Training To Increase Striking Power

Funny how we get crazy over time issues. Even when we're leaving to do something relaxing, peaceful, spiritual or fun or whatever we just get cranked up like a bunch of psychos about how to get everything done before we need to leave. I suspect most people go through at least some of this. I can remember trying to get ready to go to church on Sunday mornings as a kid and having the typical family craziness strike. A time when you should be relaxing and getting into a mode of reverence, yet somebody doesn't get out of the bathroom fast enough, or one of the kids lost his left shoe and the dog ate the right one and we're all running late and getting cranky about it.

I suspect a large majority of us have been through this problem at some point in our lives. We need to get passed being hung up on time and getting aggravated with each other over minor details. Remember above all, not to strike out in anger at the ones you love over ridiculous issues. There are more important things going on in life and it's hard to take back vicious things said in the heat of the moment.

We need to step back and embrace the discipline of peace. Remember that God is in control and that ultimately all things happen for good. Therefore in the grand scheme of life, why am I yelling because the waffles are burnt?

Choose to live by the idea that God is truly in control and wants peace for all of us and makes it available by trusting Him. Faith is a choice. So is peace. We spend all of this time developing our discipline in training yet we don't keep it together in the emotional times in our life. Many of us can easily choose to walk away from junk food, but can't choose not to flip out over the small tribulations of life.

Choose to exercise your discipline. Exercising the discipline of peace becomes easier the more that you do it, just like physical discipline. Get right with God, get right with your family and then choose peace. Period. Refuse to be emotionally slapped around by the minor details of life. Choose to be happy, joyful and peaceful. Eliminate those things in life that cause distractions from where you need to be. But realize that outside distractions will always be there and that you must make the choice to live in peacefulness and have the strength to not let it be moved.

More on this to come.

TRAINING TIP

I got an email from a gentleman recently that we'll answer privately in greater detail, but his question was basically "How do I train to increase striking power?"

We get this question A LOT! So I'm going to give you some basic thoughts on how to do it.

1. You've got to have an all around solid training program. There is no single magic exercise, but if you're increasing your entire body's ability and practicing your technical ability in striking then you're going to get better.

2. You've got to do heavy leg and back work. Any properly thrown strike generates from the ground up. The stronger your thighs, hips and torso are, the greater the power you can generate. Punching is not just the arm; it should be the action of the whole body behind the arm.

3. Single limb exercises. I was going to say single arm exercises, but I recently rethought this and this is a section we're adding to our upcoming book, Ultimate Strength and Conditioning For Martial Arts. By doing compound exercises that work a single a limb at one time you teach the entirety of the body to contract and put its force behind a single limb. Isn't' this exactly what you should be doing when you strike something? One arm presses. One arm rows, One-legged squats, one leg deadlifts, and one arm deadlifts. All great whole body movements, teaching you to put everything behind a single focused movement.

4. Partial training. After the generation of the beginning power for striking a blow should always be loose until the last possible second. Then in the last instance before contact the body should become like iron and the strike should move through the target. Doing partial squats, deadlifts and overhead lifts radically increases your body's ability to demonstrate this concept. You massively improve your power at almost a fully extended range of motion. Which is where the last bit of power comes from in any strike. You also increase your tendon, ligament and overall core strength and contractile strength in a way that's specific to martial arts.

5. Isometrics. They build again, contractile ability but they also build speed and build the body's ability to unify behind a particular movement. Try this. have someone hold a heavy bag, punch it a few times to warm up and get the feel of how quickly you're moving. Now do an isometric move with them holding the bag and you pushing into it at the beginning of your punch, and at the extension of your punch. Hold each position for six seconds. Now step back, relax and punch the bag. See if you don't move faster. And see if you don't feel your whole body more together behind the punch.

These are some thoughts on how to increase striking power for whatever art you might happen to participate in. Remember that nothing replaces skill practice, but to be truly great at martial arts you must meld together technical practice and physical training so that you have a greater vehicle with which to apply your techniques.

Remember to check out our book 50 Power Points.

It has some excellent suggestions on how to make partial training that we just mentioned pay off for bigger lifts and greater overall power as well as lots of other advice to save you time and effort in reaching your ultimate potential.