Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

By Dion Riccardo

Due to the high amount of contact that combat athletes make during training and sparring, it is essential that we take special care to ensure that we do not injure our fellow teammates. Your partner is your coach and you are your partner’s coach while training. Competitiveness is in our nature, but we cannot allow it to come before our teammates’ safety and well-being. In order to make the best of training and sparring we need to meet all the safety precautions required in a contact sport.

Before you begin a martial art or contact sport, you must 1st ensure that you are physically healthy enough to participate. Protective equipment coupled with a protective training environment is a must. The type of protective equipment will vary from sport to sport or art to art. Bottom line is this – if you do not have the proper equipment, you should not participate. If you have been training long enough to be able to spar, you should have the proper equipment. Make sure that the mats (or flooring) are dry, and that the designated sparring area is free from any clutter. Read the rest of this entry

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. Read the rest of this entry