Cycle of Abuse? (diary training)

22.07.13

General Lesson – Grading  

We held a small grading for the lower grades. Material covered included role-play fence exercises, focus mitt work for incidental combinations and pre-emption, takedowns, defence from the ground, MMA sparring, will drills and soft skills questions and answers.

Sadly despite a good physical effort, four of my students did not pass their grading tonight. All were juniors and quite young, so their reaction was always going to be a concern. However, they met it with a type of stoicism and pragmatism that made me feel proud. CCMA gradings are pass/fail examinations. We will now prepare them to retake the test.

Private Lesson – Specific Cardio for MMA

Today I introduced my two private clients to a shorter version of the MMA cardiovascular routine I use. It is influenced by Martin Rooney’s Hurricane sessions that he uses to prepare fighters. It largely consists of routines using MMA movements. We began with a series of footwork drills. These were done in sets of 10 and included 45 degree step-outs, Ali Shuffles and side lunges as well as sprawl/takedown combinations for their clinch work. This was then followed by crawling exercises for groundwork movement. Throughout these exercises you are tested to keep technique but also push on with the explosiveness in your movements.

We then did five rounds of sparring: boxing, kickboxing, Thai clinch, wrestling and submission groundwork. The heat was also a factor and both fighters worked hard to complete everything, pushing themselves to the final round. This type of training balances technical refinement with mental endurance. There are times when I am tempted to stay my hand, but I recall the way my best coaches – people like Mo Teague, Tony Hayes (RIP) and Braulio Estima – pushed me past my mental boundaries and I know the gold is in the discomfort. Either that or I am just continuing a cycle of abuse. The reactions and looks on the faces of my two clients told the story that the only re-setting of the theoretical central governor tells. I know it well. Most training sessions should end with the participants sweaty, tired yet energized to a degree. You cannot train extremely hard for every session. This is simply not productive and result in burnout and even illness. However, there should be one regular session that pushes you well past what you thought was physically possible and cardio/aerobic training is an especially suited for this type of session. It’s a mind game!