Conditioning Specificity

Specificity of conditioning......

Friend of the Roughouse, Greg Loughran came to our saturday morning conditioning session this week. The regular team members have conditioned with me for a while now so i never really have to explain why we do things the way we do things. So it was good to explain the reasoning behind the session content.
I explained the idea of the specificity vs objectivity continuum to Greg and why we choose to be very specific.
Basically, the more the session replicates the sport, the more transfer to competition performance will occur, however, the harder it is to get objective measurements of output and progression. For example, completing a conditioning session on a treadmill will have very little transfer to mma, as it does not replicate the movements, performance dynamics or energy systems of competition, but it is very easy to be objective (fixed speed, incline, work to rest periods etc.) So for any strength and conditioning coach, they have to make a decision about which they feel is more important.
For me, specificity is key and the transfer to the sport is vital, otherwise you are just doing 'work' and work with out direction and transfer is a waste of any professional fighters time. There are so many training requirements in mma, it is not acceptable to just do work.
We also talked about the intensity of conditioning training. If there is going to be an impact on competition performance, the conditioning sessions must be at or above the level of intensity likely to be experienced come fight night. Eg, a higher volume of punching, wrestling a fresher partner and isolating a few exercises that build up fatigue in key musculature that are likely to effect competition performance.

If you can set up sessions with these principles in mind, you are much more likely to influence a fighters ability to perform for longer in competition.
Be specific and work at or above competition intensities.

Greg was a warrior and went hard at the session and dug deep especially when things got tough.

Vern Gambetta put it best when he said, 'Just because its hard doesn't make it good'

Sam Harris

Had a great trip down to Bristol lastnight to watch a talk by Sam Harris about his new book, The Moral Landscape. Good trip with Dean Amasinger and well worth the trip, Sam is a very engaging speaker and talks alot of sense.

Here is an article i wrote about the needs analysis of Strength and Conditioning for MMA.

Mixed martial arts, poses a huge challenge to any strength and conditioning coach looking to prepare a fighter for competition. The reason this sport poses such a challenge is the wide range of physical qualities that a fighter needs to be prepared for in order to be successful. To compete at the elite level of this sport fighters are need to be strong, powerful, fast, agile, aerobically and anaerobically conditioned, durable and skilful.

As with any other sport it is essential to understand what physical qualities limit performance and which are prevalent in athletes at the top of that sport. Once that is understood it then needs to be synchronised with the individual strengths and weaknesses of the particular athlete that is being trained.

There is precious little research into the actual physiological demands of mma, however the majority of  s & c coaches can construct a program for a fighter based off the following information.

CONDITIONING

·         There are 3 rounds unless it is a title fight , where there are 5 rounds. (so,  17 minutes total work or 29 minutes for a title).

·         Each round will consist of 5 minutes with a 60s rest in between rounds. This is obviously a huge work : rest deficit and in reality no fighter works for the whole 5 minutes of each round. However each round will consist of extremely high intensity  alactic dominant efforts followed by random rest periods. (most actual efforts will not last for more than 10s in duration without some of lower intensity period) This information links into the next point and is essential when designing the conditioning component of a fighters program.

·         Each round will likely consist of striking and its associated movements, wrestling / clinch work and ground work. (in the UFC over the last 4 years in the welterweight division the striking to clinch to ground work ratio is, on average 34:5:61 (%), this is critical information for trainers and coaches when preparing a fighter for this level of competition.)  Specificity is a fundamental principle of strength and conditioning and unless a fighter is being trained with the sports specific requirements in mind, then they are unlikely to get the carry over gains they are hoping for.  Combining the information on duration and activities that will occur should give a good insight into what will be necessary to include when conditioning an mma fighter.  

·         Key areas of fatigue that have a direct correlation of performance inhibition can be classed into two categories , Peripheral Fatigue, such as deltoid fatigue (preveting a fighter from keeping their hands raised to guard their face from striking) and Central Fitigue, such as a fighters inability to re generate ATP and therefor limiting performance output. Both ideas need to be addressed and trained to enable a fighter to maintain their output throughout the whole fight.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE:

Conditioning session: Fight Specific Circuit

Heavy Bag or Pads                                           30s (consisting of multiple 2-3s efforts with 2-3s intraset rests)

Clinch with a Partner                                      30s

Heavy Rope Battle                                           30s

Heavy Bag                                                           30s (consisting of multiple 2-3s efforts with 2-3s intraset rests)

Defensive wrestling with partner             60s

Sled Acceleration                                             30s (as fast and as far as possible)           

Offensive Wrestling with partner             60s

Heavy Bag                                                           30s (consisting of multiple 2-3s efforts with 2-3s intraset rests)

Rest                                                                       60s

Repeat                                                                 x3

Dan Hardy and Andre Winner on Pads as part of conditioning. Dean Amasinger and World Jiu Jitsu bronze medallist Victor Estima in waiting for the wrestling and ground work components. And me and my stopwatch !

STRENGTH AND POWER

                As the sport is governed by weight classes, the average weight for a fighter at competition is around 5-10kg heavier than they weighed in at. This is also useful to know as it has implications for the direction and levels of explosive strength and power that needs to be trained. As we know from published research, max power is likely to occur at around 50% of maximal capacity. There for in any training program for mma, it is critical that a fighter  is trained to produce their maximum power outputs at the levels of resistance they are likely to face at competition. So for example, for a welterweight fighter , they need to develop max strength qualities of around 180kg, to enable them to elicit max power at 50% of their capacity which would be 90kg. This will mean they are more than capable of producing high levels of power at the weights of their opponent.  In practical term this means selecting an exercise that you believe you can train a fighter to reach those levels of max strength through the planes of motion you believe are involved in competition.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE:

Lower Limb max strength:Back Squat, Front Squat, Heavy Prolwer Pushes, Deadlift,

Max Strength and Max power are only part of the story, these physical qualities lend themselves more to the wrestling and groundwork components of the sport . Further down the force/velocity spectrum are qualities that can affect striking performance. As its position on the spectrum would dictate, ballistic strength is a more velocity dominant than force dominant action which is also true of the requirements of striking. For punching power and success it is not necessarily the amount of force a fighter can produce but rather how quickly they can produce it. There is plenty of research to suggest that ballistic strength is developed using 0-20% of max force capacity and therefore this must  be reflected in the exercise selection and loading parameters used within training.

PRACTIACL EXAMPLE:

Ballistic exercises

Hurdle Jumps, Box Jumps, Bounding, Light Prowler Accelerations, Light Sled Accelerations.

Worst Jitz at the BBQ

Good times.....

Great Minds !!

I wish i could talk half as well as hitch !

Performance Management

Here is an article i wrote for Fighters Only magazine a while ago, i've changed my thinking a bit on blocking training for mma and use a more integrated approach but either way brings structure and direction to training.

Performance Management

In many other sports, a role exists that overviews the whole training process for the athletes involved. These roles are often referred to as ‘performance managers or directors of performance. In professional rugby and football this position is often, but not always, taken by an experienced strength and conditioning coach. Although a thorough understanding of the technical requirements of the sport are vital, an s and c coaches experience of periodisation, monitoring, testing and programming lends itself to fulfilling this role successfully.

                The key tasks for a performance manager of an mma team or individual fighter is to create a balanced, periodised training plan. The nature of mma as a sport means that there are many facets that need to be addressed in a training week. These are not just from a physical perspective but from a technical and psychological view point too. Failure to do so can result in overtraining and sub optimal performance. Below is a basic diagram of the considerations that need to be addressed when planning for an upcoming fight.

Diag 1 Training Needs

Another major consideration for a holistic program is to address the psychological aspects  of mma with the fighters. This is however a very specific area and should be dealt with by an experienced, qualified sports psychologist.

In order to fit all the requirements into a training week and ensure fighters are at peak physical, technical and emotional levels on fight night, training needs to be blocked into units that lead to a peak. Putting the pieces of the training jigsaw together is a complex process and requires input from all the coaches and fighters involved. Below is a basic outline of the considerations that should be adhered too when designing a training schedule.

PHASE 1: Foundation Phase (10 weeks or more from the fight) (this is effectively an off season)

Physical Qualities

                This period should be dedicated to developing base physical qualities such as strength, rehab and non specific conditioning. As fighters are still a long time from the fight, peak power and fight conditioning are not priorities. Setting the foundations during this phase allows for the finer, more precise training phases later on. Strength training sessions should also be based around basic, foundation type work. However some mistake this time as an opportunity to use GPP (general preparatory phase) training. This is often mis-placed work. Fighters with years of training behind them rarely benefit from GPP as their levels are often inherently excellent from their training history. More appropriate sessions would be focused on high threshold motor unit recruitment via ‘biggest bang for your buck’ exercises. (Full Squats, deadlifts, Pressing and Pulling variations).

Conditioning training should be very general, with a high variety of methods. This keeps motivation high and gives the specific movements patterns used in the later phases an offload.

Technical Qualities

Phase 1 of the training cycle is an ideal time to split training between working the most basic fundamentals and getting up to speed with the latest technical developments. Relearning and refining the basics here is important as it lays the foundation for future work and trying out new material keeps training interesting and evolves a fighter's game by expanding their knowledge and awareness. Once the training enters the later phases and opponents are known training both these aspects can be hard to fit in. Duration of technical sessions can afford to be longer and intensities lower. This phase lends itself to higher levels of technical input from coaches as there are less time constraints and less pressure. It is key that a fighters weaknesses are discovered and worked on in this phase.

Psychological Qualities

                This area should be addressed by an experienced and qualified sports psychologist. However variety and creativity can help to maintain motivation during training.

Below is an example of how a week could be structured in Phase 1

Cycle 1: Week 1
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Upper Limb Weight Training	Lower Limb Weight Training	Light Sparring	Upper Limb Weight Training	Lower Limb Weight Training	General Conditioning	Rest & Recover
Rest & Recover	Technical Striking	Rest & Recover	Technical Striking	Technical Striking	Technical Grappling / Wrestling
General Conditioning	Technical Grappling / Wrestling	Rest & Recover	Technical Grappling / Wrestling	Rest & Recover	Rest & Recover

PHASE 2: Camp Begins (10 – 4 weeks out from fight)

                Physiclal Qualities

                A quality over quantity approach should be taken with the physical training during this phase. Strength and Power can be addressed simultaneously via complex training, meaning strength levels can continue to improve as power is introduced. When working with Dan Hardy in the Preparation for UFC 95, supersetting Full Back Squats with 1m10cm Hurdle jumps allowed us to train both physical qualities at the same time. Conditioning methods should become more fight specific, possibly interspersed with non specific, pre fatiguing, exercises.

Technical Qualities

At this time the opponent is known and a game plan has been formulated so this phase becomes a split between training that is specific to the upcoming fight and bringing performance in all areas up to a high level. Addressing weaknesses, hard sparring and pressure drills become the main stay of the program to create the best athlete possible and this will be mixed with lighter technique and sparring sessions where the gameplan is explored and refined with more reference being made to fighting the specific opposition.

Below is an example of how a week could be structured in Phase 2

Cycle 2: Week 1
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Technical Striking	Hard Sparring	Grappling	Hard Sparring	Grappling	General Conditioning	Rest & Recover
		Rest and Recover			Technical Grappling / Wrestling
Specific Conditioning	Full Body Strength / Power		Full Body Strength / Power	Technical Striking

Phase 3: ‘Peaking’ (4-0 weeks out from fight)

                Physical Qualities

                With the less than 3 weeks of training left, the priority is now to get into fighting shape and use all the physiological gains made in the previous phases to enter in the arena  as close to prime shape as possible. Power and rate of force development is the priority at this stage. Increased intensity of sessions is vital with the volume remaining low, as not to create accumulated fatigue. The use of lighter weights at a higher velocity also to helps to create the feeling of being, ‘sharp’ and can impact the psyche of the fighters.

                Technical Qualities

Hard training sessions still feature heavily up until a week out but will often be v drill specific and gradually become less frequent as gameplan walkthroughs, mental imagery and worst case scenario training become a major part of the program. Live sparring and drills where training partners emulate or ‘play the part’ of the upcoming opponent will also yield great results and boost confidence at this stage. Technique training close to fight time will have limited effect as the cognitive requirement to improve is too great when there is so much else going on at this time.

Below is an example of how a week could be structured in Phase 3

Cycle 3: Week 1
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Striking	Hard Sparring	Striking	Hard Sparring	Striking	Fight Conditioning	Rest & Recover
	Full Body Power	Rest and Recover	Full Body Power	Gameplan / Walkthrough	Technical Grappling / Wrestling
Fight Conditioning	Grappling		Grappling

In summary, ‘blocking’ or periodising training can improve the focus and quality of training. However the real skill is knowing how and when to push harder or back off to maximise the program. This can only be done by developing a trusting relationship between coach and fighter. Often fighters can not ‘self regulate’ the durations and intensities of training because they are so emotionally involved in the training process they refuse to be outworked or thought of as being lazy. This is where a performance manager can help as well as helping to limit mis-directed work. Mis-directed will only lead to frustration and disappointment and should be avoided at all costs. If it can’t be justified, then why is it in the program ?

Special thanks to Nathan Leverton, Head coach at Leicester Shootfighters (www.leicestershootfighters.co.uk) for the input in the technical sections.