Showing posts with label warm-up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warm-up. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Muscle Memory & Confusion for Building Technique & Strength
This blog post has been moved to our new address: http://pacificwavejiujitsu.com/blog/muscle-memory-confusion-for-building-technique-strength
Friday, December 12, 2008
Dynamic vs. Static Stretching in Martial Arts
This blog post has been moved to our new address: http://pacificwavejiujitsu.com/blog/dynamic-vs-static-stretching-in-martial-arts
Monday, November 10, 2008
Intensity Skipping Instead of Sprints
In the last month or so, I started doing hard interval running and sprints as conditioning for a potential upcoming fight. Unfortunately, I started to develop some minor pain in my left achilles tendon so, upon advice from my trusty doctor Jenny, I switched over to intensity and interval skipping to replace the running.
To simulate an MMA fight, I always do three 5-minute rounds with a 1-minute rest in between. When doing intensity skipping, I do three 30-second rounds of double skipping within each 5-minute round. This gives me a solid anaerobic work-out that very much simulates the way a fight goes. Jenny told me however that I should only do this type of work-out once a week as it is hard on the body. On other days, I simply do three 5- minute rounds of regular skipping, practicing various technical patterns, with a single 30-second round of double skipping at the end of each 5-minute round. Check out my post, Increasing Your Cardio When Skipping for a video demo of double skipping.
The skipping work-outs seem to put less stress on my joints. And with skipping, I get to work out my upper body more than I do with running, particularly when I'm doing the double skipping portion of the workout. Skipping is almost always the way I warm up as well.
To simulate an MMA fight, I always do three 5-minute rounds with a 1-minute rest in between. When doing intensity skipping, I do three 30-second rounds of double skipping within each 5-minute round. This gives me a solid anaerobic work-out that very much simulates the way a fight goes. Jenny told me however that I should only do this type of work-out once a week as it is hard on the body. On other days, I simply do three 5- minute rounds of regular skipping, practicing various technical patterns, with a single 30-second round of double skipping at the end of each 5-minute round. Check out my post, Increasing Your Cardio When Skipping for a video demo of double skipping.
The skipping work-outs seem to put less stress on my joints. And with skipping, I get to work out my upper body more than I do with running, particularly when I'm doing the double skipping portion of the workout. Skipping is almost always the way I warm up as well.
Monday, November 3, 2008
How to Do Shadow Boxing Effectively
My MMA coach was away on holiday last week, so I met up with my Vancouver personal trainer friend Louis Sargeant (also a professional boxer and martial artist) a few times to keep my training up. We worked exclusively on my striking form and strategy. We did pad work mostly, but he also had me doing shadow boxing as part of my workouts.
Shadow boxing is more than just a warm-up drill, though it is an effective, sport-specific way of warming-up the muscles. It also helps you develop and apply your striking skills. If you shadow box in front of a mirror, you can watch your form and technique to ensure you're striking properly.
Shadow boxing without a mirror is just as important, if not more so. All the best fighters, practice visualizing their opponent when they do shadow boxing. They throw punches and kicks, imagining the reaction of an invisible opponent, then react accordingly themselves. The best shadow boxers look like they're actually fighting someone. Check out Fedor Emelianenko as he does a shadow boxing workout:
Louis tells me that he does a lot of shadow boxing when preparing for a fight. He loves doing it and often does it for as much as 30 minutes. He tells me that if he or my coach isn't available to hold pads for me, that's what I should be doing to practice. I'll definitely be taking that advice on board.
Shadow boxing is more than just a warm-up drill, though it is an effective, sport-specific way of warming-up the muscles. It also helps you develop and apply your striking skills. If you shadow box in front of a mirror, you can watch your form and technique to ensure you're striking properly.
Shadow boxing without a mirror is just as important, if not more so. All the best fighters, practice visualizing their opponent when they do shadow boxing. They throw punches and kicks, imagining the reaction of an invisible opponent, then react accordingly themselves. The best shadow boxers look like they're actually fighting someone. Check out Fedor Emelianenko as he does a shadow boxing workout:
Louis tells me that he does a lot of shadow boxing when preparing for a fight. He loves doing it and often does it for as much as 30 minutes. He tells me that if he or my coach isn't available to hold pads for me, that's what I should be doing to practice. I'll definitely be taking that advice on board.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
5 Ways of Treating Muscle Soreness
This blog post has been moved to our new address: http://pacificwavejiujitsu.com/blog/5-ways-of-treating-muscle-soreness
Sunday, September 14, 2008
How to Deal with Belt Test Jitters
This blog post has been moved to our new address: http://pacificwavejiujitsu.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-belt-test-jitters
Thursday, July 10, 2008
How to Do Shrimping Drills and Why
Shrimping was originally introduced in Japan where it was known as "ebi aruki" or in English, shrimp walking. Judo and Jiu-jitsu schools use it to develop the lateral hip movement that is used to escape from many holds on the ground. The hands are also used in conjunction with the hips to simulate pushing an attacker away. The video below demonstrates this drill very well.
With all the core body that is used to move the hips, shrimping is also great for strengthening the abs. My coach often has me doing this drill for my MMA training. I personally like drills that develop both skills and strength simultaneously.
With all the core body that is used to move the hips, shrimping is also great for strengthening the abs. My coach often has me doing this drill for my MMA training. I personally like drills that develop both skills and strength simultaneously.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Freeze Tag Warm-up Game
Every other week or so, when we have a good number of people for the game, I have my students play our own version of freeze tag for warm-up. It always amuses me how much more people get out of this exercise than they do out of skipping or running drills. The game aspect is why.
The way we play freeze tag is as follows. One person is "it" and tries to tag the others. If a person is tagged, then they are "frozen" and they must drop into a horse stance. The other students can free someone who is frozen by crawling through their legs. Those who are frozen can assist the people who are still free by grabbing or obstructing the person who is it. They are allowed to do this as long as they don't move their feet.
My students love this game. We're all really just kids at heart and love to play a game with set rules. Much more fun that mindless exercise for which the sole purpose is to get the body warm. As a result, 5 minutes of freeze tag always has my students panting from exertion much more so than the same amount of time spent skipping or running. They push themselves more because they lose themselves in the game, which makes freeze tag a win-win exercise.
The way we play freeze tag is as follows. One person is "it" and tries to tag the others. If a person is tagged, then they are "frozen" and they must drop into a horse stance. The other students can free someone who is frozen by crawling through their legs. Those who are frozen can assist the people who are still free by grabbing or obstructing the person who is it. They are allowed to do this as long as they don't move their feet.
My students love this game. We're all really just kids at heart and love to play a game with set rules. Much more fun that mindless exercise for which the sole purpose is to get the body warm. As a result, 5 minutes of freeze tag always has my students panting from exertion much more so than the same amount of time spent skipping or running. They push themselves more because they lose themselves in the game, which makes freeze tag a win-win exercise.
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