VISIT OUR SHOP! Bruce Lee's Fighting Method: Self-Defense Techniques

Arm and Back Training For MMA

Author: Tony Hackerott
Date Posted: March 26, 2009

Arm

Without a powerful set of arms and hands, the warrior is powerless against his opponent. There is nothing more impressive than a chiseled set of arms on a warrior.

In addition to being one of the first lines of defense, the arms and hands are also the offensive extensions of the power transferred up through the feet, legs, core, and shoulders. When this energy is transmitted properly through a stable and strong warrior, the power output of the grip and strikes from the arms and hands is nothing short of explosive. Along with powerful strikes, the arms and hands are obviously also instrumental in clinch work, wrist control, takedowns, and all submission attempts. This region of the body is also critical defensively for shielding the body and head from foot and hand strikes and for submission escapes. Without strong arms and a strong grip, it is as if the warrior has chosen to bring a knife to a gunfight.

For instance, chin-ups and pull-ups are great exercises to train both the muscles of the arms and the grip.

Back

A warrior cannot control his opponent if he is pushing him away. Even though a warrior may be hitting the gym hard, that warrior's training methods in the gym may not match the demands of actual competition in the ring. One of the most common errors in upper-body training is the overuse of pushing versus pulling movements used in training for fighting.

MMA has developed into a system that often involves pulling an opponent into a clinch, taking the opponent down by keeping them close, and then keeping him off balance, controlling and possibly submitting him with pulling movements on the ground. In everything from all takedown attempts like the double leg and arm drag to your opponent trying to get away or establish posture, you must be constantly using strong, continuous pulling movements. Even as an opponent drives into your guard or shoots in, or you snatch down on a guillotine for the finish, pulling is still more important than pushing an opponent away, to create off-balancing and control. The arms assist the warrior in these motions, but it is the large and powerful muscles of the back that make everything happen. This is why the warrior must have a chiseled back resembling a bag of rocks under his training shirt. Develop this critical area and you will have the edge over an opponent who focuses solely on upper-body pushing movements in the gym.

The pull-up and chin-up are probably two of the oldest known exercises. These are awesome exercises for the development of the muscles of the back, arms, and grip. The pull-up is also a great exercise for identifying relative body strength. This means how strong a warrior is at his or her body weight. Since most MMA events utilize weight classes, your goal as a warrior is to be the strongest competitor pound for pound in your weight division. Whether you are light or heavy, you need to be able to perform many pull-ups. The gold standard for warriors is at least 20 pull-ups for a maximal attempt. If you cannot do 20, you need to either lose weight or get stronger at your current weight.

For you to really get the most out of your MMA training, there has to be variety in not only the exercises but also in the directions of the movements.

If you enjoyed this article on MMA training and would like to read more please go to The MMA Zone.

About The Author

thacker
Martial Arts Supplies

Article Source: JKD Street Combat - online collection of Exercise articles.

Write an online review and share your thoughts with other readers!