How do you train to become a good fighter?

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Kung Fu Forum
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What do you do each day? I realized I know a lot about weight lifting but not very much about how to train MA. Like what kinda stuff do you do? I don’t care much about forms, unless they translate directly into fighting (and let’s not start that argument here). What I mean is, if you had 1 month to teach a beginner to fight, you probably wouldn’t spend much time teaching forms, would you?

So what do you do? Things for endurance, technique, conditioning, power generation, ability to take hits, etc. Hopefully a lot of stuff will be listed and then I can take the correct from the hokey and put it to use.

Specifically, I think I need help with power generation. I’m pretty strong and I could probably suplex most of you here, but I suck at hitting and sometimes my wrists buckle :eek: Well, I mean I suck at hitting if I throw a good punch. If I throw a stupid ass punch with shitty form I can get a lot more power behind it, but that’s not good. I have no heavy bag, so don’t say “go hit the heavy bag.”

I also need help with knowing how to work on fighting stuff. I know how to get my body in whatever shape I need it to be, for the most part, but I don’t know what to do with it. What drills and such translate the quickest and the easiest to fighting? Most of the stuff would need to be done solo, because for at least a while I have no one to train with.

I don’t care about holding stances for hours unless absolutely necessary, and I don’t care about non-necessary traditional crap at this point. I’m sure some of it is useful, but it’s not the MOST useful in terms of directly correlating to fighting. So all I mean is don’t be like “go practice your stepping on bricks that have been turned on their side” or something like that.

Thanks.

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Are you still in that MMA class? that should help.

You don’t have a bag, but do you have focus mitts? if so, there are dozens of focus mitt drills.

Where are you having problems with power generation? from or weak hand, or punching in general?

If I had 60 days to train someone, I’d have him doing plenty of rope jumping, pad drills, grappling and sparring. Things that are gonna directly translate to his fighting. On your own, this would include shadow boxing/throwing and training with inner tubes.

Do you have access to thai pads? the drills you do with those will build your endurance also.

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I’m on my way to class now, so I can’t write alot, but gimme some more specifics and I’ll try to help when I get back.

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Inner tube drills? You mean, like belt cracking?

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That plus using them to develop sweeps and as a resistant force for shoulder throws. All just by tying the inner tube to a pole. The options are limited only by your creativity…

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Are you still in that MMA class? that should help.

No. That class was rad, but I graduated from University 6 months ago so I haven’t been there since.

You don’t have a bag, but do you have focus mitts? if so, there are dozens of focus mitt drills.

I also said I don’t really have a partner. I have a wing chun wall bag that isn’t hung up, and I have a dummy. That’s about it.

Where are you having problems with power generation? from or weak hand, or punching in general?

I’m not really sure. I’d say my body can generate more power than my wrist can take.

If I had 60 days to train someone, I’d have him doing plenty of rope jumping, pad drills, grappling and sparring. Things that are gonna directly translate to his fighting. On your own, this would include shadow boxing/throwing and training with inner tubes.

What do you do with inner tubes? I can’t really do some of the stuff you listed cuz it takes 2 people.

Do you have access to thai pads? the drills you do with those will build your endurance also.

Yeah, I noticed that in class when I had partners to work with.

I guess I’m mostly concerned with getting my wrists to stop being weak, being able to hit harder in general, and being able to take hits and not care. Body shots are ok, but I turn into a ***** if I get hit in the face. Actually, I’m not terribly worried about building endurance and stuff because I already have the knowledge to design a decent program for that, but don’t let that stop you from throwing out suggestions.

edit - I think the wrist thing might have something to do with the fact that I’m an ectomorph and I have pretty small wrists. I mean I know there’s more to it than that, but I bet naturally bigger people don’t have as much problem.

Thanks.

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Have you tried working open hand strikes? They’re much easier on the wrists.

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Have you tried working open hand strikes? They’re much easier on the wrists.

Yeah I’ve played around with them a little bit, mostly on the dummy. But they have about 3" less range than a regular fist, and I don’t think I’m good enough yet to be able to afford myself a 3" handicap.

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Ironmind’s Heavy Hammer II? Or Wrist Reinforcer? I’m considering getting the HHII.

I used to have bad wrists (still do?). When I was a driller’s offsider, we used to tape our wrists with (what you call) duct tape. Heaps of it, every morning. Eventually I built up enough wrist strength to stop using it. I also used to get aching wrists. So I guess you could use tape.

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That’s true; though how much of a handicap it is, I think, depends on how often you’re finding yourself with too much distance to your target.

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Ironmind’s Heavy Hammer II? Or Wrist Reinforcer? I’m considering getting the HHII.

I thought about those, but those are designed for more lifting strength. Now I know that strength is strength, and your body doesn’t know what it’s doing, etc., but I’m just saying that because my forearms and grip are already pretty “strong,” as in I can move lots of weight (for someone my size), but they don’t hold up to impact well.

Maybe it’s just a structure thing. I dunno.

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You could just be pushing your hand into the target too much. Can you focus more on dropping your weight and put your mind on the elbow (dropping and driving) more rather than the fist?

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You could just be pushing your hand into the target too much.

I know it’s probably what it sounds like it is, but could you explain that a little more please? Aren’t you supposed to punch through the target?

Can you focus more on dropping your weight

What do you mean dropping my weight? Like bending my knees more?

and put your mind on the elbow (dropping and driving) more rather than the fist?

That sounds like how wing chun people punch. Does it apply to horizontal western boxing punches, too?

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Sorry; I don’t know what you’ve trained so it’s hard to find a reference point. And these movement things aren’t condusive to written description anyway.

I’ve never trained wing chun, so I don’t know about that. I’m sure that boxers focus on their elbows and weight sinking in this way, but hopefully someone with more experience in boxing will add their insights.

You should strike through the target, but it’s not the same as ramming your hand through the target. Both to effect your target more and save your own joints, you want to release the force in a certain crisp manner.

If you have a stick or machete or something like that around, you can play a bit with moving from your elbow. Just stand holding it and swing it with only the movement of your arm; for example, in a downward diagonal stoke from inside to outside, starting with elbow bent and ending with it straightened. First swing it for a while focusing on the hand holding the stick, and see how that feels. Then do the same thing, but focus on the elbow; the same motion, the elbow making a little arc towards its latissimus, and unfolding naturally with the momentum to straighten the arm, and see how that feels. After not too long, doing it with the focus on the elbow should feel smoother and more powerful; but also feel more natural - alot less like you might crank out your joints doing the movement.

This is just one thing in the movement, but it’s something that can usually be grasped quickly. Of course, you have to take that idea and link it up with the movement of your body rather than your arm in isolation, but this kind of exercise can help give a kinesthetic sense for doing that.

As for sinking your weight, I’m not sure exactly how to describe that. It’s not bending your knees more though. It’s more like… do you know when you’re going up in an elevator, when it stops you feel your body kind of settle into your feet at one moment? Maybe when you’re a kid you tried to jump right at that moment, cause it feels kind of weird? That’s what I mean. But coordinated with your footwork that led to the strike, and with the turning and drilling your body is doing to make the strike, rather than coordinated with an elevator stopping. This is near the end of the movement, not at the beginning.

This is not easy to describe in words. Hopefully someone who knows better will help.

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“I’m not really sure. I’d say my body can generate more power than my wrist can take”

I’m just guessing but it sounds like your connection at the wrist is off. When you make a fist, look at it from the side, the knuckles to the other side of the wrist on the arm, all should be a straight line until you get some muscle buildup in the forearm. Either that or your not getting your mind into your fist.

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Originally posted by CrippledAvenger
Inner tube drills? You mean, like belt cracking?

You can do those, but I was thinking about throws - more equivalent to the pulley. MSToo mentioned the shoulder throw, and in addition, you can do pretty much every throw using the inner tube. You tie one or two tubes around a pole, and you can do fit ins, using the immovable pole as resistance. Hopefully, I’ll have some pics somewhere that you can check out soon.

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Personally, I would do thousands of drills , ( like standing in a fighters stance with your weight even between the feet. Release the front leg and push off the back leg while jabbing, combos ,sideways footwork) and concentrate alot on footwork. Like changing direction quikly shifting from left leg to right leg , and having the back leg follow and then planted down again, paying attention to the shifting from left leg to right leg . Shifting from leg to leg is important and you wouldn’t want one leg to slip out , then you would be totally totally floating in the air stiff , instead of like a linked chain I’d think.

I’ve bought some hand wraps and they can make your hands really tight and secure

I’ll just say I think if you want an easier time , do stances(especially stances) and stepping or you’ll be in for a tough time. Don’t bother with a palm unless you’ve built a structure from long standing postures.

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Ah. I’ve never worked with the pulley, so some pictures would be great. Either way, thanks for the info, MST and 7*. I think I’m going to play with some of my Dad’s spare auto parts and see if I can gerry-rig something to train on while I’m home for X-mas.

MST-- I forgot to grab your number off of Larry, but I’ll do so when I get back from my visit home. I’ve got some training questions to ask you (as always :D).

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

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What you need is a coach.

There could be dozens of reasons your wrists buckle, and none of us sitting around here are going to figure out which one it happens to be without watching you punch.

And that’s just one thing. There’s dozens of little details involved in throwing a good punch, to say nothing of defensive movement, footwork, grappling, etc.

You need someone who knows this stuff to watch you and tell you what you’re doing wrong, to correct it.

At the very bare minimum, you need a sparring partner. You’re not going to learn to fight without fighting, and you’re not going to learn to take hits without getting hit.

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Originally posted by FatherDog
[B]What you need is a coach.

There could be dozens of reasons your wrists buckle, and none of us sitting around here are going to figure out which one it happens to be without watching you punch.

And that’s just one thing. There’s dozens of little details involved in throwing a good punch, to say nothing of defensive movement, footwork, grappling, etc.

You need someone who knows this stuff to watch you and tell you what you’re doing wrong, to correct it.

At the very bare minimum, you need a sparring partner. You’re not going to learn to fight without fighting, and you’re not going to learn to take hits without getting hit. [/B]

Best damn post of the night. Seriously.