My experience has taught me that many martial arts trainers in Karate, Taekwon-do, Kickboxing, and other "stand-up striking arts" have developed their own style of competition training.
This leads me to believe that it is beneficial for all-round fighters to receive instruction from various teachers and in various fighting styles, in order to develop different techniques and gain insight and skills in different ways. Let’s be honest: the top fighters in MMA do nothing different.
Which factors are important in a stand-up fighting match?
- flexibility and mobility
- reaction speed and speed
- strength
- fitness and endurance
- technique, tactics, and insight
- ability to absorb impact and recover
- balance, coordination, and equilibrium
In my view, good competition training consists of elements that help improve the factors listed above, with emphasis naturally being placed on one or more factors in each training session.
Naturally, you start a training session with a warm-up, and it is wise to finish it with a cooling down. The actual training and the aspects you want to train logically come in the middle of this sequence.
Warm-up
A warm-up prepares fighters both physically and mentally for the physical exertion ahead. This significantly reduces the risk of injuries. The temperature of the facility and the outdoor temperature influence how the warm-up should be started.
We all know that a warm-up is essential. Particularly with younger athletes (children), however, it is important to vary the exercises in order to maintain their attention and interest in sports. The trainer/instructor therefore needs to have the necessary creativity and an extensive repertoire of exercises to keep the class interesting.
Some simple exercises that can be used to start the training include jogging, swinging the arms, skipping, rotating the hips, butt kicks, high knees, side crossover steps, rotating the shoulders, and knees-torso-arms. Naturally, countless variations can be devised, and the trainer’s creativity is essentially the limiting factor. These exercises are also known as a circulation warm-up.
For martial artists, there are many more ways to vary the warm-up: shadowboxing with or without a partner, skipping rope, jumping jacks, burpees, and dozens of other types of exercises.
In general, the warm-up takes about 15 to 20 minutes of the training session.
The effects of a warm-up in martial arts are:
- Body functions are brought from a resting level to a performance level. This includes redistributing blood from, among other areas, the intestines to the muscles.
- Heart function is strengthened, and the heart rate increases from 60 beats per minute to 120–150 or even above 180 after strenuous physical exertion. The amount of blood pumped with each beat also increases. All this can mean that the heart has to work 6 to 8 times harder than at rest.
- The lungs must take in more O2 and release more CO2, causing more alveoli to open.
- Thermoregulation. Due to the relationship between the temperature in the muscles, the
Metabolic processes occur more quickly. As the blood vessels in the skin open up, heat release and heat production are properly balanced. - The nervous system. Impulses must travel faster so that coordination and control improve.
- The muscle-tendon system. These tissues become warmer and better supplied with blood, making them more elastic and stronger.
- Mental preparation for what is to come. Concentration increases.
Warm-up: stretching exercises and stretching
After the warm-up, it is advisable to perform a few stretching exercises, varying in duration depending on the training that follows. It is always wise to stretch the entire body.
In most martial arts, such as boxing, kickboxing, MMA, and karate, virtually all parts of the body are used during training exercises.
Reaction ability and speed for martial artists
Reacting in time is one of the most important elements of free fighting. Scientific tests have shown that executing a technique, whether a kick or a punch, takes only slightly more than 0.1 seconds in trained fighters.
Those same scientific experiments showed that it is virtually impossible to react to this, since the brain needs more time to process this information and generate a response. For these reasons, many martial arts teach that the initiator will always be faster than the defender.
The only way to be prepared for an attack is therefore to learn to anticipate. Unconscious senses can enable a trained martial artist to automatically respond to techniques initiated by an opponent. This reaction time can be sharpened through constant training.
For this reason, it is very useful to train regularly with pads to learn to react to imaginary targets. The pad holder is very important, as they must monitor the logic of the techniques and also ensure that the attacker constantly learns to move.
A good tip is to train in a way that creates as little rhythm as possible when calling out the pads. Following a fixed pattern results in “static” movement, which is precisely what should be unlearned.
An additional advantage of training with pads is that the attacker learns to maintain the correct fighting distance. They automatically recognize the necessary and safe distance, making their techniques increasingly effective. It should also be kept in mind that the fighting distance in, for example, boxing differs from that in taekwon-do, thai boxing, karate, or kickboxing.
During pad training, it is also important to hold the pads in the correct positions. Many beginners are used to holding the pads far away from themselves so they do not have to deal with the impact of the technique in question. This is understandable, but it should not be approved.
Because training focuses on the attacker's reaction and choosing the correct distance, this can create a bad habit: unconsciously misjudging distances. It is better to hold the pads where the technique should land, as this teaches the fighter exactly when an appropriate technique can be delivered and what the correct distance is.
Flexibility & mobility in martial arts
Dynamic stretching, the most effective option for martial artists
Every martial artist knows how important it is to perform stretching exercises during training. If you do not perform stretching exercises, you risk injuries and are unlikely to improve your flexibility. As a result, without flexibility, your techniques will not improve or be performed with ease.
So, the major questions for martial artists are:
- “How can I improve my flexibility?”
- “Which techniques produce the best results in the shortest amount of time?”
- “Which stretching routine can I follow to achieve these results?”
The following section on dynamic stretching is based on the book “Stretching Scientifically” by Thomas Kurz, the Elastic Steel media channel, and various seminars given by Taekwon-do grandmasters.
Dynamic stretches are simple leg swings in all directions. First, you must learn to move your limbs at a moderate speed through their full range of motion. You should start with less elevated movements to prevent injuries caused by muscles being stretched too quickly.
Do not “throw” your legs. Instead, guide your legs while maintaining complete control over the movement throughout its entire range. When you are almost at the end of the movement, you can increase the speed so that the final centimeters of the stretch are less controlled, but never unexpected.
Practice leg swings forwards, backwards, and to the sides. It is advisable to do 12
repetitions per set and as many sets as needed until you feel you have reached your current flexibility limit.
In many martial arts, with the exception of boxing, high kicks are primary offensive weapons. If you want to be able to perform them at any time, regardless of age or gender, without warming up, you should perform short dynamic stretches twice a day.
Research has shown that dynamic stretches twice a day are particularly effective: once in the morning and again later in the day. On training days, it is effective to perform dynamic stretching exercises before you start kicking.
"8 to 10 weeks is enough to develop maximum dynamic flexibility."
According to Matveev (1977), 8 to 10 weeks is enough to develop maximum dynamic flexibility. Grandmaster Park Jong Soo also emphasizes the importance of dynamic stretching exercises during taekwon-do training, whether in the form of leg swings or kicking techniques.
Is it wise to stretch statically, for example by doing the splits, as so many people do before performing kicking techniques? No, absolutely not! Never perform static stretching exercises before dynamic stretching exercises, kicking techniques, or other dynamic movements.
For several seconds or even minutes after performing a static stretching exercise, you cannot achieve your maximum flexibility or speed. Rosenbaum and Hennig demonstrated this in a study in which they subjected the calf muscles to 30-second stretching exercises and measured their strength afterward.
The development of maximum strength is impaired for several minutes after strenuous static stretching exercises, according to Kokkonen, Nelson, and Cornwell. When you attempt to perform a fast, dynamic movement immediately after static stretching, you are very likely to injure the stretched muscle.
When determining the stretching exercise, you (the instructor) should determine the physical requirements of the planned activity. In standing martial arts, which often focus on kicking techniques, dynamic hip flexibility is extremely important. To increase your range of motion, you should therefore perform plenty of dynamic leg swings in all directions.
“It is impossible to learn dynamic skills by using static exercises, and vice versa.”
A common exercise in martial arts gyms is holding the leg up, either to the side or forward. Although this type of exercise does develop static balance and strength, it contributes nothing to the development of the dynamic flexibility or strength required. It develops statically active flexibility, which is needed in sports such as gymnastics but is not important for kicking techniques and martial arts such as kickboxing, karate, and taekwon-do.
This type of exercise requires intense tension in the muscles on one side of the body, while placing a heavy load on the lower back is unavoidable. When someone with insufficient lower-back strength or other back problems performs these exercises, it can lead to spinal damage.
McArdle, Katch, and Katch state very clearly in the textbook "Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance": “It is impossible to learn dynamic skills by using static exercises, and vice versa.”
Strength and strength training
Any athlete, including martial artists, who seriously wants to improve their sports performance can do so with strength training at any age. Whether you are ten or seventy or older, male or female, a weekend athlete or a seasoned professional, at some point you have decided to further develop yourself. Strength training enables you to achieve this goal.
Every male or female athlete wants to improve their performance. At some point, people decide to start strength training. After all, strength is one of the many components that make up athletic ability.
In a martial art, strength can be developed just like flexibility or endurance. Once developed, it can help improve your existing athletic performance in combination with the other components you wanted to improve.
Strength does not have to be the decisive factor, but it is certainly important for every serious fighter.
Although strength does not have to be the decisive factor in most stand-up martial arts, it is certainly important for every serious fighter. Naturally, certain muscle groups are more important than others for martial artists.
The gluteal, abdominal, back, and leg muscles are particularly important in karate, kickboxing, and taekwon-do. The gluteal muscles are essential for executing kicking techniques and keeping the leg raised.
In addition to providing strength for every technique (the center of the body), the abdominal muscles also enable you to absorb your opponent's techniques.
The back muscles are needed to perform the many twists, while also providing counterbalance for the abdominal muscles. The leg muscles are particularly important for properly executing powerful kicking techniques and for evasion.
Strength training involves a form of weight resistance and gradually strengthens your skeletal muscles. These muscles move your body in countless directions, both visibly and invisibly. This allows you to adopt any body position and make any movement you need when practicing your sport. When your muscles are stronger, you can maintain these positions and perform these movements more easily and efficiently.
There are many types of strength training: exercising with weights attached to your ankles, wrists, or waist; running quickly up stairs; doing rhythmic gymnastics; and so on.
Strength training is one of the many elements that contribute to your athletic performance. Other components include physical factors such as height, bone length, and leverage, endurance, reaction speed, motivation, mobility, and movement skills.
In most martial arts, many exercises are performed without using separate equipment. In many cases, the weight of your own body provides the resistance for the exercise. Examples include simple exercises such as jumping, push-ups, sit-ups, knee bends, swinging the legs upward, or performing kicking techniques in various ways (slowly, quickly, with resistance).
Training combinations
Training combinations is one of the most important forms of competition training in virtually all stand-up combat sports. By training combinations, the execution of techniques effectively becomes an automatic response or reflex.
The fighter learns to anticipate in a form of semi-sparring. In addition to the aforementioned benefit, the fighter learns to estimate the distance to the target, recognize open or undefended targets, improve accuracy, and develop a degree of anticipation.
Combining offense and defense
There are several forms of combination training: offensive, defensive, or as a counterattack. Each of these forms can be trained in different ways and requires a different approach.
When training combinations, it is important for the fighter to learn not only to move forward, but specifically to seize opportunities without becoming overly eager. The defensive partner or holder is also important, as they must keep the other fighter alert by correcting defensive weaknesses and ensuring a good starting and fighting position after every action.
Practicing combinations with pads and shields
Combinations can be trained in various ways: using “pads” (round, square, or elongated, depending on the technique), larger kicking shields (for more powerful execution of techniques), or while wearing boxing gloves and protective equipment. Each method has its advantages.
In practice, you will find that pads are particularly ideal for reaction training, speed, and accuracy; the larger kicking shields are especially suitable for developing powerful kicks; and training combinations with boxing gloves and protective equipment most closely simulates real-life situations.
Ability to take a hit and recover
There is no martial art in which the ability to take a hit is not important. Of course, all combat sports and martial arts differ in this regard, but a basic level of resilience is always necessary.
In some martial arts, the emphasis is more on evading and blocking techniques, but you cannot avoid conditioning the body and the parts used for offensive and defensive techniques.
You build up your ability to absorb impact by training this area regularly and maintaining it. It is wise to condition and prepare almost all parts of the body, with a few exceptions, for the techniques you may perform. You should not only be able to absorb blows; you should also train the body parts with which you perform your own offensive and defensive techniques.
Important areas to train include the abdominal muscles, chest muscles, wrists, fists, upper and lower arms, thighs, shins, instep, heel, ball of the foot, and parts of the hand.
Vital areas
Your vital areas in particular cannot be trained, or can barely be trained. You must therefore ensure that they are well protected and defended at all times. Important vital points include the groin, genitals, head (face, temple, eyes, etc.), sternum, kidneys, and liver.
Breathing when absorbing impact
In addition to conditioning the body, proper breathing when absorbing impact is also very important. This breathing training enables you to absorb blows much more effectively, minimizing discomfort.
Correct breathing ensures exhaling at the moment of impact, which causes the muscles to tense and helps them absorb the blow more effectively. A good exercise for teaching the muscles to respond is to receive light blows with your eyes closed. This builds a natural response in the body and makes it stronger.
Partner exercises for absorbing impact
You can learn to absorb impact by exchanging strikes with a partner and gradually increasing their force over several training sessions. You will be amazed at how much your ability to absorb impact improves, even from light strikes. With the right motivation and concentration, you can therefore achieve tremendous results in a short period of training.
"To Rest Or Not To Rest: A Fighter’s Guilty Conscience"
However, just as quickly as you can build it up, your ability to absorb impact can also decline drastically. This is often the result of missed training sessions or illness. As with so many forms of training, a period of rest and recovery is essential. If you do not “listen” to the signals your body is sending, you will soon notice that negative results follow.
There are many different training methods for developing the ability to absorb impact and conditioning the body. Many basic exercises are also highly suitable for this purpose: stronger wrists and a more correct fist, for example, can be trained by doing push-ups on the fists instead of the open hands.
The abdominal muscles can be trained doubly effectively by, for example, performing scissor exercises while a partner drops their elbows onto the abdomen (with the distance gradually increased, of course).
It is certainly also advisable to train the thighs to improve their ability to absorb impact. The best exercise for this is exchanging 'low kicks' with a partner.
Conditioning training for martial artists
Even the fastest car in the world will not run without fuel. This saying emphasizes that no matter how much someone may have in terms of technique, it is worthless if they do not have the ability to put those techniques into practice.
In short, conditioning is, as in almost all other sports, of essential importance in every stand-up martial art for achieving success. Kickboxing, MMA, boxing, and karate are highly explosive sports that often involve short bursts of effort.
"The more you can train, the more you can improve."
Interval training for martial arts
It requires a very different type of fitness than, for example, long-distance running or football. The type of conditioning needed to perform successfully in martial arts or simply during training is best developed through interval training, in which rest and exertion alternate in short periods.
As an example, consider a running workout in which you sprint for 45 seconds and jog for 45 seconds. In the training room, you can achieve a similar result by repeatedly doing short exercises lasting approximately 15 seconds, with a rest period of, for example, 5 seconds.
Conditioning training with pads
Technique training on "pads" is ideal for this. This type of training is obviously very demanding and requires considerable discipline and commitment. It is particularly successful in a group setting, where the group provides positive, motivating pressure.
There are countless forms of conditioning training to consider: sport-specific conditioning, conditioning combined with strength training, circuit training, etc. In principle, every training session includes a conditioning component, but of course it is sometimes advisable to devote the entire session to conditioning.
Cool-down after training
After exercising, the cool-down helps the body gradually return to a resting state. During training or exercise, the various muscles and muscle groups are put under intense strain. As a result, waste products build up in the muscles. These deposits cause muscle soreness and therefore need to be removed.
This requires adequate blood circulation. Therefore, after exercising, you should not immediately come to a complete stop, but should continue to walk it off and/or perform gentle exercises.
Please note: stretching is not a cool-down
Stretching should be done before the cool-down (if you want to stretch after training). The purpose of the cool-down is to keep the cardiovascular system (heart rate) working at a higher frequency than the resting rate, so that lactic acid can be removed more quickly.
This leads to a faster recovery time. If lactic acid remains present for longer (making the cellular environment too acidic), vital substances can no longer function properly. Another reason to cool down is to improve blood circulation in the “lower extremities” (fingers and hands, toes and feet).
In conclusion:
The cool-down is essential for ending the training session in a healthy and responsible manner.
Why do you stretch before exercising?
Preparing the muscles for strenuous activities. Preventing injuries. Improving blood circulation to the muscles, which inevitably leads to better performance.
Why do you stretch after exercising?
Reducing muscle tension. Relaxing the entire body. Improving blood circulation to the muscles, allowing waste products to be removed.
How should you stretch?
Take your time and stretch in a relaxed manner. Start with a light stretch and gradually increase it. Build up the stretch calmly; it should certainly not hurt. Above all, do not bounce, as this creates tension, which is precisely what you want to avoid.
Equipment for stand-up martial arts
In principle, little equipment is needed to practice martial arts successfully and effectively. The successful fighters from Dagestan are a very good example of this. Nevertheless, the modern training equipment available to martial artists in general offers advantages. In principle, a fighter needs only sportswear and some protective gear.
Floor and/or boxing ring
The choice of flooring in the training room often depends on the owner and/or instructor. Some clubs train on a hard floor, while others use mats. This generally depends on the room’s purpose and whether other sports are practiced there. Nowadays, more and more boxing associations and kickboxing clubs have their own actual “competition ring,” which is of course extremely useful if you can prepare for competitions in it.
Punching mitts, Thai pads and kicking shields
Pads are very pleasant to use and also highly effective for training: small kicking shields that can be used to practice countless exercises and techniques. The larger kicking shields are also extremely useful, especially for children, beginners, or training powerful techniques.
Punching bags and dummies
Nowadays, in addition to traditional punching bags, 'dummies' are also available on the market. These are
Punching dummies on a base filled with sand or water. The advantage of these dummies and/or a punching bag is that you can always train without a partner. In addition, you can perform techniques as hard as you want without injuring someone else.
Stretching machines are also particularly modern. Although they are very expensive, they are very comfortable to use, and you can always stretch to the maximum whenever you want without a partner. For conditioning, you can use, for example, a jump rope.
The familiar 'steps' (found in almost every gym) can be used in any martial art for various exercises: strength training (e.g., triceps 'dipping'), jumping exercises (distance, height), or as an obstacle when performing a technique.
Boxing gloves and protective equipment
For sparring training, having Boxing gloves and protective equipment is essential. The equipment used depends on the sport and fighting style.
Most stand-up martial arts use Boxing gloves, shin guards, a mouthguard, headgear, and a cup. During training, it is customary for everyone to provide their own Boxing gloves and protective equipment.
Make creative use of simple materials that are available
Sometimes during training I used a hoop that both fighters had to keep one foot inside while boxing a round with their hands. By doing this regularly, the fighters learn to keep looking at each other. This is important because it is crucial to always maintain eye contact with the opponent, even when an attack is aimed at the face.
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External sources and more information:
- Sportzorg.nl
- Allesoversport.nl
- Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance (1991) - McArdle, Katch, and Katch
- Lev Matveyev: Sports periodization
- Stretching Scientifically - A Guide to Flexibility Training, Tom Kurz
- The influence of stretching and warm-up exercises on Achilles tendon reflex activity - Rosenbaum and Hennig
- Acute muscle stretching inhibits maximal strength performance - Kokkonen, Nelson and Cornwell (1998)
- Elastic Steel
- Elastic Steel Youtube - Paul Zaichik, Expert in exercise science
- Never Gas Out! – Fighter Interval Training - Joel Jamieson
More Fight2Win blogs:
- How do you train with a punching bag?
- Training with a punching bag is an effective workout for strength and endurance
- The importance of martial arts training
- Punching mitts are the best way to train at home
- Benefits of punching mitt training
- Get fit with this outdoor workout without a gym
- Why do MMA fighters, boxers, and kickboxers jump rope?
