Forward Momentum Throws and Conditioning (diary entry)

English: Arthur Saxon performing a bent press. Français : Arthur Saxon effectuant un dévissé à un bras (bent press). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

10.12.14 Tonight, my client’s Triple C session focused on clinch techniques with an emphasis on forward momentum followed by exercises to strengthen the muscles used in this manner. We also did some active recovery and agility training. The warm-up brought us back onto the agility cones. However, there was not as much coordination work as on previous occasions. The cones were arranged more to emphasize agility, set up diagonally in two rows with a fair distance down the middle. I had my client use side-stepping footwork from a stand-up and clinching posture. This was then followed by groundwork movements also travelling in a diagonal fashion. The technique section covered three throws that require a lot of forward momentum. These were the major outer reap and the small inner reap throws along with the double leg takedown. The first two require a pulling as well as a pushing set-up, but ultimately you are moving forward and sending your opponent backwards. Our functional fitness section focused on four weight-lifting exercises to strengthen pressing and forward momentum. The first was three sets of a Tyre War (pushing and catching a tractor tyre against a training partner) super-set with explosive double leg takedowns using a heavy resistance band and a bag target. This was followed by three sets of standard barbell bench press. This exercise is still one of the major few strength building exercises for martial arts alongside the deadlift, the pull-up and the back or front squat. Variations are helpful and we can use them to work specific motions and correct muscular engagement, but it is hard to beat these exercises for solid strength gains. Keeping good time management with this training I had my client perform single arm rows from a split stance on a resistance band until his breathing returned normal before the next set of lifts. His next exercise was tyre flips. This exercise essentially works the same muscles as a Hack Squat. However, the force vectors are very similar to those used with lowline takedowns, especially the double-leg. Both tyre exercises are also great replicating the type of muscular endurance expected when one grapples. My client then did two sets of Bent Press and two sets of Turkish Get-ups. These are two great old school strengthening exercise that place a lot of emphasis on stabilizing muscular strength. Session was finished with a set of wide and narrow grip pulldowns using a resistance band and some PNF stretching. A good video on correct tyre flipping technique: