the reader can develop explosive striking ability in order to help them become better fighters, martial arts practitioners or just to defend their selves.
1. Resistance training - It is a definite no brainer when it comes down to realizing that you need some type of resistance training in order to supply your muscles, (Especially the fast twitch muscles with adequate resistance levels in order to help them develop and enable that explosive power you are looking for.) As a professional Mixed Martial Arts athlete I train frequently with weights using base movements such as the Squat, Clean and Jerk, Clean and Press, Dead Lifts and Bench Presses. All of these movements focus on the large muscles of the body that are responsible for the major gross movements. These are also explosive movements. I train in 3 week cycles focusing the first week on moderate weight that can be lifted for around 12 to 15 repetitions before failure. Week two focuses on heavy lifting that can only be lifted between 6 to 10 repetitions. The final week I go very light and work with a weight that I can handle at as many repetitions as possible for 2 minutes. It is okay to switch the resistance levels cycle by cycle as well.
2. Band training - I also use a series of rubber bands connected to the main supports in the walls of my gym at home in order to resist my kicks and punches against heavy bags in various positions. I have the bands rigged so that I can work on my grappling dummy (an old heavy bag) as I focus on my ground and pound techniques. I also have them attached to harnesses and walls where I can train on a hanging heavy bag using my stand up striking skills. In general I go for 5 minute rounds at various resistance levels and focus on explosiveness and form.
3. Plyometrics - The good old Clapping Pushup, Box Jump, Squat Jump and Squat Thrust all are great in developing explosive power. All of these movements require an explosion at the beginning of the movement.
4. Negative resistance training - This can be done in any number of ways and can be applied in weight training and body weight resistance training. This only requires that you explode on the positive portion of the movement (example the press in the bench press or push up) and then control the movement on the way down (negative). You can do this assisted or un assisted; however the term assisted is a contradiction in terms because the partner never really assists in controlling the weight. They add resistance to the weight by pushing against you. Whenever I have a partner available I use this method as it is invaluable. I usually train each movement for 3 sets to failure. BE Careful!
5. Practice striking - Just like anything thing else the more you do it the better you get at it. I generally throw over a thousand punches a day. The actual practice of striking is required to help your body find the most efficient way for you to move. We are all built differently and move differently, and we all have our own little idiosyncrasies, such as disabilities, injuries etc. You need to practice a lot in order to build that explosiveness that you are looking for in your striking.
There are far too many methods of explosivity training to discuss here. The ones I have given are just a few of the many. Please discuss any change in activity with your healthcare provider before trying these methods and be safe. Good luck and good training till next time!
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Curtiss