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Training Secret 4- "Use of Martial Arts Exercise"

More strength and conditioning coaches now are devoting additional training time and emphasis to helping their athletes improve hand eye coordination, proprioception, nervous system response, dynamic mobility, speed-strength, speed-endurance, visual acuity, audible and visual reaction, and functional strength.  The method they are using is incorporating martial arts type movements.  Unfortunately, many conditioning professionals are not familiar with martial arts techniques. 

The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the many martial arts training techniques and their applications for coaches to use in performance enhancement programs.  These techniques  are a conglomeration of movements, detailing applicable methods from several arts.

In ancient times, general citizens were left unprotected and unarmed when encountering and enemy attack.  The attackers would use razor sharp swords, spears and often projectiles.  This created a need in the ability to focus and concentrate above the normal in daily training.  This tradition of focus and concentration has been passed down from generation to generation in the most traditional sense of the word.  This created curiosity among many of the forward thinking coaches.  As a result, martial arts training has become a method to incorporate into the athletes scope of practice. 

In addition to an athlete increasing his/her focus and concentration by practicing martial arts, other benefits are derived such as visual and audible reaction responses, balance, quickness, agility, hand-eye coordination and proprioception. 

Crunches, hip-ups, and sit-ups are great preparatory exercises but do not duplicate specific in-performance movement patterns of many athletes.  Medicine balls also help provide the closed-chain, ground based specificity of movement. However, the velocity of contraction due to the resistance weakens the specificity to in-sport requirements.  Both crunches and medicine ball workouts are valuable, neither of them duplicates movement patterns and contraction speeds required in the performance of many athletes, specifically those with great rotational demands with little or no load to overcome.  When the athlete incorporates the use of martial art core exercises, such as throwing hooks to focus mitts, he/she can specifically condition the core at higher velocities, and at the same time developing balance, proprioception, focus, hand-eye coordination, and metabolic conditioning.  The nature of these triplanar, whole kinetic chain movements becomes important for athletes who need development of hitting or throwing a baseball to reacting to a change of direction in their movement.

MODE

 

 

PROPOSED BENEFIT

 

DRILL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus Mitts.

 

Functional core movements at

 

Uppercuts.

 

 

 

sport-specific velocities.

 

Crosses.

 

 

 

 

Visual focus/concentration.

 

Jab-cross combo.

 

 

 

Hand-eye coordination.

 

Hooks.

 

 

 

 

Upper-body metabolic

 

Uppercuts.

 

 

 

conditioning.

 

 

Hammer fist.

 

 

 

Reactionary-visual or

 

Uppercut/hook combo.

 

 

 

audio-cue.

 

 

Body hook/head hook.

 

 

 

Power/weight transfer.

 

Crossover punch down.

 

 

 

Ground-based proprioception.

 

Any punch combo.

 

 

 

Dynamic proprioception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most athletes will enjoy this style of training.  Those with lightly resisted rotational

 

movements can experience a high sport-specificity of rotary contractile speed, such as

swimmers, tennis players, baseball players, and softball players.  The athletes in heavier

resisted sports, such as shot put and wrestling, can use a over speed for competition

 

requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double End Bags.

 

Functional core movements at

 

Right punches.

 

 

 

sport-specific velocities.

 

Left punches.

 

 

 

Visual focus/concentration.

 

Alternate punches.

 

 

 

Hand-eye coordination.

 

Blindfolded punches.

 

 

 

Upper-body metabolic

 

Maximum number of

 

 

 

conditioning.

 

 

punches per time

 

 

 

Rhythm/coordination.

 

 

interval.

 

 

 

 

Visual reaction.

 

 

Any punch combo.

 

 

 

Power/weight transfer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ground-based proprioception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All rotational sports, such as tennis, baseball, softball, swimming, diving, gymnastics, and

sports, requiring hand-eye coordination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speed Bags.

 

Neurological transmission.

 

Right-hand.

 

 

 

Visual focus/concentration.

 

Left-hand.

 

 

 

 

Hand-eye coordination.

 

Alternate hands.

 

 

 

Metabolic shoulder/arm

 

Two right, two lefts.

 

 

 

conditioning.

 

 

Blindfolded.

 

 

 

Rhythm coordination.

 

 

Figure 8's outside

 

 

 

Visual reaction.

 

 

to inside.

 

 

 

 

Ground-based proprioception.

 

All drills on 1 leg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to sports requiring hand-eye coordination, many track and sprint athletes

 

have used this to train their nervous system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judo Grip Fighting.

 

Functional upper-body

 

Fight for inside grips

 

 

 

movements for some sports.

 

for a designated period

 

 

 

Metabolic upper-body

 

of time, 2-3 minutes.

 

 

 

conditioning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hand-eye coordination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dynamic balance/proprioception.

 

 

 

 

 

Reaction visual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinesthetic feel/reaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dynamic/ground based

 

 

 

 

 

 

proprioception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can teach competiveness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good for football, especially lineman, wrestling, hockey, basketball and other contact sports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modified Sumo.

 

Functional leg-strengthening

 

Move opponent outside

 

 

 

movements.

 

 

a designated circle.

 

 

 

Balance/proprioception.

 

Can be played

 

 

 

Kinesthetic awareness, keep hips

blindfolded.

 

 

 

under torso.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specific conditioner for some sports.

 

 

 

 

 

Competitive drill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinesthetic feel/reaction (blindfolded).

 

 

 

 

 

Metabolic conditioning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good for football, especially lineman, wrestling, hockey, basketball and other contact sports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Defensive Judo.

 

Functional dynamic balance

 

One player is designated

 

 

 

and proprioception.

 

 

as offensive and tries to

 

 

 

High-intensity metabolic conditioning

throw or move the other

 

 

 

directed to both upper and

 

player out of the area.

 

 

 

lower body.

 

 

Can be played blindfolded.

 

 

 

Visual reaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lateral agility/reaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Functional strength.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hand-eye coordination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinesthetic feel/reaction/blindfolded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good for football, especially defensive players, wrestling and hockey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dynamic Leg

 

Direct strengthening of hip

 

Front kick drill.

Strengtheners.

 

flexors, extensors, abductors

 

Side kick drill.

 

 

 

through many ranges of motion

 

Back kick drill.

 

 

 

that are often neglected in typical

 

 

 

 

 

strength programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, proprioception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pitchers, swimmers, divers, gymnasts, and those needing strong hip flexions.  Side kick

drills for lateral sport athletes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proprioception

 

Proprioception/balance.

 

Multiple kicks without

Balance.

 

 

Dynamic strength in ranges

 

placing foot down.

 

 

 

of motion atypical to common

 

Alternate kicks without

 

 

 

machines/squat training.

 

replacing kicking foot.

 

 

 

Kinesthetic feel.

 

 

Same as above on

 

 

 

Dynamic proprioception/balance.

balance beam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spinning striking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

techniques, such as

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

spinning back fist or

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

spinning back kicks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hockey players, pitchers, tennis players, gymnasts, and most athletes who compete standing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modified Typical.

 

Challenging new core

 

 

Twisting sit-up punch

 

 

 

Core stability.

 

 

to focus mitt.

 

 

 

Functional rotation

 

 

Sit-up with medicine

 

 

 

core movements.

 

 

ball that has been

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

properly dropped onto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the abdomen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some, as a general prepatory movement and for others as a more sport specific

 

movement.  The medicine ball drop is not suggested for those who are afraid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reaction.

 

Functional core movements

 

Focus mitt punch where

 

 

 

performed at sport-specific speed.

athlete responds to either

 

 

 

Visual focus/concentration.

 

audible command or visual

 

 

 

Hand-eye or foot-eye-coordination.

cue of slightly moved focus mitt.

 

 

 

Reaction time.

 

 

Same drill, substituting

 

 

 

Can be used as a metabolic

 

kicks for punches.

 

 

 

conditioner but doing so will lessen

Kicking and punching

 

 

 

reactionary benefits.

 

 

combinations can be used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any sport requiring fast rotational movements.  Any sport requiring hand-eye coordination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conditioning.

 

Functional core movements.

 

Two-to 3 minute rounds of

 

 

 

Balance/proprioception.

 

punching and moving around

 

 

 

Hand/foot-eye coordination.

 

the heavy bag.

 

 

 

Intense anaerobic conditioning.

 

Two-to 3 minute rounds of

 

 

 

Reaction.

 

 

 

punching & kicking & moving 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

around the heavy bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same with focus mitts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same with focus mitts using

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jab, cross, bobbing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 focus mitt punches starting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

with 1 punch, then 2 punches,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

all the way to 15 punches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most athletes will enjoy this as a new mode.  Most useful in contact sports.

 

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