By Stephan Kesting Originally published in Ultimate Athlete, June 2003 Introduction "Proper planning and preparation prevents piss-poor performance" - the 7 "P's" of the British SAS … [Read more...]
19 Tips on Lifting Weights for Martial Arts
In the not-so-distant past weight training was discouraged for martial artists. "It will make you slow", "it will make you muscle-bound", and "all you need is technique" were common opinions from the 'experts'. Times have changed! Athletes in almost every sport lift weights now. Coaches and trainers recognize that it will make their athletes stronger, faster, and more resilient to injury. It is … [Read more...]
Kettlebell Training for MMA
By: Mike Mahler Mike Mahler is a strength coach and a certified kettlebell instructor based in Santa Monica, California. For more information go to www.mikemahler.com. … [Read more...]
Combat Grip
An Article by Rick Walker from www.dieselcrew.com "Whether you are grappling with or without the gi, grip strength is a huge asset for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling and mixed martial arts (MMA). … [Read more...]
An Interview with Rhadi Ferguson
Rhadi Ferguson is a 4-time US National Judo Champion, a 2004 Judo Olympian and a 2005 Abu Dhabi competitor. Since his retirement from active competion he is at the forefront of combative strength and conditioning training. … [Read more...]
Conditioning for the BJJ Fighter
by Marcus Soares and Stephan Kesting Originally published in Grappling Magazine … [Read more...]
Four Reasons You Might Be Getting Tired in BJJ
by Guest Author, Mark Mullen (BJJ Brown Belt, Judo Brown Belt) I've been grappling for many years, and here's a situation that comes up all the time... I often spar younger, heavier, beginners. At the end of the round they're usually fighting for breath, arms trembling from fatigue. … [Read more...]
How To Stop Someone From Passing Your Guard
A reader writes: Hi Stephan, Thank you for the newsletters! I started training BJJ and MMA about 5 months ago - it's been life changing for me. Do you have any tips for keeping someone in your guard and not letting them pass? Sincerely, R.W. ======== My Answer ======== Hi R, First of all, congratulations for jumping into such a challenging and hugely rewarding sport. Most of the … [Read more...]
How bad do you want it?
I found this short Youtube video and voice-over really inspiring and wanted to pass it on. It has nothing to do with martial arts. But in a way it has EVERYTHING to do with martial arts! Plus the sports-specific training footage is pretty cool too, and might give you some good ideas for your own conditioning!! … [Read more...]
Three Great Bodyweight Conditioning Routines for BJJ
It's January and all the gyms are packed with newly-inspired fitness junkies. But you can't always get to a gym, and sometimes the weather makes it tough to go for a run. The beauty of bodyweight, however, means that you can work out almost anywhere. … [Read more...]
Training MMA Skills Under Pressure
It's easy to train an activity when you're calm, relaxed and not tired. But being able to execute those same movements correctly when you're fatigued and gasping for breath is something entirely different. … [Read more...]
The Exercise I Was Doing “All Wrong”
Let's talk about lifting weights... LOTS of weights. But to tell you the whole story, first let me take you back to when I released a little DVD called Dynamic Kneebars... … [Read more...]
Killer Grip, and How To Get It!
Stephan's note: this post is one of over 50 lessons in the Beginning BJJ eCourse. Sign up here to get your hands on the rest of the lessons for free. My BJJ coach Marcus Soares believes that a really strong grip is one of the most important physical attributes for a BJJ fighter. … [Read more...]
Why I’m Training Like A (Strikeforce) Girl
I had a great conditioning workout today, motivated by two entirely different things. The first thing firing me up was watching a Christiane Cyborg conditioning session on Youtube. She was preparing for her recent fight in Strikeforce against Gina Carano. … [Read more...]
Podcast EP1: GSPs Original MMA Conditioning Coach: Jon Chaimberg
Jon Chaimberg is a guy I've always wanted to talk to. Actually, that's an understatement, because I what I really wanted was pick his brain mercilessly until he gave me all the secrets of his incredible approach to MMA conditioning. Jon has worked with many top Mixed Martial Arts fighters, including Georges St-Pierre, Denis Kang, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, David Loiseau, Keith Jardine and … [Read more...]
Tradeoffs in Conditioning for Grappling
I first got serious about physical conditioning when I got involved in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Sure, I'd lifted weights and done some running before that point, but there was just something about grappling that drove home how very important conditioning was. … [Read more...]
How to Stay Fit on Holiday
How many people do you know who gained 10 lbs or more over a relatively short trip to an all-inclusive resort, or a week of Christmas celebration? The holiday bulge phenomenon is really, really common. And maybe you've even experienced it yourself... … [Read more...]
Miracle Cures for Grappling Problems
I first truly realized how powerful drills can be about 15 years ago. At that time I was I was teaching a self defense class. One of my students was of average size and strength with severely below-average punching power. … [Read more...]
Functional Training Gone Bad
Today I'm going to tell you about one of the sillier ideas I've ever had... About 10 years ago I got interested in functional training and sports specific exercises. I wanted to get away from the Pec Deck and do exercises that more closely mimicked the movements I was using on a daily basis in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo and wrestling. … [Read more...]
More On Pull-ups…
Here is some feedback and some more pull-up variations that drifted in from the ether since I released the 19 Pullup Variations video... … [Read more...]