What training to focus on to be a great fighter?

[A-D]

Do more bjj.

'more' in like 5 times a week or 7+?
one training session takes two hours.

my trainer said to me: sometimes training more wont mean you progress faster. i didnt understand at first but he said its really how you train that makes difference. so you dont need to do bjj all day long.

thing is i can train bjj more often but as long as i feel like i make progress fast enough to be at high level around the age of 28-29 im cool with it.

@bushman how often do you train bjj? and what is according to you the added value of training bjj alot (and how often is best?)

i love more opinions/ideas to think about

 

[bushman505]

'more' in like 5 times a week or 7+?
one training session takes two hours.

my trainer said to me: sometimes training more wont mean you progress faster. i didnt understand at first but he said its really how you train that makes difference. so you dont need to do bjj all day long.

thing is i can train bjj more often but as long as i feel like i make progress fast enough to be at high level around the age of 28-29 im cool with it.

@bushman how often do you train bjj? and what is according to you the added value of training bjj alot (and how often is best?)

i love more opinions/ideas to think about

When I was serious about martial arts and competing I trained like 6 times a week and fit in weights 2x a week. For conditioning I usually just ran in the mornings which was easy for me because I've been getting up early for a run for most of the past 25 years.

If your goal is to get better at bjj and you're training 4x a week, getting in 2 more sessions will make you better at bjj than lifting or going running.

 

[A-D]

When I was serious about martial arts and competing I trained like 6 times a week and fit in weights 2x a week. For conditioning I usually just ran in the mornings which was easy for me because I've been getting up early for a run for most of the past 25 years.

If your goal is to get better at bjj and you're training 4x a week, getting in 2 more sessions will make you better at bjj than lifting or going running.

Aha sounds good, i've got a few questions for you;

At what age was you competing/taking martial arts serious?

Getting up early for a run seems fine but how much sleep did you get in per night?

Also did you only do bjj or did you do multiple martial arts simultaniously?

And final question; for how many years was you training like this and would you have done something differend now looking back?




my trainer also said something like this ▲

 

[Sano]

Aha sounds good, i've got a few questions for you;

At what age was you competing/taking martial arts serious?

Getting up early for a run seems fine but how much sleep did you get in per night?

Also did you only do bjj or did you do multiple martial arts simultaniously?

And final question; for how many years was you training like this and would you have done something differend now looking back?


my trainer also said something like this ▲

Yeah that's what so hard about learning MMA. You not only "have to" do strength/prehab training and perhaps conditioning, but you also have to learn Boxing, Kickboxing, Thai, Wrestling, BJJ and other grappling principles. It's not easy fitting all that into a schedule AND trying to recover as well (which get a lot harder as you age). Training smart is what it's all about. As long as you gradually build up your tolerence you can do more.

I think the plan you laid out is alright, especially if yoga functions as a sort of active recovery for you. Try it out. Otherwise I would suggest doing blocked training. Meaning that perhaps you start focusing on your strength and get good at the exercises. Then when you've build that up you can maintain it and start working in the conditioning, while putting strength on the backburner. It's much easier to maintain something than it is to build it up.

Anyway, if you gradually increase your workload, be smart about the exercises you are doing and be sure to put good form first, it can't really go wrong. So don't sweat it.

Good luck with everything!

 

[A-D]

Yeah that's what so hard about learning MMA. You not only "have to" do strength/prehab training and perhaps conditioning, but you also have to learn Boxing, Kickboxing, Thai, Wrestling, BJJ and other grappling principles. It's not easy fitting all that into a schedule AND trying to recover as well (which get a lot harder as you age). Training smart is what it's all about. As long as you gradually build up your tolerence you can do more.

I think the plan you laid out is alright, especially if yoga functions as a sort of active recovery for you. Try it out. Otherwise I would suggest doing blocked training. Meaning that perhaps you start focusing on your strength and get good at the exercises. Then when you've build that up you can maintain it and start working in the conditioning, while putting strength on the backburner. It's much easier to maintain something than it is to build it up.

Anyway, if you gradually increase your workload, be smart about the exercises you are doing and be sure to put good form first, it can't really go wrong. So don't sweat it.

Good luck with everything!

thanks man, i try my best. Blocked training sounds interesting but strength is not easy to maintain when suddenly start focusing on conditioning i guess?

Yea i don't do yoga classes but for myself at home. I do alot flexibility and mobility exercises to make my body more agile. Need to focus alot on shoulders now since they are not as mobile as the rest of my body.

One question; im training split because i think it will help alot when i start practicing kicks in the future, am i right?

 

[TheeFaulted]

One question; im training split because i think it will help alot when i start practicing kicks in the future, am i right?

Its really not that important unless you want to be like JCVD.

 

[Sano]

thanks man, i try my best. Blocked training sounds interesting but strength is not easy to maintain when suddenly start focusing on conditioning i guess?

Yea i don't do yoga classes but for myself at home. I do alot flexibility and mobility exercises to make my body more agile. Need to focus alot on shoulders now since they are not as mobile as the rest of my body.

One question; im training split because i think it will help alot when i start practicing kicks in the future, am i right?

It's a lot easier maintaining it than building it up, even if you're doing conditioning. Don't overthink it. Enjoy the training and stick to it, you have a lot of time. It's always easier to put something more in when you've adjusted.

Oh okay, if you feel like yoga/mobility work gives you relief and helps you out then it sounds pretty good as active recovery.

Hmm, split, as in THE splits? If you have a natural affinity for it, it feels good and you want to do it, then I guess. It does help with dexterity but it's not a necessity.

 

[bushman505]

Aha sounds good, i've got a few questions for you;

At what age was you competing/taking martial arts serious?

Getting up early for a run seems fine but how much sleep did you get in per night?

Also did you only do bjj or did you do multiple martial arts simultaniously?

And final question; for how many years was you training like this and would you have done something differend now looking back?




my trainer also said something like this ▲

Long answer here.

I was mostly into Muay Thai and kick boxing from age 18-35, I did gay Keon doh before that. I think I trained fairly seriously for somebody who had other obligations. I was very serious about it for a very long time, I set my career back a decade by choosing training over a job.

Getting up early for runs is good, I still do it, it's a ritual. I'm in bed by 10:30 on any given night and a ale and feeling cool by 615.

I did BJJ for like 10 years and I'm a purple belt but never really competed, just trained.

How many years did intrainnlike that? Well, I still frtbup and run so that part is going on 25 years lol. I was into Muay Thai from about ~17-35 when I was 35 I got into boxing. Then I stopped. I'm 37 now and I have s career where I need to be in great shape so I don't do any martial arts now.

I mostly jump rope and work on pull ups and don't job (hiking with heavy pack) now.

 

[A-D]

Its really not that important unless you want to be like JCVD.

who doesnt want to be a man with a net worth of 30 million ?

It's a lot easier maintaining it than building it up, even if you're doing conditioning. Don't overthink it. Enjoy the training and stick to it, you have a lot of time. It's always easier to put something more in when you've adjusted.

Oh okay, if you feel like yoga/mobility work gives you relief and helps you out then it sounds pretty good as active recovery.

Hmm, split, as in THE splits? If you have a natural affinity for it, it feels good and you want to do it, then I guess. It does help with dexterity but it's not a necessity.

dexterity is a good enough reason for me to try it oh and i will try blocked training

Long answer here.

I was mostly into Muay Thai and kick boxing from age 18-35, I did gay Keon doh before that. I think I trained fairly seriously for somebody who had other obligations. I was very serious about it for a very long time, I set my career back a decade by choosing training over a job.

Getting up early for runs is good, I still do it, it's a ritual. I'm in bed by 10:30 on any given night and a ale and feeling cool by 615.

I did BJJ for like 10 years and I'm a purple belt but never really competed, just trained.

How many years did intrainnlike that? Well, I still frtbup and run so that part is going on 25 years lol. I was into Muay Thai from about ~17-35 when I was 35 I got into boxing. Then I stopped. I'm 37 now and I have s career where I need to be in great shape so I don't do any martial arts now.

I mostly jump rope and work on pull ups and don't job (hiking with heavy pack) now.

But was you not a sponsored athlete? pretty dedicated man.
How can you be in bed at 22:30 when training muay thai and kickboxing? in my area these sports take place at times like 19:30-21:30...

10 years purple belt? How often did you train bjj then if i may ask?

and im really getting curious now, whats your job?

 

[bushman505]

who doesnt want to be a man with a net worth of 30 million ?



dexterity is a good enough reason for me to try it oh and i will try blocked training



But was you not a sponsored athlete? pretty dedicated man.
How can you be in bed at 22:30 when training muay thai and kickboxing? in my area these sports take place at times like 19:30-21:30...

10 years purple belt? How often did you train bjj then if i may ask?

and im really getting curious now, whats your job?

Classes were usually at 5 or 6. I was completely done by 8pm.


Yeah lol 10 year purple...moving around the world, taking breaks from training, having times where there was 6+ Months of no instruction.


At some point real life happens and the romantic idea of doing bjj or Muay Thai forever becomes something you do as a hobby rather than a lifestyle.

My job now, I love I remote communities, I'm in a town that had 60 people lol, no bjj here.

 

[bushman505]

who doesnt want to be a man with a net worth of 30 million ?



dexterity is a good enough reason for me to try it oh and i will try blocked training



But was you not a sponsored athlete? pretty dedicated man.
How can you be in bed at 22:30 when training muay thai and kickboxing? in my area these sports take place at times like 19:30-21:30...

10 years purple belt? How often did you train bjj then if i may ask?

and im really getting curious now, whats your job?

And nah I wasn't sponsored. I got fairtex shit for cheap becaue my school was a dealer, that's about it son. The shit I got for free over 20 years was probably worth 50 bucks lol.

 

[A-D]

Classes were usually at 5 or 6. I was completely done by 8pm.


Yeah lol 10 year purple...moving around the world, taking breaks from training, having times where there was 6+ Months of no instruction.


At some point real life happens and the romantic idea of doing bjj or Muay Thai forever becomes something you do as a hobby rather than a lifestyle.

My job now, I love I remote communities, I'm in a town that had 60 people lol, no bjj here.

okay sounds fine, and are you happy with your current job (i still dont know what your job is)

60 people? thats barely a street? o boi. But alaska doesnt have much population density am i right? Not much people there at all. But images on internet of Alaska look beautiful!

And nah I wasn't sponsored. I got fairtex shit for cheap becaue my school was a dealer, that's about it son. The shit I got for free over 20 years was probably worth 50 bucks lol.

50 bucks is not much over twenty years.

 

[miaou]

yess i will do that in a few years but now focus on my ground work. Later i will drop swimming, do a bit less groundwork, no conditioning but do 3- 5 times kickboxing per week.

You are 18 years old and apparently you don't know how to strike. You aren't going to become a "great fighter" by starting to practice striking "in a few years" while spending your time swimming.

 

[TheeFaulted]

who doesnt want to be a man with a net worth of 30 million ?

The point is training economy. Especially since you are not even training kickboxing, you should have no illusion of ever being a striker like JCVD. There are any number of things you could spend your time on that would likely improve your MMA game much more than training to do the splits.

 

[miaou]

The best answer to your question depends on your individual characteristics.

If you have good posture, good movement mechanics and access to good coaches for every fighting discipline, then you should train grappling, wrestling and kick-boxing and worry about everything else later, as @JosephDredd said.


If you don't have access to, say, a good wrestling coach, but you have access to good grappling and good striking coaches, then you might want to focus on the latter two until you are also able to train with a competent wrestling coach.

If you don't have good posture and good movement mechanics, then you should consider including at least a couple of strength sessions per week working towards achieving good functionality. In this case, working with a competent professional would be a great investment.

 

[JosephDredd]

If you don't have good posture and good movement mechanics, then you should consider including at least a couple of strength sessions per week working towards achieving good functionality. In this case, working with a competent professional would be a great investment.

So much this. i wish someone would have told me this two decades ago. would have changed my entire life.

 

[miaou]

So much this. i wish someone would have told me this two decades ago. would have changed my entire life.

Same here.

It would have changed my entire life.

Literally.

 

[A-D]

You are 18 years old and apparently you don't know how to strike. You aren't going to become a "great fighter" by starting to practice striking "in a few years" while spending your time swimming.

it sounds pretty dumb when you say it like that i have to admit. its not that i do swimming INSTEAD of kickboxing. its just that i am wondering if kickboxing will be the right thing to practice simultaniously with ground game. dont you think its best to focus on parts of fighting instead of training everything real hard at the same time but with less focus on specific elements of fighting?
See you may be right, you just one of the first who tells me its better to do.

The point is training economy. Especially since you are not even training kickboxing, you should have no illusion of ever being a striker like JCVD. There are any number of things you could spend your time on that would likely improve your MMA game much more than training to do the splits.

You, listen. i dont have that illusion. Instead of wailing about training splits tell me what you mean so i can think about it.

The best answer to your question depends on your individual characteristics.

If you have good posture, good movement mechanics and access to good coaches for every fighting discipline, then you should train grappling, wrestling and kick-boxing and worry about everything else later, as @JosephDredd said.


If you don't have access to, say, a good wrestling coach, but you have access to good grappling and good striking coaches, then you might want to focus on the latter two until you are also able to train with a competent wrestling coach.

If you don't have good posture and good movement mechanics, then you should consider including at least a couple of strength sessions per week working towards achieving good functionality. In this case, working with a competent professional would be a great investment.

My posture; Big feet, Big hands, average leg strength, strong core, average shoulders, strong arms, strong neck. with strong i dont mean superhuman strong i mean i dont complain about it.
acces to good bjj and kickboxing coaches and maybe also wrestling.
With strength training i get help of several physiotherapists and instructors so that will do fine.

 

[TheeFaulted]

If you want to compete in MMA, you're starting very late. You need to get competition experience soon and regularly. Consider someone who switches to MMA after a NCAA wrestling career. They have competed on the mat thousands of times before they ever have a single MMA fight. If you want to compete in MMA, you need to start striking training ASAP.

 

[A-D]

If you want to compete in MMA, you're starting very late. You need to get competition experience soon and regularly. Consider someone who switches to MMA after a NCAA wrestling career. They have competed on the mat thousands of times before they ever have a single MMA fight. If you want to compete in MMA, you need to start striking training ASAP.

okay thanks, i will do that. i dont care if 18 is late.

One thing i need to know, is it best to first specialize in martial arts, like bjj kickboxing wrestling for example, and then when you have Years spend in those you start training mma?
Or is it best to JUST train mma?
Or like 4 times bjj a week, 3 times kickboxing, 2 times wrestling and 1 time mma? there are kickboxing schools that give 1 mma lesson per week.