Issue 034

February 2008

By John Brookfield

The Battling Ropes training system is a system unlike any other training system. The Battling Ropes trains the user to compete or train at a higher level of intensity for longer durations of time. 

This is a result of the user having to sustain constant velocity instead of momentum. Velocity is a combination of strength and speed being used at the same time. When you train using velocity you become not only stronger, but also faster as well. One of the great things about the Battling Ropes is that it forces the user into a position where there is no rest, but all output.

When you take away the momentum factor in your training you get tremendous results that will transfer into the battlefield. You will also develop an incredible amount of not only physical toughness but also mental toughness as well. Velocity training is a missing link in many athletes’ training. When you think of velocity, you think about using explosive power for short bursts or short time frames.

With the Battling Ropes I have found a way to maintain velocity or explosive power over time, and the results are amazing. I was using the Battling Ropes training for almost a year before I brought the system out. I found that the training transferred into everything I did, and I was able to maintain my strength, power and speed for much longer time frames without becoming tired or slowing down my pace.

After I experienced these results I tried the system out on a few friends who are also top athletes. I also tried the system out on a handful of top army Special Forces friends. I quickly found out that all of these people, without exception, struggled and could not last very long at all. Shortly after that I worked with further physically and mentally tough athletes. They all experienced the same difficulty with even the basic training.

At this point I quickly realized that the Battling Ropes was a missing link in training. The good news is that when a person persists with the training for a while, the body adjusts and it transfers into your sport. There are actually seven different concepts or elements to the training system. The first being sustained velocity, or power endurance, and the second being strength endurance.

 In this article I will explain and show you a basic movement in the first concept, the sustained velocity. It is also important to understand that the first concept of sustained velocity is also the foundation of the Battling Ropes system.

When I start someone on the basic exercises I either use a fifty-foot inch and a half diameter rope, or a fifty-foot two-inch diameter rope. You simply bring one end of the rope around a round pole so that you are holding an end of the rope in each hand. If you don’t have easy access to a pole set up, you can use a kettlebell or some other type of weight to anchor the rope to. Once you are set up with the pole, simply pull the rope back stretching out the slack in the rope. Be sure to leave a little bit of slack in the rope so that you have enough slack to create the whipping action.

Start to move your arms up and down explosively. As you are alternating your arms explosively you will notice that the rope is creating a wave that is moving from your hands to the pole. As you continue moving your arms the waves keep flowing to the pole. As you start to slow down and lose your velocity the waves slow down and don’t make it to the pole.

You will also notice that the faster you move your arms in combinations, the more waves that are created in the rope as it flows to the pole. Be sure to push yourself sustaining velocity trying to create a series of waves flowing towards the pole. You will notice that this is much more difficult than you would expect. Strive to keep going, increasing your duration of time and intensity and you will notice huge results that will transfer to the battlefield. 

John Brookfield is the creator of the Battling Ropes training system, a multiple world record holder and the developer of the J. B. kettlebells. Learn more about John and training with ropes at www.battlingropes.com.