Uthoff, Aaron PhD; Lenetsky, Seth PhD; Reale, Reid PhD; Falkenberg, Felix MSc; Pratt, Gavin MSc; Amasinger, Dean BSc (Hons); Bourgeois, Frank PhD; Cahill, Micheál PhD; French, Duncan PhD; Cronin, John PhD

Strength and Conditioning Journal 45(1):p 67-82, February 2023. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000705

PURPOSE:

To review current empirical evidence on how combat sport athletes respond to different methods of resistance training and offers practical recommendations for implementing nonspecific and specific exercises.

RATIONALE:

Full contact combat sports like mixed martial arts, Tae kwon do, and boxing require the delivery of a large amount of damaging strikes in order to succeed. Generating knockdowns, rendering unconsciousness, and scoring points can be accomplished through the use of high effort striking forces. Research has shown that striking forces can be enhanced through either nonspecific or specific strength and conditioning methods or a combination of them.

CONCLUSIONS:

· The ability to repeatedly deliver powerful blows while also managing to avoid incoming strikes is critical for success in many full-contact combat sports.

· Because power is the product of force and velocity, a combination of high-force and high-velocity training should be considered when training to maximize striking performance.

· The literature shows that using nonspecific training methods, such as squat jumps, bench throws, and isometric core training, is beneficial for improving striking forces for combat sport athletes.

· Specific training methods like banded strikes appear to preferentially transfer to kicking performance.

· Performing combat training with wearable resistance leads to the greatest increases in punching performance.

· Even though there is a lack of empirical evidence that supports one ideal training method, a variety of nonspecific and specific methods have been proposed, based on anecdotal support from strength and conditioning practitioners.

· Variable resistance and ABC complexes can be integrated with nonspecific training methods to 1) account for the length-tension relationship of muscles and 2) improve their coactivation, respectively.

· To maximize effective mass, specific training methods, such as rotational landmine punch throws and isometric punches can be used to improve striking impulse.

· More research is needed to substantiate the effectiveness of different training methods on striking performance, but strength and conditioning practitioners should integrate a combination of both nonspecific and specific training methods to increase both force and velocity capabilities.

IN PLAIN ENGLISH:

A host of training modalities and protocols can be used to improve combat sport striking force. Make sure they 1) are safe, 2) offer a measurable benefit, 3) are inserted logically in the training program so adequate recovery from them is allowed, 4) are done consistently to offer a benefit, are performed progressively as one adapts to them. And most important, assure one practices the specific combat skills needed in competition to better improve their chance of succeeding.