Combat sports like boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and mixed martial arts (MMA) require athletes to have physical strength and conditioning. Aside from mastering form and technique in your chosen martial art, it’s equally important to have strength and conditioning sessions to improve your overall performance as a practitioner or competitor. Here’s how strength and conditioning can help you:
Developing Speed, Agility and More
Strength and conditioning physiotherapy helps combat sports athletes develop the strength, power, speed, agility, mobility, endurance and coordination necessary for success in their sport. Strength and conditioning can help an athlete become faster on their feet, move more quickly from one move to the next, strike with greater force, absorb strikes better or increase overall endurance.
Building Muscle Size
Strength exercises like squats, deadlifts and push-ups are important for building muscle size. When an athlete has more muscle mass, they can generate more force, which translates to greater power when striking.
Improving Mobility
Mobility exercises help to increase range of motion in the body, making it easier for athletes to perform techniques with proper form and precision. Flexibility exercises like yoga can also help increase mobility while improving posture, breath control and focus in the ring.
Developing Endurance
Endurance is a major factor that separates good from great fighters. Strength and conditioning can help athletes develop the endurance to push through tough training sessions and last long rounds in a fight. Cardio exercises such as running, swimming or cycling are great for increasing an athlete’s cardio endurance.
Increasing Core Strength
Core strength is essential for combat sports athletes, as it helps them maintain balance and stability in the ring or octagon. Core exercises such as planks and mountain climbers help to build and strengthen an athlete’s core muscles.
Improving Power Output
Power output is the amount of force an athlete can produce in a given period of time. Explosive exercises like plyometrics or Olympic lifts help to increase power output, enabling athletes to generate more force for striking and defending.
Helping with Intensity
Conditioning exercises such as sprints or intervals will build aerobic capacity enabling athletes to work at a higher intensity for longer periods of time. When an athlete can maintain a higher intensity for longer, they will be able to output more power and energy without fatigue.
Injury Prevention
Strength and conditioning training also helps protect athletes from injury by improving motor control, posture, balance and stability, which are all essential for avoiding injuries while competing. By educating athletes on proper form as well as developing muscle strength, endurance and overall athleticism they can reduce the likelihood of suffering an injury during competition or training.
Strength and conditioning is essential for combat sports athletes to develop the physical qualities necessary for success in their sport. By developing speed, agility, muscle size, core strength, mobility, endurance and power output as well as learning proper form and injury prevention techniques, athletes can maximise their performance and have a much higher chance of success when competing or sparring.
