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As promised I will be reviewing self defence and martial art DVD’s and books, the first of which is taken from the huge collection donated by Master Russell Stutely Europe’s leading authority on the use of pressure points in the martial arts.

The first DVD I will be reviewing is titled Balance Points this DVD is available as either a download or as hard copy DVD. The viewing quality of the download version is excellent with no problem playing on full screen.

Now to the fun bit the content, as the title suggests this is about balance points and how by following simple rules you can easily unbalance an opponent whilst keeping your own. The importance of balance in any martial art be it boxing or traditional karate can not be over emphasised. Put simply if your opponent is off balance there punches or kicks carry no real power there accuracy goes out of the window in fact they are in a bad place where with you in balance can hit with full power and accuracy. The principles laid out in this amazing DVD apply to any and all martial arts and when you incorporate these principles into your own style you can not help but improve.

Russell makes learning very easy as each lesson is shown slowly from various viewing angles so that the viewer can get to grips with each lesson very easily. One thing he keeps saying is start light and slow to begin with and as your confidence grows increase the power levels. Obviously letting your training partner know as good training partners are hard to find and you do not want to break any.

I have previously stated that the principles laid out in this DVD can be adapted to any and all martial arts this is because we are talking about the body here and what will unbalance the body it means it is the same for everybody irrespective of style or art.

This is a DVD I heartily recommend to any martial artist beginner or black belt you will be bowled over by the simplicity and effectiveness of the techniques shown.

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When you think of a core exercise, most people think of doing situps, crunches, and the hundreds of variations of these exercises. These exercises are good for when you’re on your back in MMA, but aren’t as applicable to developing your core for striking power.

To develop your core so that your punches and kicks get harder and faster, you need to train your core in a standing position.

The medicine ball is the perfect tool to use to develop explosive hands because it develops your rotational power. But using the medicine ball requires you to be able to throw it – something not possible for many people who train in the gym (or have to train in the gym in winter, like here in Canada).

To get the same benefits as using a medicine ball, you can use a heavy bag.

You’re going to learn 2 exercises that will really develop explosive striking and you can do them at your MMA club.

Here’s the first one:

Heavy Bag Chest Throw

1. Stand in front of a heavy bag and push it up until it’s at a 45 degree angle and you’re holding your body at an angle
2. Take a wide stance and bend your knees to get in a quarter squat position
3. Throw the bag up and forward and catch it and repeat immediately

This exercise gives you the sagittal plane stability that you need to keep a solid base when you lean into a punch and connect.

The next exercise gives you the transverse plane stability for generating explosiveness in your strikes:

Heavy Bag Hand-to-Hand Pass

1. Stand in front of a heavy bag with a wide stance and bent knees
2. Keep good posture throughout
3. Throw the ball with one hand to the other as hard and fast as you can without losing your posture
4. Keep your abs tight (braced)

Now for each of these exercises, you want to do them quickly and explosively, but never lose your posture. Maintaining your posture is how you train the core muscles, once you lose it, the muscles you want to be working stop.

Instead of doing these exercises for reps, do them for time. Do as many as you can in 10-15 seconds, rest a minute between sets, then repeat for 3-5 sets each. You can also super set them, depending on your current fitness level and what you want to get out of the training.

For more just click Here: http://www.ultimatemmastrength.com/

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Strength and conditioning for MMA is an evolving science, getting more detailed as the popularity of the UFC and mixed-martial arts grows. Like all sports, MMA athletes must dedicate themselves to workouts that will take them to the highest level of physical fitness possible.

To make sure you’re achieving your full potential as a fighter, make sure you utilize these 3 MMA workout tips in your strength and conditioning program.

Tip #1 – Follow a Program

If you’re not following a program, you could simply be spinning your wheels. The worst thing you can do is go to the gym and say to yourself, “OK, now that I’m here, what am I going to do?”

If you’re serious about being an MMA fighter, then you must have a strength and conditioning program that’s laid out for at least the 8 weeks leading up to your fight. If you don’t have a fight lined up, then you must think about what you need to improve and focus on those aspects of your game.

Tip #2 – Maximize your Efficiency in the Weight Room

As a mixed-martial artist, you’ve got to train jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, wrestling, and put them all together into MMA at the very LEAST. This doesn’t leave you a ton of time to work on strength.

So you’ve got to get the most bang for your buck in the little time that you do have.

In your strength program, you can do so by training full body workouts focused on movement patterns. Think squat, lunge, deadlift, push, pull, and twist instead of chest, biceps, quads, hams, back, etc.

Hitting the full body with different movement patterns two days a week will allow you to make progress in your routine without over training. Here’s an example of a 2 day split:

Day 1: Reverse lunge – Bench press – Woodchop – Arnold press – Reverse Curl
Day 2: Squat – Chinup – Romanian deadlift – 1-arm row – Skull crusher

You could do these workouts on Monday and Thursday to develop your strength and power.

The repetition range you use will depend on your goals, if it’s muscular endurance, then choose 10-12 reps, if you’re going for pure strength, you can get down to 3-5 reps. A good balance is between 7-8 reps per set. The lower the reps and heavier the weight, the more rest you generally want to take.

TIp #3 – Use a Medicine Ball for Conditioning Circuits

By far the best tool for developing MMA specific power is the medicine ball, since you can throw the ball as hard and fast as you can in rotational movements that heavily involve the core. Integrating the medicine ball will allow you to develop knockout power with your strikes, as well as explosive take down ability.

Exercises like the side toss and chop toss will have you (and your opponents and sparring partners) feeling a difference after only a few weeks.

Unfortunately, many people do these exercises completely wrong, in terms of reps, weight, and form.

To see how you can integrate exercises into your MMA strength and conditioning program, click the following link: http://www.ultimatemmastrength.com/

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