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While most fighters are content to attain a level of fitness that
enables them to go the distance in a fight, you must approach training with the
conviction that conditioning will become your most potent weapon.
It’s not enough to simply “last”, you must train to dominate. Prepare
mentally and physically to maintain a level of intensity and relentlessness that
your opponent is unable or unwilling to sustain.
From a conditioning
standpoint, make it your objective to push your opponent to the point where he
wants out of the fight just as badly as you want to take him out. At that moment
he begins fighting two people, you and himself, and usually succumbs to defeat
soon thereafter.
In some of the Laws that follow I will give a general outline of the type and
progression of training necessary to reach the level of conditioning I’m
describing. Certainly it doesn’t come easily. Still, if the degree of physical
and mental intensity I’m suggesting seems out of your grasp, try thinking in
these terms:
In each exchange, flurry or scramble for
position you need only persist 2-3 seconds longer than your
opponent.
When striking from the feet, that means
throwing the last punch or kick in each exchange. When grappling, execute the
last counter in every flurry or out-hustle your opponent by 2-3 seconds in each
scramble for position. Two to three seconds. Consciously make the commitment to
that “throw the last punch” mentality and your body will begin to follow.
Athlete
– Training
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Effective training involves a
continual process of overload and adaptation. That is, consistent workouts
produce a stress (overload) that your body seeks to alleviate by growing
stronger and more fit (adaptation).
As your physical capacity improves, more is required (i.e. you must run
faster, lift heavier weights, spar longer or with greater intensity) to overload
your system and affect further positive physiological adaptations. Unless you
gradually ask more from your body, your training will yield minimal improvement.
However, if you push too hard, too quickly you risk overtraining or injury.
For this reason, “fighting shape” is best attained in a systematic, step-by-step
manner. My training typically encompasses four distinct stages: (1) base
conditioning, (2) intensive preparation, (3) pre-fight restoration and (4)
post-fight recovery. Because each fighter has individual needs and limitations,
and different types of training equipment at his disposal, I’ll offer a general
guideline of what each phase entails, rather than give specific exercise
prescriptions.
The goal of the base conditioning phase of the training cycle is to build up
the cardiovascular system, lung capacity, and muscular strength and endurance.
The bulk of your aerobic conditioning should be performed at 65-80% of your
maximum heart rate for periods of 20-60 minutes. This is also the period to
focus most intently on addressing and correcting any technical weaknesses you
may have, as well as adding new fighting skills. The base conditioning stage can
last anywhere from 2-16 weeks, depending on several factors, including your
current level of fitness and whether you have a bout scheduled in the near
future.
Athlete
– Training
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As you approach extreme levels of physical exertion your body will naturally
send a sensation of discomfort to your brain in an effort to convince you to
slow down. Your body is geared towards homeostasis and prefers to stay within
the parameters of moderate exertion. If you become anxious and reflexively pull
back every time you experience the pain of fatigue, you will never actualize
your potential as a fighter. Understand that your body’s capacity is always
greater than your mind is initially willing to concede.
Take this example. Many years ago I read an article in a powerlifting
magazine extolling the benefits of a weight training routine centered around a
twenty-repetition set of squats. The author suggested loading the bar with a
weight that would normally be a challenge for ten reps, then squat it twenty
times. The first time I read this idea I naturally resisted accepting it,
thinking “if I can only squat a given weight ten times, how can I expect to
squat the same weight for twenty repetitions?” In the end, though, I decided to
suspend logic and commit myself to this twenty-rep principle. Here’s what
happened:
I loaded the bar with 455 pounds, a weight that was typically a challenge for
me to complete ten repetitions. Before taking the bar onto my shoulders I
resolved I would perform twenty reps, fixing that goal in my mind. I grasped the
bar, touched my forehead to the center knurling, took a deep breath, positioned
myself under bar, then lifted it from the rack. Absolutely focused on the
destination of twenty I completed the first ten deep squats rather mechanically
without any real strain. My legs and back still feeling strong, I remained
resolute as I entered uncharted territory, methodically completing another four
repetitions before I began to feel fatigue. The next three reps required great
concentration. I took them one at a time, reaffirming my resolve for the next
squat at the completion of the previous one. After the seventeenth rep my hands
were numb and my thighs began to shake. I was too close, however, and quitting
was not even a remote consideration. I entered another realm, one I’ve since
revisited many times in training and competition. I let go and simply allowed
myself to be pulled towards my goal. Not only did I accept the pain of fatigue,
with something akin to rapture, I thrust myself into it…18…19… then
20!
The body itself may require only a few of months of hard training to
get fit. The rest of the time you’re building your spirit- your guts- so that
they’ll work for you in a fight without your thinking about it.
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Athlete
– Training
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As a young athlete I was so intent on becoming a champion that I’d roll off
my mattress every morning at 5:30 a.m., press ‘Play’ on my cassette recorder,
and immediately begin doing push-ups while Otis Redding wailed his rendition of
Chain Gang. After 500 push-ups, 500 sit-ups and 200 pull-ups, I’d run the first
of the day’s three 3-mile runs. In the evening after wrestling or football
practice or competitions, I’d lift heavy weights for two hours. I was under the
mistaken impression that if some training was good, then more training was
always better. Clearly, in training there comes a point of diminishing, or even
negative, returns. Strength and conditioning can only improve after sufficient
rest and recuperation allows the body to adapt to your workouts.
Looking
back on those eight-hour training days it occurs to me that at least some of my
athletic success was achieved in spite of my excessive training, rather than
because of it. The combination of excessive training volume and intensity
results in a condition known in exercise science as “over-training”. Simply, you
can train hard and you can train long, but you can’t do both without running a
great risk of over-training. The symptoms associated with over-training can
include fatigue, loss of appetite and muscle mass, chronic soreness, anxiety,
elevated resting heart rate and impaired immune function.
By my
late-twenties I was less capable of recovering from my previous marathon
training sessions. Under the guidance of my boxing trainer, Eugene Ray, I
grudgingly reduced the hours I spent training, began mixing easier “recovery”
days in with the intense workouts and made certain to get 8 hours of sleep each
night. Mr. Ray was also adamant that I take one day completely off from training
every week. On Sundays (my designated day off) he’d call me at random times
throughout the day to make sure I hadn’t snuck out for a run in the hills. I
discovered, to my surprise, that cutting my previous training volume nearly in
half, incorporating rest days, and following a progressive, periodized training
regimen (as outlined in Law #3) enabled my strength and conditioning to reach
new heights.
It’s important to note that no pre-determined training
program is perfect. I’ve learned to pay attention to my body and its capacity to
train on any given day. When I’m in the midst of a training cycle I consistently
note my resting pulse rate and check my weight each morning upon waking. When
I’m in good shape my resting heart rate is generally between 38-42 beats per
minute. I check my weight to make certain that I’m not dehydrated- a condition
that can elevate my resting heart rate. If my resting pulse upon waking is 50 or
more beats per minute (ten more beats per minute than normal), and my weight is
within 1% of my bodyweight from the previous morning (indicating I’m
sufficiently hydrated), then I know I haven’t sufficiently recovered from my
previous workout.
On those days when I awaken well-hydrated, but my
resting heart rate is elevated I make certain not to train too intensely. For
most serious athletes, especially fighters training for a bout, allowing for
sufficient recovery is extraordinarily difficult. The practices of checking your
resting heart rate and body weight provide useful and objective criteria for
determining whether your body is ready for an intense scheduled workout. |
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Athlete
– Training
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Intelligent preparation and good, mindful sparring partners can minimize the
risk of getting hurt, but occasional injuries are inherent to combative sports.
Trying “gut it out” and train through injuries only prolongs the time it takes
to heal and puts you at risk for even more serious injury. There’s also the
likelihood that you will unconsciously develop bad technical habits as you alter
your mechanics to avoid painful movements or positions.
Your first order
of business is to have a good team of health care professionals on your side to
help you properly assess the nature of your injury, how to rehabilitate it, and
how to return to fight-preparedness as quickly as possible.
At the same
time, you generally want to maintain or improve as best you can your fitness and
skill level while recovering from an injury. One way to do that is to continue
to stay as active as reasonable while you heal. Though an injury may temporarily
force you out of your regular training routine, typically you don’t have to
experience a long-term loss of conditioning. Find alternative methods of
training while on the mend.
What follows are examples of general injury
sites and creative ways to “train around” them without significant loss in
conditioning levels, and allowing, in most cases, a faster return to normal
training:
Upper-body
Injury: Swim with kickboard; Stationary cycle; Elliptical
machine; Hiking; Stair climbing; Lower-body resistance machines; Training
unaffected limb.
Lower-body
Injury: Swim with pull buoy; Upper-body resistance
training; Upper-body ergometer; Seated punching on heavy bag; Seated speed bag
work; Training unaffected limb.
Also, the time spent recovering from an
injury often allows an opportunity to address neglected or less familiar skills.
For example, as a college junior I suffered a serious knee injury in a football
game that ended my season. The team doctor told me that my career as a
competitive athlete was likely finished. I was pretty shaken up by the doctor’s
assessment and the day after my cast was removed I began doing heavy squats on
my unstable knee. Panicked at the prospect of losing the thing I loved most, I
gravitated towards the type of physical training I knew and did best even though
it surely undermined the healing process.
Athlete
– Training
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Of all the skills I’ve developed, learning to breathe deeply has given me the
greatest return relative to the time and effort invested. One advantage of deep
diaphragmatic breathing is obvious- you simply take in more replenishing oxygen.
Another benefit, often overlooked, is that breathing deeply, when practiced
regularly, is effective in reducing anxiety, muscle tension, fatigue and stress.
When a fighter feels tense or overexcited he will often react by either holding
his breath or taking rapid, shallow breaths from the upper chest. Both of these
responses tend to create even more tension and lead to impaired performance.
Studies have demonstrated time and again that a person cannot occupy opposing
physiological and emotional states. That is, an anxious mind cannot exist in a
relaxed body; nor, can a quiet mind exist in a tense body.
Lie down on the floor and put a book on your abdomen. It should rise and fall
as you breathe. If it doesn’t, you’re not breathing fully enough to produce the
relaxation response. Now, replace the book with one hand on your abdomen and the
other on your chest. Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. Notice
how they rise when you breathe in and fall when you breathe out. Most people in
Western culture tend to be shallow “chest-breathers”. That is, when they inhale
only the chest rises and falls.
During inhalation, the diaphragm should move down, pushing the abdomen out
and creating space in the lungs. The lungs fill with air from the bottom up.
Practice breathing with this focus: push the diaphragm out, forcing the abdomen
out. Fill your lungs with air starting at the bottom, and slowly expanding
through the middle portion of the lungs by expanding your chest cavity, raising
the rib cage and chest. Finally, continue filling the upper portion of the lungs
by raising the chest and shoulders. During the exhalation, pull the abdomen in
and lower the chest and shoulders to empty the lungs in a “sigh”. Let go of all
muscular action at the end of the exhalation to promote relaxation in the chest
and abdomen.
When I was first exposed to diaphragmatic breathing I
consciously adopted a practice of mindfully taking five deep breaths every time
I saw a clock or watch throughout the day. This seemed a good way to practice,
first, because seeing a clock or watch was a fairly common and regular
occurrence, so I was able to get a lot of practice repetitions each day. And
secondly, often when I looked to see the time it was because I was in a hurry or
running late for an appointment. This gave me the opportunity to practice
breathing in mildly stressful situations.
While the exercises can be
learned in a few minutes with immediate benefits, persistent practice will
produce maximum results. Deep breathing can also be used in conjunction with
other strategies such as the meditation or visualization exercises noted in Law
#10.
Athlete
– Training
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This basic notion permeates my fighting style as well as every individual
technique I use and teach. Because its relevance is so broad, however, it has
proven to be a difficult concept for me to articulate in writing.
My objective in every fight is simple- to defeat my opponent as quickly and
decisively as possible, while incurring the least possible amount of damage to
myself.
This involves integrating my offense and defense- using offensive techniques
that don’t leave me exposed or vulnerable to my opponent’s simultaneous or
counter attacks. Straight punches originate and end at cheek level, out and back
on a line so that the shoulder directly involved in the punch protects one side
of the face, while the opposite hand protects the other side.
Or, when I throw a left hook my right hand pulls back hard to cover the right
side of my face. This not only adds snap to my punch, it also protects me from
my opponent’s left hook, which is the most common threat in that situation. By
using offensive techniques that are defensively sound, you can attack with
aggressive confidence, unafraid of taking punishment when you engage.If you lack
confidence in your defense you’ll generally adopt one of two fighting
modes:
1) Point-karate
mode, where you lean back to avoid your opponent’s strikes
even as you’re attempting to throw punches. In doing so you effectively negate
the force of your punches, rendering them meaningless. Or,
2) Caveman mode, where you abandon
any semblance of defense, grit your teeth, and desperately flail in an attempt
to knock your opponent out before he knocks you out.
I suppose this Law
could just have easily been written as “your defense has a built-in offense,”
for it’s not enough to just block an opponent’s punch or avoid his takedown
attempt. Your opponent will simply regroup and attack again, often with even
greater resolve. Instead, always try to make sure your opponent feels a negative
consequence for throwing a punch or attempting a takedown in the first place.
Block, slip or weave each punch, then immediately counter punch while your
opponent is extended. Or, when he attempts to take you to the ground, don’t be
content to simply avoid the takedown. Use your hips to crush his position, then
work to secure the takedown yourself. Not only will you double the opportunities
to score against your opponent, but your actions will have a lingering defensive
effect. Think about it. If your opponent is always paying a price for mounting
an offense, he may have second thoughts about initiating an attack as the fight
goes on.
When I consider making a technique part of my arsenal, the
technique must satisfy three criteria. First, it must have the potential to hurt
or create an opening to inflict damage to my opponent. Second, it shouldn’t
present a defensive liability. And third, it must leave me in a position to
continue attacking.
Athlete
– Training
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I’ll keep this short. Always expect your opponent to be damned tough and
prepare yourself accordingly. It is always better to bring your absolute best to
a fight and find that it’s more than enough, than to give less than your utmost
and discover that it’s too little. When victory is at stake you owe your best
effort. Anything less is disrespectful to both your opponent and yourself.
Athlete
– Training
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While it’s certainly a mistake to underestimate a rival, it’s equally
important not to succumb to intimidation when facing an opponent with impressive
credentials. As you develop and move up the pecking order as a fighter it’s
likely and completely desirable that you’ll encounter a higher level of
competition. You’ll face fighters you’ve read about, seen on television, perhaps
even those that you’ve admired and sought to emulate.
Listen, fighting a
good opponent is difficult enough. Don’t compound the difficulty by battling the
opponent and his lofty reputation. Focusing excessively on your opponent’s past
accomplishments usually leads to one or more of the following
responses:
1) You convince yourself you can’t win, in which case you
almost assuredly won’t.
2) You convince yourself that you can only win by
doing something extraordinary, so you attempt techniques you’re not familiar
with or force ill-timed or exaggerated techniques out of desperation.
Or,
3) While in the fight you spend more time watching your opponent than
fighting him. Enthralled with his reputed skill you watch and wonder what he’s
going to do next. Instead of making your opponent deal with you, you become
entirely reactive or, worse, passive.
Take heart. Every true champion has
reached his position by beating a champion. The process is no different for you.
Rather than allowing a phantom factor like “reputation” influence the fight’s
outcome, remind yourself to fight your opponent’s body, not his name. By doing
so you’ll avoid distraction and self-doubt and simply focus your every fiber on
defeating the man in front of you.
Athlete
– Training
Tips |
Never discount the power of your thoughts. Pre-fight anxiety and self-doubt
can wear you down physically and emotionally, making you feel as though you’ve
fought three fights before the actual bout ever begins. Adequate preparation
will prevent many potential uncertainties and worries, but oftentimes a few
nagging doubts persist. I’ve found it helpful to adopt the following pre-fight
ritual to assuage those lingering fears.
A few hours before a fight I’ll sit
alone and quietly reflect on all the reasons I might have for giving a
less-than-peak performance.The twinge of pain in my shoulder, the three days of
training I missed due to a case of the flu, the pressure of other people’s
expectations- every negative thought that enters my mind; I acknowledge and
mentally take note of each one. Eyes closed, I vividly imagine writing each and
every defeatist thought on a sheet of paper. When I’ve completed my “list” I
review it once more to make certain I haven’t overlooked any situation or
condition, real or imagined, that might potentially undermine my performance. In
my mind every negative factor leading to the fight is there on that paper in
black and white. Then, I imagine crumpling up the list in my hands and throwing
it into a fire. I watch as it burns and the negative thoughts go up in smoke.
They’re gone, the emergency brake of self-doubt gets released, and my conviction
to win becomes absolute.
This practice of mentally imagery has consistently helped me perform at a
high level in situations where circumstances were less than ideal, including
wrestling in the NCAA Championships days after extensive reconstructive facial
surgery, and competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship two weeks after an
emergency appendectomy. Combining psychological preparation with physical
training will help make even your “bad” days better than most fighters’ good
ones. |
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