Over the weekend Danelle and I attended a strength and conditioning seminar by Kevin Kearns, S&C coach to many big-time MMA fighters. While he didn’t delve as deeply as we would have liked into programming and “bigger picture” stuff, we did come away with a lot of new and neat ideas to incorporate into Krav classes.
Now, do you need the conditioning of an MMA fighter to be proficient in Krav Maga, or self-defense in general? Following the One Rule of Krav Maga (Don’t Get Hurt / Go Home Safe), we want to end an altercation as quickly as possible, not outlast our opponent in a three-round sport fight. So technically, no, we don’t need to train like those super athletes. But why take the chance? As goes one of my favorite of many quotes from expert strength coach Mark Rippetoe, “Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. I’m working on an in-depth post about metabolic conditioning as it relates to Krav training, so much more on this later…
We instructors have a pretty good idea of what’s needed to effectively train for self-defense, but let’s hear from you. A big reason for creating the new blog-based site was to get students more involved, so give us some feedback in the comments below. Here are some questions to get you started:
- What are your thoughts on incorporating some new strength and conditioning protocols into our warm-ups and drills?
- What kind of exercises/drills do you like or want more of? Want less of?
- We sometimes do an organized stretch as part of the warm-up, and we sometimes let you stretch on your own. Which do you prefer?
- What are some of your personal strength and conditioning goals?
1. I am in favor of this. I like variety and new challenges (at least in theory).
2. I like aggression drills, partner/team exercises, and “simulation drills” (e.g. bad neighborhood).
3. I prefer stretching on my own.
4. Goals? To increase my strength and endurance. 😉 Nothing more specific than that.
1.I’m definitely interested in new strength and conditioning in class.
2. I’d like to see more tabata intervals. Nothing is better. Less shoulder tag. Although I can see its usefulness it can get very boring if done too often.
3. I prefer stretching on your own because I have my doubts about static stretches in general.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?ref=playmagazine
4. Most of my strength and fitness goals involve Crossfit wods but if you can help me get my Fran below 5:00, I’d be grateful.
Yes, I used the term “stretch” loosely (pun intended). One reason I would prefer to lead an organized dynamic stretch is to put an end to a lot of the dubious (if not dangerous) stretching I see.
Now that you’ve passed the Level 1 test, you’ll be subjected to much less shoulder tag! Just don’t forget the important lessons you’ve learned from it…
I’m with you on Tabata and a faster Fran time!