Masutatsu Oyama’s Expirament with Mixed Martial Arts and Weight Training Decades ago, the late Mas(utatsu) Oyama, founder of Kyokushinkai Karate, and arguably the undocumented godfather of mixed martial arts, once conducted an informal test between two of his students to determine what kind of physical conditioning was best for hand to hand combat performance.
The first student’s preparation for the competition consisted mostly of calisthenics as background conditioning.
The exact exercises used were not documented exactly but it may be assumed that while the first student did bodyweight exercises such as pushups, pull ups, jumping, stretching and the like, the second student was newly introduced to barbell and dumbbell exercises.
The first student’s body became supple and wiry.
According to the story, the karateka who trained with classic karate calisthenics “Beat the muscle boy hands down.” Does this prove that training only with calisthenics is the best conditioning method for Karate or Mixed Martial Arts? What if the first student was just a better fighter? Did they have the same nutritional plan? Did they use supplements? Did they understand the value of weight training recovery at that time? This kind of test hardly proves anything given the fact that there were too many uncontrolled variables involved.
The concept of barbell exercises being an integral part of mixed martial arts equipment was new and under the authoritative auspices of Mas Oyama, it must have made sense that weight training slowed you down by making you what was known at the time as “Muscle bound.” Also, there was only one student of each conditioning discipline.
Mixed Martial Arts is an Anaerobic Activity A 1998 study observed that advanced practitioners of karate tend to be much stronger in the bench press and half squat than beginners.
This is probably due to a constant regimen of push-ups and jumping but could it also be the other way around? That is, if a martial artist was to begin a weight training regimen, including bench presses and squats, would this help them better in their sport? The same study analyzed that martial artists such as karatekas tested out more or less to be anaerobic athletes.
The goal of the mixed martial artist must be to not only learn striking and grappling techniques but to also develop the stamina to sustain these activities for long periods of time.
To attain stamina, the strength and conditioning of the mixed martial artist must be of a hybrid nature.
In yet another study it “… is recommended that karate practitioners perform more specific weight training, plyometric exercises, and interval training to increase the ability to buffer acid muscle and blood concentrations and to build lean body mass, strength, and power to develop the specific motor skills required in sparring.” Mixed Martial Arts Requires Training Specificity MMA conditioning for a cage fight can be a grueling affair.
If this is the case, you should never tire yourself out first with stamina training.
Skill Movements requiring critical accuracy, finesse and timing should be practiced first.
If you practiced the more skilled and explosive movements first when you are fresh, you are telling your body through the language of muscle memory something like, “I want you to do it this way; sharp, accurate, crisp and powerful.” If you train finesse techniques when you are exhausted, your muscle memory will tend to return sloppy and tired movements in the future.
There may be a sound argument in that you should exhaust yourself first and then practice a skill such as kicking.
“After all”, you say, “What if a bout lasts many rounds? My body should have the muscle memory to know what is needed to fight well when exhausted, shouldn’t it?” If this is your thinking then first practice skilled movements in your workout, then exhaust yourself and if you still have enough energy left, finish up with skilled movements.
A Sample Weights Interval Workout to Develop Stamina Here is a great workout for building stamina for mixed martial arts.
You should only do a workout of this type after you have been weight training for at least a few months and you are in reasonably good shape.
Then step down onto the floor first with your right foot bringing your left foot down beside the right.
So consider weights to be part of your mixed martial arts training gear.
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