Issue 055

October 2009

MA fights are fast-paced, explosive and exhausting. In the ring or cage, conditioning and power play huge roles.  

Most fighters still lift weights in the traditional bodybuilding way, even though they know the fights are organized chaos. Real combat is free flowing and unorthodox, but they don’t know of any better ways to build strength.  

Sitting, supported, strength-training exercises have a very limited place in the Octagon or ring, where anything can (and frequently does) happen.  

What does belong is functional training, because:

1. The form fits the function 

2. There is increased demand on the central nervous system 

3. There is a history of proven effectiveness in other sports 

4. You will get fewer injuries

5. Maximum amount of benefit in a shorter duration 

6. It is sports-specific

7. You will work movement through all the three planes of motion 

8. There are endless possibilities!  

Let’s address the ‘form fits the function’ and ‘sports specificity’. Allow me to introduce the sprawl.  

The sprawl is essential for not being taken down to the ground. The movement is one of the cornerstones of blocking your opponent from grabbing your legs and taking you to the mat. In a fight, you want to make the decision whether to go to the ground or not, and it’s almost always bad to be underneath your opponent. A fighter on top has numerous advantages, and landing successful takedowns scores points with the judges.  

A sprawl is executed when a fighter shoots in to grab (or tackles) one or both of his opponent’s legs. The other fighter sprawls his legs out and away, nullifying the shooter’s attack.  

The athlete needs to have several conditioning components to execute a sprawl properly: 

1. Level change

2. Push and pull

3. Timing 

4. Explosiveness

5. Balance. 

One of my favorite pieces of equipment to tax my MMA clients with is the ‘bosu’ ball. The form not only fits the function, but it is also specific to the sport. This is very challenging in a circuit or done for a round. I incorporate the bosu in our ‘gas in the tank’ workouts, done four to six weeks before a fight.  

A Sprawl with the bosu looks like this:  

1. The athlete grabs the bosu bubble-side down

2. The athlete explosively drops down to the ground, shooting his legs backwards and dropping all his body weight onto the bosu.

3. His arms are locked out on the bosu to mimic blocking the shoulders or head of an opponent

4. The athlete then pops back up to a standing position and executes this move for either reps or time. See (pics 4a and 4b.)

Sprawls with a bosu address the increased central nervous system demand. The instability of this piece of functional training equipment incorporates the small and the deep muscle groups. These groups are generally not targeted by traditional exercises.  

Within the functional-strength training paradigm, these small stabilizers and neutralizers can be affected, and the more central nervous system demands you impose via training, the more muscle fibers you recruit. The more muscle fiber the combat athlete activates, the stronger they get, but then their reaction time will also decrease because the speed at which the signal is sent from the brain to the working muscles increases. The reason is simple: The central nervous system has learned to recognize this instability in this particular fighting movement.  

As human beings we acquire knowledge through a learning process. Many times this learning process needs to be physical. By training in an unstable and functional environment, the muscles learn to ‘read’ what is happening during an unstable action. Just as a computer in a car will sense slipping of the wheels in bad weather, so too will the body’s computer react as it encounters instability.  

MMA, with its varied disciplines, has a high injury-rate for professional fighters. When considering reduction in injuries, functional training fits perfectly with the rigors of mixed martial arts. It will not only aid in the reduction of potential injuries, but assist in the rehabilitation of a current injury.  

A live sparring partner may increase the further chances of injury, from the point of controllability. Functional-strength training with the bosu allows the athlete to practice essential moves for the Octagon or ring while rehabilitating a possible injury to the shoulder, wrist, elbow, etc.  In this way we are able still to train and build the combat athlete for his upcoming fight. No missed time training means no missed pay check!  

These methodologies work hand in hand with each other within the functional-strength training model. When there are more joints activated during a functional movement, more muscles need to perform that action. The more muscles that are working, the more power, strength, agility, as well as calories burned during that exercise. The math is simple: The more muscles used, the more benefit you get. This increases the effectiveness while decreasing the time spent training strength.  

When we add to this formula the three planes of motion (saigital, frontal and transverse), we add to the benefit equation. If we train within all three ranges of motion, the athlete is better prepared for the chaotic nature of their sport. The muscles have been ‘educated’ in those ranges of motion. Within this ‘education’ format, muscles respond better to outside stimuli, such as a competition or sporting event.  

Functional-strength training has endless possibilities and combinations of movements. It encourages the coach or trainer to think outside of the box. The coach or trainer should consider the movement first and performance second, rather than the opposite. We choose functional strength simply for the fact that we can focus on the athlete’s needs, the movement, and then the performance. For too many years we have thought in reverse.

Kevin Kearns aka ‘Dr Evil’, is the creator of BurnWithKearns.com and the Basement Tapes conditioning series of videos for MMA. He is the strength and conditioning coach for Marcus Davis, Kurt Pellegrino, Alex Karalexis, Jorge Gurgel and more, and consults with numerous other fighters and teams. Visit BurnWithKearns.com for information on seminars, workshops or MMA conditioning certifications. He can be contacted at [email protected].