The Mental Fight

Many of life’s challenges require a strong mind. The mind allows you to deal with problems by solving them the best it can. The mind, just like the body can be trained, a well trained mind will work under pressure more efficiently and effectively, and make easier work of whatever it is applied to.

Fighting is no different, a strong mind allows you to push yourself in training where you develop not only physical attributes but significantly mental attributes concurrently. The skills and techniques coached and drilled are “learnt” and then stored in memory, after this it is the minds job to remember them and apply them. The body is trained merely to physically execute the technique but it is the mind that has the ability to think under pressure, to keep the body working when fatigued and to see the right opportunity and send the signals to the body to react.

The mind aids the tuning of the body in training allowing you to get the best from every session, and this is basis for improving the body. The body is amazing at adapting, it becomes stronger and fitter the more it is pushed and stressed. To progressively stress the body requires discipline, dedication and determination which are all “strengths of mind”.

Being a fighter requires true self belief, an inner confidence which comes from self realisation that one is in control of their mind, and this of course takes practice to really believe it. Thinking positively but realistically is imperative, as is setting personal short term, medium term and long term goals. Setting some smaller realistic challenges can be used as a measure of progression and attaining these goals will help build self confidence, and from self confidence will be further motivation to apply the mind and be aware of its power.

A desire to continually improve and progress is important in any area of life, knowing your personal strengths and weaknesses is key to viable progression, and improving yourself is down to the commitment and application of your mind in reaching the goals you have set yourself.

The mind is so powerful, it is by far the strongest tool you have, if can be used as a tool for you, making you the winner, and it can work against you, making you the loser.
Don’t leave your mind behind in your personal development and choose to be a winner in life.

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Flexibility

Stretching is an important part of any athletes training regime. To be an effective martial artist it is essential that you work on your flexibility. There are several factors that influence your body’s flexibility:

Internal influences

-The type of joint (some joints simply aren't meant to be flexible)

-The internal resistance within a joint

-Bony structures which limit movement

-The elasticity of muscle tissue (muscle tissue that is scarred due to a previous injury is not very elastic)

-The elasticity of tendons and ligaments (ligaments do not stretch much and tendons should not stretch at all)

-The elasticity of skin (skin actually has some degree of elasticity, but not much)

-The ability of a muscle to relax and contract to achieve the greatest range of movement

-The temperature of the joint and associated tissues (joints and muscles offer better flexibility at body temperatures that are 1 to 2 degrees higher than normal)

External influences

-The temperature of the place where one is training (a warmer temperature is more conducive to increased flexibility)

-The time of day (most people are more flexible in the afternoon than in the morning, peaking from about 2:30pm-4pm)

-The stage in the recovery process of a joint (or muscle) after injury (injured joints and muscles will usually offer a lesser degree of flexibility than healthy ones)

-Age (pre-adolescents are generally more flexible than adults)

-Gender (females are generally more flexible than males)

-One's ability to perform a particular exercise (practice makes perfect)

-One's commitment to achieving flexibility

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Weight Training

If done correctly, weight training can be extremely beneficial when incorporated into your training regime. It can improve your strength, power, flexibility making you less prone to injury.

Misconceptions:

Some common myths about weight training are that you will automatically bulk up, lose flexibility, and become slower. Of course training with weights incorrectly can lead to weight gain and the other issues mentioned, but training correctly and intelligently can help you gain flexibility, improve your explosive power, and make you a stronger fighter.

Proper weight training will actually increase your range of motion and provide greater flexibility of your joints. However, it is very important that all exercises with the weights are performed with a full range of motion. Also, a good warm up of the body and thorough stretching of all the major muscles groups you will use before you begin and after you finish, is essential.

Some people believe that weight training for fighters should be carried out using light weights with high repetitions. This is actually the opposite of the truth. High repetitions will slightly increase your aerobic capacity, and do little for explosive power. Weight training should be used to improve the power and strength of a fighter, the cardiovascular fitness and aerobic improvements are what training in the gym on the bags and pads is for. Therefore the fighter must perform medium to heavy lifts with fast, ballistic movements ensuring that the correct lifting techniques are carried out to prevent injury.

Train according to goals:

It is important to understand the differences in the training programmes a fighter should follow compared to some one else e.g. a bodybuilder. It is not useful for a fighter to lift weights in the same fashion as a bodybuilder, as this is a case when you would bulk up and possibly slow down. You must train according to your goals.

A Base Training Routine:

It is recommended to complete a weights session only 1 or 2 times a week, ensuring that quality training in the gym is not sacrificed. Strength training is very demanding on the body so it should be planned and integrated well into your training schedule. Train on a day that does not clash with another very intense session in the gym, perhaps chose a day that precedes a rest day in your week.

Weight training before a fight

Strength and weight training is not recommended in the week leading up to a fight. It is best to keep your weight training simple, Work primarily on the major muscle groups that you will use in the ring. Such as:

Ideas:

• Bench Press: Isolates the chest, triceps, and shoulders
• Squats: Targets the legs
• Arm Curls: Targets the biceps
• Bent over Rows: Works the upper back
• Leg Extension: Isolate Hamstrings and Quads on machines

Working with free weights has a slight advantage over machines in that it will also develop the stabilising muscles around the regions, not just the target major muscle groups. But machines are useful for isolating an individual muscle such as the hamstrings. This is particularly useful as squatting with free weights will be working both the quadriceps and hamstrings, but there are occasions where you may need to improve the strength of only one of these muscles if it is a bit weaker then the other.

Begin the workout with three to five rounds of skipping and light shadow boxing, as a warm up. When the body is warm (you are sweating slightly), stretch all of the muscles groups that you will be working in the session.

You should do 3 sets of each exercise with the weights. The first two sets are warm up sets which are done with a fairly light weight for 8-10 repetitions. Do not go to failure on these sets.

Lower the weight in a controlled fashion, pause for a second at the bottom and explode upward. Never lock your joints at the top of the motion as this can cause hyperextension of the joint which will cause problems for you.

When you have completed the warm up sets, select the predetermined amount of weight on the bar or machine and get ready for the main set. This set must take you to muscular failure on the final 12th repetition. When you have completed the final set, move on to your next exercise, using 2 warm up sets and a final main set as before.

Record the third set of each exercise in a diary or journal and keep this up to date. This record of your training will help you make maximum improvements. Additionally, it is also very beneficial to write in your journal the things you learn in training sessions in the gym with your trainer, for example favourite combinations, problems you need to work on, etc.

Every week you should aim to improve on your previous number of repetitions that you completed until you reach 20 reps with the weight staying fixed. There will be some weeks where you may only improve by one or two repetitions, other weeks you may increase by many more. When you reach the 20 reps, it is time to add more weight on, the aim is to take you back down to 12 repetitions and repeat the process.

In your journal, keep track of the weight you were lifting and the number of reps completed for each exercise.

Finish the session with some more light shadowboxing to help remove the lactic acid and other waste that accumulates in your muscles with anaerobic training. This will reduce the soreness that you feel. Stretch out all muscles groups thoroughly and eat a good meal soon after the session (with in 1-2 hours) which contains carbohydrates and proteins to aid the muscle repair and growth which will be making you a stronger fighter.

by Steven Ryan