CONDITIONING FOR GRAPPLING
This is a must read by Wesley - who takes the warm-up's at the academy... it was published by Toughen-up.co.za
How does one get into fighting shape?
Fight conditioning is a very contentious subject with many view points out there which can over-complicate the matter and just totally confuse you. Firstly we need to grasp the concept of conditioning.
Essentially, conditioning is a measure of how well an athlete is able to meet the energy production demands of their sport. Bearing this in mind, each sport requires a different combination of power (the ability to produce energy rapidly) and endurance (the ability to produce energy for a long period of time). Thus conditioning for your sport or martial art, by its very definition needs to be (sports) specific.
What we at Team Renzo Gracie Cape Town typically do with our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors is try to simulate a BJJ/Grappling competition as far as possible in their strength and conditioning training regime. We focus on a combination of strength, plyometric & cardio endurance techniques geared to get our fighters conditioned to last about 8 to 10 grappling bouts (the common duration of a grappling competition). The concept is definitely not new. Boxing trainers have been using this strategy in their training for ages. Boxers would typically arrange a training session to simulate a fight, i.e. 10 to 15 rounds of three minutes, with each round focusing on a particular objective, such as speed (focus mitts), strength (heavy bag) and conditioning (core and abs work) etc.
I believe this simple strategy can be extended to all sports or martial arts...Train like you compete and compete like you train!
Grappling (No-Gi) and BJJ competitions typically consist of about 5 to 12 six-minute bouts, up to and including the finals (depending on the size of the competition). The problem with many grappling competitions is the uncertainty. You never quite know how many fights you will have, who you are fighting, when you are fighting or the rest period you will have between bouts. This makes grappling competitions very nerve wracking.
First and foremost, you must have the conditioning to last about 12 fights, but you also require the mental strength to not let yourself become overwhelmed by the moment or drained from the pre- and inter-fight anxiety.
This is where good conditioning comes into play. By using the "train like you compete" strategy in grappling, all you are doing is getting your body used to this stressful mental and physical state. Ideally you would want to tailor your conditioning training programme to your specific needs by focusing on developing your weaknesses and improving your strengths. That being said, below I have outlined a good programme for new competitors, designed to get your core level fighting conditioning up to scratch.
The 10-Bout Challenge:
Warm up and dynamic stretching (10 min)
Rounds 1-3: Weight Circuit
One exercise per minute for 6 minutes with a two-minute break between sets.
Rotate the following exercises:
Dead lifts, box jumps, jumping pull-ups (jump and pull up from standing), rope pull-ups, kettlebell swings, kettlebell clean and jerks, arm curl presses, medicine ball throws, push up and dumbbell rows, burpies/change-ups.
Round 4: Core Set
One exercise per minute for 6 minutes.
Hip thrusts, leg extensions, bicycles, hip escapes, armbar/triangle abs drills, plank.
Rounds 5 and 6: Takedowns Only (wrestling and judo)
3 x 2 min per bout (changing partners)
Rounds 7 and 8: Positional Sparring (grappling only)
3 x 2 min per bout (changing partners). Focus on specific positions per bout.
Rounds 9 and 10: Full Sparring
6 minutes per bout
Finish with warm down and static stretching.
Perform this routine at least once per week, building up to three times a week. Also always look to increase the intensity of the bouts. Leave it all on the mat every time! As your body gets used to the circuit, decrease resting periods (look to get it down to one minute). Also feel free to substitute exercises frequently, so that your body never gets used to the same routine. That's all for now fighters, for more information visit www.renzogracie.co.za
Jiu Jitsu forever carnale!
by Wesley George of Team Renzo Gracie Cape Town