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The
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Jeff Fields, MS, ATC, CSCS
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The
MMA Fighter and How to Prepare for a Fight
Mixed Martial Art fighters are some of the most highly
trained athletes in the world today. In the world of fighting nothing compares
to a no-rule-fighting event. The skills that's are involved in training for a
no-rules-event are wide ranging, not only do fighters have to have the stand-up
ability of a kick boxer but they must have the background knowledge and
familiarity of ground fighting.
Fighters in a single night could be confronted with different opponents that
specialize in there own field of fighting. For example Take some of the early
UFC tournaments, there were 8 or so fighters fighting for a large amount of cash
where the Winner takes all. There were no weight divisions, and there were a
wide range of experts in different fields of fighting. In UFC 11, some of the
combatants were a former U.S Olympic Team wrestler, a kick boxer with a judo
black belt, a Greco roman wrestling, a street fighter, a shoot-fighter, and a
Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu practitioner.
How can a winning strategy be devised against so many different types of
fighters? The answer lies within the fighters ability to use his own skills in
different ways and impose his own will onto his opponent. The competitors should
have confidence in their skills and stick to what they do best. Of course the
fighter would be at disadvantage if they haven't be exposed to different
fighting ranges, these ranges include kicking, punching, knees/elbows, stand-up
wrestling skills (shootings, tie-ups and take-downs), submission wrestling on
the ground, and accurate striking when on the ground.
What areas are you insecure in?
A fighter does not have to be an expert in all these areas, but the fighter must
be prepared and aware of what he does not know. How can a fighter defend against
an arm-bar if he has never felt an impending arm-bar being applied. In the world
of mixed martial arts, ignorance equals defeat. The same rule corresponds with
street defense.
Take yourself out of your comfort zone, explore what you are unsure of, embraced
what is foreign. Learn what you fear and you will fear nothing.
Training for a Mixed Martial
Art Fight
The physical training involved in no-rules fighting is also very different from
other fighting events. In boxing/kickboxing bouts there are a standard number of
rounds and set minutes for each rounds, that is followed in each event. In the
mixed martial arts world there can be a wide variety of rules and set time
periods for each event. For example in some Vale Tudo/ no-rules fights there are
no time limits, others have the standard 3 minute rounds and others have
multiple 5 minutes rounds. To train for these events takes discipline and
determination. No-rules fight conditions could be very wide ranging with fights
being fought both on the ground and standing-up. The options (pace, tempo,
duration) for how the fights would be fought are endless. To train for these
situations- one must "be prepare". Prepared for what? Prepared for
anything.
The cardio fitness essentially must be both high intensity aerobic and
anaerobic, with strength and power coming from heavy compound weight training.
Functional weight training that uses both conventional and old-time strength
methods would offer the most benefit to a no-rules fighter. The old-time
strength method include lifting and wrestling large duffel bags filled with
sand, lifting heavy rocks/ logs/ barrels, carrying heavy containers of water and
moving/ lifting large heavy, awkward objects. Wrestling strengthening exercises
also shouldn't be forgotten, such exercises as; wrestling bridge, pummeling
drills and sumo pushing drills are very good conditioning exercises. These types
of exercises will devolve strong core strength, stabilizing muscles, and strong
tendons and ligaments.
The following is a look at how Elvis Sinosic (Australia premier No-Rules
fighter) prepared for a fight. Please note that the quotes are taken from the
1997 spring issue on Australian Ground Fighter Magazine. Since this interview
Elvis Sinosic has gone on to fight some of the best no-rules fighters in the
world. Some of the fighters Elvis has faced include Evan Tanner, Jeremy Horn,
Dave Beneteau, Tito Ortiz and fought Frank Shamrock which finished in a close
decision loss after 5 rounds. A fight which many people thought Elvis won.
Ground Fighter Magazine: What's your training routine
and do you have a special diet that you follow?
Elvis Sinosic: Allow me to give you a brief rundown of
my training preparation for NHB competition. I trained 7 days a week (probably
over-training) , and it works over a two week cycle (because I work full time-
one week days and one week night- I have to cycle my training accordingly).
Week 1 (Working Days- Training Nights)
- Monday Kickboxing Class
- Tuesday Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu- with Gi
- Wednesday Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu- with Gi
- Thursday Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu- with Gi
- Friday Kick-boxing Class
- Saturday Boxing & Grappling
- Sunday Grappling with Gi & Weight Training
Week 2 (Working Nights- Training Mornings)
- Monday Kickboxing Class
- Tuesday Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu Private Class- No Gi
- Wednesday Kickboxing Class
- Thursday Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Private Class- No Gi
- Friday Kickboxing Class
- Saturday Boxing & Grappling
-Sunday Grappling with Gi & Weight Training.
- Kick-boxing classes- Mainly striking practice.
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes- Takedowns, controls, finishes grappling- Get
together and just get on the mat for experience.
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu private classes- This is where I put most of it all
together. Clinches, takedowns, counters, finishes etc...
I do a lot of bag/ mitt/ Thai pad work to build up the
striking side. I prefer mitt/ pad work because your partner moves around and can
also strike back (If they don't you get surprised when it does happen in the
ring). I usually start the training with high intensity, usually rounds with
mitts, bags grappling (In caged combat it is 3 X 5 minutes rounds) and I need to
address that in my training. I then go to technique training. And then at the
end of class training I usually just get on the mat and wrestle (there is no
substitute for mat time in my opinion). It is not an easy task addressing
training for a NHB tournament particularly if you are going to fight multiple
opponents. You have to have a complete game (especially since I don't have the
attributes to be one sided- e.g. huge, super fast etc...). I need to address
attacks, defense (standing and on the ground) controls (from the top and the
bottom), distraction techniques (which include striking, feinting etc...) as
well as all the other parts of training… strength, speed, stamina etc... I try
and keep my intensity up throughout. Though I will adjust my training for
injuries and other influencing factors. I don't really have a diet that I
follow; basically I just need to keep my calories up high. I generally cycle my
meals with high protein to maintain my weight and high carb to keep my energy
levels up. I also don't cut anything out of my diet. Generally if I feel like
cake or ice-cream I will have it, though I usually don't (in my opinion you need
to have some dietary fat in your diet for it to be complete). The only other
point I should make is that I start Carbo loading as I get closer to the
event."
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Frank Shamrock's "Smart Training"
"First," Frank insists, "I want everybody to forget that tired old piece of nonsense, 'Without pain there is no gain.' If it hurts, it's bad for you. Pain is your body's natural way of telling you that something is bad for you. That saying was originated by bodybuilders, and I guess they're right if you don't mind tendonitis, sprains, and walking around like you're an old man by the time you're 30.
"Let's take stretching for example. When you stretch to the point of pain, you're tearing down muscle fibers. When the recover, they grow back harder, and less flexible. You're impairing your flexibility, not improving it. The trick is to stretch to the point where it just begins to hurt, then back off."
Frank is also a believer in daily training. "It's okay to take a day off every so often, but only through training every day do you constantly improve. I train every day of my life, and I haven't reached my peak yet. I'm not saying you should lift weights every day without giving your body a chance to recover, but you should alternate your various forms of training; weights, stretching, cardio, calisthenics, practicing your martial arts. They're all part of your training regimen.
"For example, I lift weights three days a week. I keep my workouts simple, and I don't use really heavy poundages. I keep it light, fast, and maybe do three exercises for each bodypart. That's it."
The Importance of Diet
Frank also believes that diet is an important part of a fighter's regimen, but, like everything else in his training philosophy, he believes this should be practice in moderation too. "You have to keep away from the fad diets, the so-called latest discovery in diet technology that's going to turn you into a lean machine overnight. Hello! People have been eating since day 1. There aren't any new discoveries or secrets out there. There's nothing any doctor or scientist can tell us that we don't already know.
"The trick is to eat cleaner. We know what's good for us and what isn't. It may be fashionable to start your day with the latest state-of-the-art meal supplement, but what's wrong with a chicken breast and some white rice, or a bowl of oatmeal and a couple of eggs? We know that's good for you, we don't need to be told."
Frank also believes that, from a psychological standpoint, it's important to cheat. "I eat a lot of junk. Burgers, pizza, stuff like that. Your body can handle it, just don't overdo it. If you eat healthy stuff, lean protein, vegetables, fruits, stuff like that, you can have two 'cheat' days a week to keep you honest. If you pig out two days a week, then it's not like you're bound to this restricted diet your whole life."
He laughs when the discussion turns to fad diets or "secret weight loss techniques." "Again," smiles Frank, "there's no substitute for good-old common sense. People are always asking me, 'Frank, how can I lose weight?' I tell them to stop drinking sodas for a while, and switch to bottled water or a sports drink. There's as much sugar in a soft drink as there is in about two-and-a-half candy bars. And if you wanna lose weight, try this one: stop eating bread. Just try it for a week, no bread. You could lose up to seven pounds.
The Ultimate Training System
With his busy schedule, Frank soon realized that he had to become an innovator in the interest of saving time. With that realization, he quickly set out to create what may be the most ingenious training system ever devised. "What I did," he begins, "was to combine my exercises with fighting moves. That way, you're not only getting a great workout; you're practicing moves that you'll use in fights.
"It programs the mind, similar to kata. You do something thousands of times your subconscious mind takes over and you just do it instinctively. And if it's a physical exercise, you get the physical benefit.
"An example of this would be the humble squat. It works all of the muscles in the lower body. But then, when you drop into the squat, you can pivot around when you come back up. So it duplicates a move you'd use when someone tries to put a lock on you or attack you from behind. You squat down, pivot and step around, and when you come back up you're in back of the guy who attacked you."
Frank has designed an entire workout program based on exercises that duplicate standard, effective body exercises, and incorporate fighting moves. The exercises utilize motions that include escapes, reversals, evasions, etc., virtually everything a fighter would use in a match. The workout takes about 45 minutes to complete, and can get the fighter into top condition while programming the subconscious mind to respond to actual combat situations. Once this automatic response becomes natural, the body moves instinctively in a situation, responding to an opponent's attack without conscious thought and reacting instantaneously.
"This can make all the difference in the world in a fight," says Frank. "The fraction of a second it takes to think about what you're going to do is all your opponent needs to finish you off. When you react automatically, on instinct, you eliminate that little window of time that can make the difference between victory and defeat.
Visualization
The final aspect of Frank's training system is visualization. "I can't emphasize the mental aspect enough," he insists. "A fight looks very physical, but with two equally-strong, equally-fast and equally-trained fighters, it's more of a chess game. They both know what works and what doesn't. They both have experience, and neither one has the advantage over the other. This is when the fight goes to the mental level, and the fighter with the better mind will win.
"I use visualization constantly. I relax completely, and create a mental image of the fight in my mind. I see myself against the other fighter, and I see him coming at me. I mentally visualize myself in every conceivable situation, and winning in every conceivable situation. In the real world, I've been in many, many matches, it's true. But in my mind I've been in literally thousands of matches. In my mind I've been through it all, every move, every attack, every type of fighter, and every situation. I hold these images in my mind, let my instincts take over, and I win.
"One of the questions a lot of people ask me, in personal conversations and interviews is, 'Frank, what was the biggest surprise you every had against an opponent.' And the truth is, I've never been surprised. No one's attack or strategy or technique ever took me by surprise because I'd been there before, if not in the real world, in my mind. I can honestly say a fighter who doesn't use visualization is not a complete fighter.
What Lies Ahead
So what's next for Frank Shamrock? Like Alexander the Great, does he weep because there are no worlds left to conquer? Hardly. For starters, Frank recently appeared in an episode of "Walker: Texas Ranger" with Chuck Norris. "I'm definitely going to pursue an acting career," he laughs. "I know every martial artist says that, but I really am. I'm studying constantly, and putting as much effort into making myself an actor as I did into making myself a fighter."
He also wants to share his knowledge with the world. He recently relocated to Southern California, where he teaches in his own school, and completed a set of videotapes in which he reveals his Ultimate Training and Fighting System to the world. "Face it," he says. "People are always looking for the real thing: the best way to train and the best fighting and self-defense techniques. I learned the hard way. Now everybody else can learn without taking the hits," he adds with a laugh.
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How to Improve Your Kicking Power
When I think of kicking, for some reason Bruce Lee always comes to mind. I
always wondered what kind of damage he could have done to a football or soccer
ball.
When most people remember Lee, they remember his speed and quickness. I
cannot recollect a time when someone said, “Man, Bruce has a huge squat, and
he can double his body weight on the bench press.” We all know him as an
explosive dude.
Being from a powerlifting background, I can honestly say I know several
people that squat over 800lbs and bench well over 600 lbs. These are some mean
guys that could rip me in half and really hurt me if they wanted to, but I would
rather have them kick me than Bruce any day.
The moral to my ramblings is that kicking is a rapidly performed explosive
movement, and to get better at doing it, we need to utilize rapid, explosive
movements.
I am not going to get into the anatomy and physiology behind the some of
these exercises, but I will explain them is as much detail as possible. Let us
look at some new ways to train the hips. If feel that it is important that you
train the entire hip, not just the flexor mechanism. This ensures that the
pelvis and hip joints are securely stabilized during such a dynamic activity.
Warming Up
You should always perform a thorough warm-up prior to any type of exercise. You
can use the following dynamic warm-up to prep your bodily systems for strenuous
activity.
