MMA Articles

Heavy Bag Training for Mixed Martial Arts, Self Defence and Fitness by S.ward C/o Themmaforums.com

Heavy Bag training for Mixed Martial Arts, Self Defence and Fitness.

by S.Ward c/o www.themmaforums.com

The Heavy Bag is most often used suspended from a ceiling but should also be used on the ground to practice ground striking as well. It can be punched, kicked, kneed and elbowed. Used correctly it can improve the power of your striking and gives a great cardio workout as well, but if used improperly can cause injuries.

The Self-Defence benefits of Heavy Bag training

Striking the heavy bag can develop great fight related qualities but is nothing like a real combat situation. The strikes used against the heavy bag are what’s known as Gross Motor Skills meaning they are simple actions using large muscle groups and when used under an Adrenal Dump status (the bodies Fight or Flight response) will often result in a greater performance in terms of strength and endurance.

Training your striking skills can lead to an increased confidence in your ability to strike an opponent which can be beneficial to those whom may be reluctant to fight back or suffer greatly under the bodies adrenal responses.

Good strike training, against the heavy bag, pads and sparring with partner(s) builds competence and confidence and develops ‘muscle memory’ so when confronted by an assailant gives the ability for the body to strike as it does in training without the person making a concious effort to strike with these developed skills.

AnAerobic Training

Anaerobic training is training at such an intensity that the body is unable to keep up with it’s oxygen requirements and so can only be carried out for a short period of time. Carrying out this type of training on the heavy bag both leads to an increased time in being able to carry out a ‘flurry’ of strikes and also develops the important factor of a ‘determination to win’. Driving yourself to carry on with every single ounce of determination, mental stamina and ‘grit’ you can muster.

Note: This type of training is intense and should not be carried out unless you have a good foundation of conditioning and striking mechanics. Sprained wrists are a common injury sustained in this type of training.

Heavy Bag training for fitness

A good heavy bag training program improves your cardiovascular system, improves muscle strength, bone density, connective tissue strength and also burns calories and fat. By incorporating punching, elbowing, knees and kicks into your traing regime you use all the major muscle groups within the body. Arms, shoulders, abdominals, hip flexors and the leg muscles become both conditioned and also develop coordination.

Stress Management Benefits of Heavy Bag Training

The evolution of mankind has created our brain and bodies to react in a pre-programmed response to danger and is most commonly termed ‘Fight or Flight’ and causes a host of responses in the body to allow us to either run at a higher speed (flight), or fight at a higher level of intensity (fight). When confronted with danger this is a good thing, but is often mistaken as ‘fear’. Today’s modern lifestyles often cause the triggering of this pre-programmed response when it isn’t needed or wanted, being stuck in a traffic jams, arguments at home can all be triggers for the response.

Also the response causes the body to release toxins which if not used up, cause what is commonly known as ’stress’. Physical exercise is required to flush this ‘fight or flight’ residue from our bodies before it compromises our health and immune system. Vigorous exercise, such as heavy bag training gives the exertion needed to burn off this residue and return the mind and body to a healthier state.

Take this training, turn up the music and destroy your ‘opponent’. Remove all this negative ‘energy’ from within you and turn it into anger to destroy your imaginary opponent and allow Endorphins to give you that ‘feel good’ post workout sensation.

Precautions to consider when Heavy Bag Training

Like any form of exercise if taken to extremes, heavy bag training can be counter productive and involve risks. It is designed to ‘build you up’, increase your strength, your fitness and your health.

Just as impatient weight trainers damage their joints and strain their muscles, or runners who increase their mileage too quickly can suffer shin splints, bag training is exactly the same. Make sure you execute your strikes with proper form to maximise your gains whilst reducing the risks, this will allow you to continue your training for a much longer period of time.

The two types of athletic injuries most common with physical training are ‘chronic’ and ‘acute’. Chronic injuries develop and last over an extended period. Training improperly, too intensely, or too often causes them. When your body is stressed through exercise, it must be given time to recover and rebuild itself in order to become more efficient and be ready to be trained again.

When your training too hard or not resting for sufficient time between your training sessions, you will develop overtraining injuries. It’s imperative that you realize that the bodies muscles adapt much faster than the connective tissues and that striking puts a great deal of stress on these connective tissues. Your advances in speed and power will quickly exceed the capacities of your bones, tendons, ligaments and joints. This can result in torn muscles, chronic joint pain and even result in permanent injuries.

Acute injuries like a sprained wrist or a broken bone occur suddenly. The risk of these injuries should be reduced with proper form and of course common sense. Technique comes before speed and power. There isn’t a need to smash the heavy bag as hard as you can every time you train. Concentrate on good body mechanics and allow the speed and power to develop by itself. Begin slowly and allow your speed and power to gradually increase and as always allow your body to adapt and become able to handle these stresses.

Avoiding bad practice

Often when people train on the heavy bag their proper technique goes out the window. Feet come off the ground, the body is badly aligned, they wind up their strikes like a baseball pitcher .Don’t exaggerate your movements and keep your techniques correct. Apart from the risk of injuries, your practising of these bad techniques will result in incorrect ‘muscle memory’ and so when you use your techniques against a real opponent, you will leave yourself open to counter attack.

Telegraphing of your techniques

Telegraphing means you make obvious preparations to throw a technique, cocking your fist back before throwing a punch is a good example. As the bag doesn’t fight back people often forget the importance of being able to strike your opponent without signalling your intention to do so.

Failing to defend

Because the bag doesn’t hit back people drop often their guard when practicing. Keep your hands up at all times and concentrate on not just the attacking part of a technique, that’s the easy bit, concentrate of maintaining a good defence as well. Do this with every strike you throw and slowly but surely you will do this automatically over time. Keep moving in and out of range, visualise your opponent doing the same and keep your head moving, don’t just move straight back, move side to side, up and down.

Pushing instead of hitting the bag

A common mistake when hitting the bag is to follow through too deeply and push, rather than hit the bag. A punch or kick increases in speed from start of it’s movement through until it’s fully extended. The further an arm or leg for example moves, the faster and more powerful it will be. Strike the bag at the point near full extension. Penetrate it no more than a few inches beyond the surface and generate a “popping” sound on impact. Never lock out the limbs else you will hyper extend the joint and cause problems in the joint and it’s connective tissues.

Holding your breath

People often hold their breath which is a bad habit. First it reduces your endurance by starving your body of the oxygen it needs. Secondly you increase thoracic pressure which can result in you injuring yourself. Exhale as you strike. This prevents the holding of your breath and improves your techniques power by tensing the muscles of your torso which are responsible for a great deal of the power in your strikes.

Always warm up and cool down

Warming up improves your performance and reduces the risk of injuries and post-exercise muscle soreness. Before exercising intensely work up a light sweat and engage in some basic limbering exercises to increase blood flow, your range of motion and to lubricate your joints. Jumping rope, ‘running on the spot’ and shadow boxing for 10 or 15 minutes are good ways to begin your workout. (Note: don’t do extensive stretching during the warm up. It can compromise joint stability and make you more susceptible to injury. Leave vigorous stretching until the end of your workout). steadily cooling down at the end of your workout returns your system (breathing and heart rate etc) to a resting state. Never finish an intense workout and then just stop. The cool down is a time to work on your flexibility with stretching exercises and should be thoroughly enjoyed as flexibility is important, especially in MMA when the ranges and techniques involved range a great deal.

Some ideas for creating a training regime

There are a variety of Martial Arts from which MMA fighters source their striking techniques. The most common one though is Muay Thai but MMA fighters must adapt their footwork as they need to defend from a takedown and wrestling techniques attempts made by their opponent.

Repetition based training: Learn the basic strikes, kicks, knees, elbows and punches and create combinations you want to practice. Perform sets and reps of each. For example, execute two sets of 20 lead punches, three sets of 20 roundhouse kicks, etc. Rest long enough between sets to catch your breath and move on to the next.

Time-based Training: Another excellent way to train is to work for a time limit or set number of rounds. For example, execute either random strikes or pre-determined combinations continuously for 2 to 3 minute rounds with 1-minute rest period in between.

Circuit Training: Circuit training is good if you are already in good shape, consider alternating your bag work with other exercises to form a circuit. However, don’t alternate with weight lifting exercises because the muscle fatigue will make you more susceptible to injury. For example alternate 3-5 minutes of jumping rope with 3-5 minutes of bag work. Complete as many cycles as you need to get a good workout.

AnAerobic Training: AnAerobic training should be reserved for those who have established a high level of fitness and proper striking mechanics. This training involves intense barrages of strikes for a time limit (15 to 30 seconds+) or a rep goal (20 to 30 repetitions of a combination). This training is as mental as it is physical as mentioned earlier. There are significant benefits to this “stop/start” or interval-based training. You exert yourself for a brief, intense period, recover, and then exert yourself again. This training improves your ability to recover quickly, increases the efficiency of your muscular and anaerobic energy systems and elevates your metabolism (burning body fat) for several hours post workout.

Frequency and intensity

Heavy bag training, like other forms of exercises, stresses the body. Training too intensely can surpass the body’s (joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, nervous system) ability to recover. I recommend that heavy bag training be limited to 2 or 3 times per week. The more intensely you train, the more time off you should take between workouts. It is a good idea to alternate intense workouts with easier ones.

I hope this short introduction into Heavy Bag training gives you an idea on how to use it both correctly and safely.

by S.Ward

c/o The MMA Forums.com

Disclaimer : The author accepts no responsibility whatsoever for anything related to this article. Consult your doctor before starting any type of exercise.

Mixed Martial Arts Stand-Up Style

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full, contact sport which includes techniques such as striking and grappling. This sport can serve as a workout that helps improve many different areas of your body. There are different styles in mixed martial arts and the stand-up style helps improve your punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing and footwork techniques.

Striking

A strike is an attack with a part of your body or with an object such as a weapon. Punches, kicks and headbutts are all forms of strikes. Although, headbutts are prohibited in many MMA organizations because of the amount of harm it can cause a person. Your back, hips, forearms, shoulders, wrists and fingertips can also be used for striking in some martial arts. Judo and wrestling are sports that do not employ striking.

Grappling

Grappling is controlling an opponent without the use of striking. You would use gripping and handling in order to control your opponent. There are various hold attempts such as grappling holds and choke holds.

Sprawl-and-Brawl

There are various nicknames for the different styles of mixed martial arts. The sprawl-and-brawl is a stand-up fighting method that focuses on striking and avoids ground fighting. Ground fighting is when both combatants are on the ground in hand-to-hand combat. In a sprawl-and-brawl, combatants use sprawls to defend against takedowns. The sprawl is executed by scooting your legs backwards in order to land on the upper back of your opponent undertaking the takedown. A takedown is a term used in combat sports and martial arts for a technique that off-balances your opponent and brings him or her to the ground. In a takedown, you should be the one that lands on top.

Sprawl-and-brawlers are usually boxers, kickboxers, Thai boxers and full-contact karate fighters. They are trained in wrestling and try to avoid takedowns and keep the fight standing. This style is very different from regular kickboxing styles. The sprawl-and-brawler must adjust his or her techniques to incorporate ground fighting and takedown defense.

Stand-Up Grappling (Clinching)

In stand-up grappling, two combatants start fighting from a stand-up position. The aim and purpose of this style varies depending on the combat sport or martial art you want to do. Stand-up grappling can be offensive such as it is in wrestling or Judo, but it can also be defensive as it is in Aikido.

Stand-up grappling revolves around throws and takedowns. A throw is another martial arts term for grappling where you cause your opponent to be off-balance or you lift your opponent up and toss him or her to the ground. In some sports, the fight is over once the combatant has fallen down.

For MMA, some fighters train in multiple styles with multiple coaches or train in teams. Some important parts of an MMA fighter’s training include flexibility, speed drills, strength training and energy system training.

Mixed Martial Arts and What You Should Know About It

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, combines many different fighting techniques, including grappling and striking, and high performance standards, particularly in the often intense, and very popular MMA tournaments. The first tournaments came about as a result of the 1993 Ultimate Fighting Championship, which matched different fighting styles in a competition where the rules were minimal and the goal was to find the best fighters in the world. The success of this mixed martial arts combat style led to the development and implementation of rules designed to keep athletes safe and deflect early criticism of the sport while still holding on to the original concept of the UFC as much as possible. The modern MMA tournaments have their roots in the Vale tudo martial arts tournaments held in Brazil by the Gracie family beginning in the 1920s, and the preliminary martial arts tournaments hosted in Japan by Antonio Inoki in the early 1970s.

There are several different competition techniques, including striking techniques, like kicks, punches, and knees, and grappling techniques, like pinning holds, submission holds, clinch holds, takedowns, throws and sweeps. The permissibility and legality of certain other techniques like head butts, spinal locks, and elbows vary according to the specific organization and sponsored competition. Although many critics have attempted to portray the MMA fighting style as violent and brutal, there has never been a death or crippling injury in any sanctioned MMA event in North America. The U.S. state athletic and boxing committee regulates the MMA, requiring participants and sponsors to adhere to a set of officially sanctioned rules and regulations, which include rules for knockout, submission, technical knockout, the ten point system, disqualification, and no contest. Common fouls include clawing, twisting and pinching flesh, small joint manipulation, attacking an opponent from or on the break in the care of an official, attacking the groin or trachea, fish-hooking, biting, and hair pulling, spitting, use of abusive language, and other similar acts.

The MMA continues to grow in popularity and reputation, as athletes associated with the sport have also gained reputation and renown, as well as successful careers and endorsement deals. With mainstream acceptance, worldwide acclaim, and an every growing fan base, what started as an abstract concept has become an established sport and a successful platform from which many athletic careers have been launched. The future of the MMA appears to be bright, and the popularity of the sport even more so.

The Benefits of Training in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combination of karate, grappling, wrestling, Tang Soo Do, boxing, jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do and more all combined in one. Mixed martial arts, in its modern form, emerged in 1993 through the Ultimate Fighting Championships and was based on pitting different fighting styles against each other with minimal rules to determine which system would be better in a real, unregulated combat situation.

During the late 1990s, the governing bodies imposed extra rules for the safety of the athletes and to try to promote the sport and gain wider acceptance, but still maintaining the no holds barred idea. MMA has grown rapidly in the last few years with many people both young and old realizing the many benefits of mixed martial arts both physical and mental and this has seen enrollments in classes increasing worldwide.

MMA is classed as a combat sport, but it’s a sport that stresses the ideals of fair play and respect for your opponent still. However, MMA are still quite often wrongly known as vicious and brutal.

Regardless of MMA’s reputation, the competition is relatively safe. Due to the rules and regulations imposed and strictly enforced and the tough mental and physical conditioning of the opponents there has never been a death or indeed a critical injury report by the MMA as directly linked to any tournament.

Martial arts are great for the body. Regular training strengthens and tones the muscles and adds flexibility. Training in martial arts gives you a full cardio work out. You can expect to greatly increase your strength and stamina and improve your hand eye coordination. Martial arts is a good weight loss program as well because it becomes a complete system in which a healthy diet is part and when combined with the extreme physical activity proper weight loss is assured.

Classes are run at schools, dojos, youth groups organizations, church groups, and other, less formal settings. MMA is also being incorporated into many gyms as mixed martial arts become more popular.

A typical class will have you start with a warm up consisting of various stretching exercises, trunk rotations, jumps, squats and abs tightening exercises. Then there will be a series of movements taught and explained in full. Sparring is controlled and protective gear is worn, such as helmets, gloves and guards.

At other times a bag will be used for practicing kicks, jabs and punches. Although you may feel awkward and unfit at first, it will not take long before your fitness and skill level improves, along with your frame of mind.

People who practice MMA feel and look healthier, but there are far more benefits than the physical side. While many think of martial arts as violent, in the mainstream it is used as self defense. It does not encourage violence but teaches the student how to control anger and how to use self control and restraint.

Students are taught self discipline and the rigors of training builds character and self-confidence, which ultimately reduces temper induced rages that can often be the cause of many street fights. This confidence carries over into everyday life and as a result mixed martial arts students tend to be become better people than they were.

Mixed martial arts training teaches you that you must control the powers that you have had the privilege of learning and never use it recklessly or without thought. Students are also taught that before any success is achieved they will fail many times and that practiced and perseverance is the key. This is a valuable lesson to learn and will often carry over into other endeavors the student undertakes.

Furthermore, the training teaches you that every person is responsible for his own actions and must understand and abide by the given rules. This kind of training improves one’s actions in life as well as in martial arts training and tournaments. Many of these arts build a spiritual life into the training, with courtesy, self-control, perseverance and integrity emphasized in the classes. So much so that many Christian Church groups are running mixed martial arts classes for their youth organizations due to the character building characteristics in martial arts training that are also much a part of Christian beliefs.

Given all this, it is no wonder that so many parents are enrolling their children in mixed martial arts classes today. They see their children’s health and fitness improve, something their child’s peers often lack. And they also witness their children’s mindset, attitudes to life and self-improvement, respect and courage all improve as well.

Anyone who trains in karate, jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do or any of the arts will gain these benefits. If you have any desire to improve your body and mind at the same time with only one activity, then martial arts is something you ought to seriously consider. You don’t just get in shape physically, but also mentally and spiritually. No gym workout can compare. All across the world, adults are joining dojos and thoroughly enjoying the many benefits of mixed martial arts.

Mixed Martial Arts and UFC History

Mixed Martial Arts or MMA consists of a professional fighter using different styles of martial arts to ultimately defeat his/her opponent. The earliest recorded full-contact martial art was named Pankration and began in Greece around the year 648 B.C.

There is a strong possibility that Pankration may have been the parent sport of Mixed Martial Arts and many other full-contact combat styles. It is believed that Pankration formed many of the styles and techniques used in today’s Mixed Martial Arts.

Wrestling is a great influence in MMA, which can be observed by many a spectator. A Mixed Martial Arts or UFC match can be mistaken for a wrestling competition to the untrained eye. During the late 1800’s boxing and wrestling became popular among certain individuals such, as John L. Sullivan who was at that time well known for his no holds bar approach.

During the late 1800’s, many people held anything goes competitions and matches, and more often the wrestler succeeded in defeat. Across Europe, boxing versus other styles of martial art were common place, most notably Jiu Jitsu vs boxing. There was huge demand of individuals wanting to learn this early Mixed Martial Art and no short supply of people wanting to spectate.

A massive contribution to Mixed Martial Arts was Bruce Lee. Bruce Lees’ first martial art style was Wing Chun, but he later formed his own style known as Jeet Kune Do. This type of Mixed Martial Art consisted of of different styles such as Wing Chun, Karate, boxing, Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling and more. Lee’s theory was that these different styles of martial arts allowed him to use the best de fences and conduct the best attacks.

Another influential figure to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts was Royce Gracie who won the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993. It was after this event that Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC gained a massive cult following throughout the world.

My Journey Into Mixed Martial Arts Training

Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts is both a mentally and physically demaning sport. mma puts great strain on the athlete which requires the fighter to be fit and healthly. Being a mixed martial arts fighter requires expolsive power, stamina and cardiovascular training. The training involved within mma is often tough and physically demaning, and having to follow a strict diet can be often challenging for the aspiring mixed martial arts practitioner.

Having to attend mma training sessions throughout the week, keep appointments with the gym, eat correctly, fit in home based exercise sessions, requires dedication and relentless self- discipline. But the rewards gained from this self-discipline and dedication, makes the mixed martial arts fighter a superior individual.

As a Prison Officer and keen mixed martial arts trainee, I find keeping the training and home life balance difficult. It is my intention to briefly explain how I keep my Mixed Martial Arts training, and all important home-life running smoothly.

Firstly I would like to explain more about myself. As I stated I am a Prison Officer working in one of HM Prisons. The job can be often dangerous and having to deal with volatile and potentially violent situations is an often occurrence. I’ve been threatend, assaulted, spat at etc etc. Anyway, people ask me why I do the job. I ask myself the same question, and my answer is still the same “I dont know” Enough of that for now. Well, I’m married and have a great son. We all live quite happily together wich is a rare case in today’s society.

As a keen mixed martial arts practitioner, I find it quite difficult to fit in training sessions with the job and family life. I’ve been interested in martial arts for most of my life and have only really got into mixed martial arts quite recently, after a little health scare.

I was smoking and drinking quite heavily for the last three years and gave up all my fitness and martial arts training. I was 2st overweight and felt sluggish all the time. I would get up at 5.00am for work with a hangover and a stinking headache, everyday.

I decided enough was enough and I gave up smoking and drinking in one hard swoop. After much tought and deliberation, I began to put a training package together. It would involve me running and cycling to work, circuit training and walking. With this simple exercise programme I lost 1st in a month which put me on the road to mixed martial arts. I’ll explain more about my journey into fitness and mixed martial arts in my next article.