Strength & Conditioning for Combat Sports

With the Covid Lockdown imposing huge social distancing restrictions on boxing/martial arts & most contact sports at the grass routes and recreational levels (no padwork, no partner drills, no sparring and no bouts unless you are a pro), what can you do now to improve your future performance? Obviously clubs/gyms/training facilities are operating as much as they can with bag work, sport specific drills and conditioning circuits, however there is more you can be doing to supplement this.
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Striking arts require a broad spectrum of athletic abilities. A high level of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness is needed for performance, with both upper and lower body strength and power being required for good performance.
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“Muscle strength in both the upper and lower limbs is paramount for a fighter's victory and is one of the keys to success in boxing. As boxing punches are brief actions and very dynamic, high-level boxing performance requires well-developed muscle power in both the upper and lower limbs” (Chaabène H et al. 2015)
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There is a often a culture in the sport specific coaching, of training hard, not smart & volume of work over quality/intensity. There is an uninformed opinion that resistance training is bad for fighters as it will cause excessive mass gain or lessen a fighter’s endurance. This is potentially the case if you follow a run of the mill “bodybuilding style” plan with a hypertrophy focus, or if you sacrifice other training qualities in favour of pure strength work.
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This said, however, a well-designed programme can increase strength, power & power endurance without excessive muscular gains and allow sport specific skill training to remain the priority. A solid programme will contrast and compliment, fill gaps and train athletic abilities not covered by the sport specific training whilst also potentially fixing muscle imbalances and decreasing injury risk.
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If you are currently unable to compete, now is a great time to contact a Strength & Conditioning Coach and invest in your Athletic future. Getting some ground work in before sport recommences could give you the edge.
Stronger athletes are better athletes.
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Reference
Chaabène H, Tabben M, Mkaouer B, Franchini E, Negra Y, Hammami M, Amara S, Chaabène RB, Hachana Y.. (2015). Amateur boxing: physical and physiological attributes.. Sports Med. 45 (3), 337- 52