Sparring Exercise 1
by Kephri Ra on Jun.07, 2009, under Advanced Training, Conditioning
I really do think that sparring is the single most important part of mixed martial arts training, but just straight sparring as a semi-contact fight using normal MMA rules is only one part of what should be your overall training programme. There are various specialized training exercises based on sparring that can be used to develop specific parts of your game and to work on specific techniques. over the next few weeks and months I will be adding a series of exercises like this.
The first one is simply to have 2-5 minutes of striking vs. grappling. One person can only use punches and kicks, whilst the other person cannot use any strikes at all, and must try to take their opponent down to the ground, at which point the fight is stopped whilst both fighters get back to their feet. This is great training for your takedowns, and for takedown defense – much more so than just practicing your takedowns in isolation.
