A feature for combat magazine:
After many years of working with elite athletes across a wide range of sporting disciplines from speedway to golf, boxing to squash, I’ve had the benefit of closely studying their training methods and adapting them - where necessary - to achieve greater results. And the most consistent conclusion I have been able to draw is that resistance training must always be about far more than the development of strong, powerful muscles. It is about evolving and repeating high quality, precise movements with great form. And this is as true for Martial Arts as any other pursuit – probably more so!
I developed Powerbags to directly address this issue. Rigid weights (dumbbells & barbells) and medicine balls have a valuable place in training but I felt a new kind of weight would demand much more from the user, allow for a greater variety of training exercises, could be adapted for specific physical pursuits and goals and achieve very definite results. An uncluttered, hardwearing, sand-filled bag with handle straps has proven to be the answer.
Because the sand has some room for movement inside the bag and there is flexibility in the canvas strap handles, Powerbags are inherently ‘unstable’ (unlike traditional weights) – this demands greater precision from the user and places the onus on exact movement. The instability also creates unpredictable movement through certain exercises – an element that is vital in training the body to maintain balance, power and equilibrium whilst having to adjust and adapt. Think of the way Naseem Hamed at his peak could explode a punch with immense power and total precision from the most extraordinary angles whilst appearing to be almost off-balance. If we train our bodies to maintain form even when adapting to balance and position shifts and to respond ‘with interest’ - huge strides in performance can be achieved.
The premise is simple. Learn to move correctly through all plains, ensure form is consistent then bring in the power moves and intensity.
At the heart of martial arts performance lie the fundamental needs for: focus, form, control and execution. Frantic bursts of speed and explosive exertion count for nothing more than wasted energy if not applied correctly. Therefore it is self evident the same must be true for dedicated and appropriate training methods.
At Performance Technology we focussed on the end goal and desired performance out-come and then refined training to utilise Powerbags in the most pertinent ways. In so doing a comprehensive spectrum of movements and exercises are outlined to ensure high quality movements are drilled and power is layered onto this technique. With correct training judgements improvements in conditioning and performance in all fields have proved significant.
Adding muscle and explosive strength to a frame that suffers from poor movement, poise or posture is akin to sticking a supercharged engine in a car with an inappropriate chassis and suspension system. It might look OK at first glance but closer inspection will reveal an ineffectual machine with long-term performance and mechanical problems.
I believe it is imperative to develop effective movement patterns at the origin of any resistance training programme. If a golfer ‘grooves’ a flawed swing the results are always going to be disappointing. Similarly the gains in resistance work are far greater and provide long-term benefit (including injury protection) only when executed with control and accuracy. The huge variety of Powerbag based exercises can then effectively add strength, power and muscular endurance onto good movements, utilising: throwing, lifting, rotational and diagonal actions, catching, movement drills and patterns. I have worked with Gordon Fearn – a TAGB TKD World Champ, current European Champion and top MA coach, and GB Olympian Ralph Minott. Both implemented a dynamic variety of Powerbag moves to great effect.”
Gordon Fearn recently told me he is training as hard as ever and is still making significant gains in this area. He honestly believes much of that is down to his consistent use of Powerbag which has enabled him to translate his physical conditioning into direct success on the mat.
Through attention to variation in training the process becomes a continual development with focus on high quality throughout every aspect of each session. It is through this approach and the versatility of the methods that the possibility of reaching and even exceeding performance and functional training targets occur.
Resistance training must always be about far more than how much weight one is able to lift in a restricted number of exercises, particularly when applied to an MA training environment. It should be about how your training work impacts on your life in terms of specific performance, general activity and health. When you create this mindset through your training, each decision made about what exercises to include within your programme, the form and precision with which you execute them and the attention and rigour you apply to each exercise or movement determines whether your efforts elevate you from a plateau to the next level of performance.
It is a well known tenet that in order to develop excellence you have to input quality. Part of this means you don’t limit what you are able to achieve by missing out important or critical stages in your training development. Many coaches agree that a key physical attribute defining elite performance is the ability to harness and execute power and performance through technique. If you accept this, it seems obvious that the training and preparation that you undertake should make this as likely as possible.
Coming from a background involving high-level performers we use many elite sporting analogies, however the same concepts hold true for anyone who does anything physical in their lives. In the same way a Karate competitor or judo player needs to move with power and precision to excel and win, an 85-year-old slipping needs to regain his balance before the slip becomes a fall with the possibility of injury. In effect both parties have to impart a precise quick, powerful movement if they are to be successful, not a slow strong action. We are talking then about the development of power and control over a wide variety of movements rather than just the limited range of movements we too often see performed in typical gym situations. We are not just talking about machine based training here, but also the potential limitations of using bar and dumbbells or any system where the link between training approach, application and desired results are not fully recognised.
Some of this may not sound too far away from some of the language used in disciplines such as yoga or Pilates. And indeed their focus on the ability to control and position the body in flowing movements with poise is certainly reflected in our philosophy to training and exercise.
In concert with yoga practitioners we believe training and preparation should become part of a fascinating education where you will continually develop, set and reach new goals. It is something to be enjoyed rather than endured.
Powerbag training might not offer all the answers to effective training, but it is based on principles that create the optimum chance of improvement and success. The responses we are getting to our training approach and the tools we have developed from elite performers in many sports, the military, rehab patients and schools indicate that we are providing a significant improvement over many resistance training systems. Our approach to training has been developed through years of detailed and wide-reaching work and study, observing first hand what works and what does not. And through the intelligent application of what we have observed and what we feel needs to be applied for maximum effectiveness in training meeting the needs of performance. Powerbags linked to the Powerbag training philosophy has provided an important part of the answer to genuinely successful training. |