Photo courtesy of Team Quest.

Becca Borawski talks with a trainer who's been working with MMA fighters and world class wrestlers for decades, about how he incorporates strength and conditioning work with skills training and how he peaks and tapers training leading up to a fight.

Ideally, when preparing for a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, an individual would like to have eight to ten weeks of preparation, a period known as a "fight camp." Frequently, however, for younger competitors fighting in smaller organizations, or even a fighter the level of current Pride Welterweight champion Dan Henderson, fights can come up with as little as three to six weeks notice.

A fight camp, regardless of length, consists of three elements of training: skill, strength, and conditioning. How often do you see skilled fighters "gassed" halfway through a fight and left unable to execute their well-honed techniques? Or see fighters with great muscular and cardiovascular endurance but only rudimentary skills to pair with it? All three elements must be trained, but this must be done in such a way that the athlete is not overtrained by the time of the fight.

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CrossPit is a blending of CrossFit with the Pit, John Hackleman's mixed martial arts (MMA) and fitness training program—a blending that we believe best prepares fighters for the ring and the rest of us for general self-defense. CrossPit's efficacy comes from its simplicity. Proficiency in stance, movement, and a few basic strikes, combined with the gas to go the distance, is usually more effective on the street and in the cage than extensive training in complex martial arts sequences. The Pit's Chuck Liddell has demonstrated this at the top level of professional MMA, and amateur fighters from the Pit are regularly beating much more experienced and “highly trained” fighters.

CrossPit, like CrossFit, is a multidisciplinary approach that takes what works and discards the rest. What works is what wins fights. MMA provides a great testing ground, and the abundance of street fights posted to the Internet show what works without a referee. The same protective stance, proper movement, power to stop your opponent, and stamina to outlast him are needed in both arenas.

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A dream gym. That is what Big John McCarthy opened earlier this year in Valencia, CA. Opening a gym had long been a thought in John McCarthy’s mind, and in March of 2006, at the urgings of close friends and his wife, he decided to go for it. Just six months later Big John McCarthy's Ultimate Training Academy opened its doors.

For a mixed martial artist seeking a gym, the Ultimate Training Academy has everything (including new CF affiliate CrossFit Valencia). When McCarthy's wife first discovered the warehouse space it was dirty cobweb-ridden space that had been left vacant for a year and a half. Today the gym is an impressive sight and a veritable martial arts playground.

The facility itself is 14,000 square feet of floor space, with an additional 2,000-square-foot mezzanine overlooking the training area. With thirty foot ceilings, the atmosphere is very open and inviting. A full-sized Octagon and a 24' × 24' Pride-sized ring are the focal points of the gym. These are flanked by a 32' × 16' space holding approximately twenty heavy bags. Beyond this is a 3,100-square-foot mat area. In addition, there are two 400-square-foot matted rooms for private training. A 1,500-square-foot free weight area sits at the back of expansive space below the mezzanine, and yet another area holds stationary bikes and rowing machines.

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Nothing quite catches the attention of an audience like a knockout, whether it be in boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts. The left hook is a particularly famous knockout punch, and it is the focus of the second part of this four-part series on striking. However, it’s not just for knockouts. The left hook can be utilized in the gym to develop explosive power, hip movement, and coordination.

All techniques and stances in the article will be described for a right-handed individual; left-handed fighters will need to reverse the left and right directions for all the techniques (e.g., right foot forward in fighting stance and a right hook).

The left hook

This entire article is available in the CrossFit Store.

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Due to the efforts initially of the Gracie family, and many others to follow, Brazilian jiu-jitsu was introduced to the United States in the 1970s and has since thrived. Jiu-jitsu has evolved into a popular art and one of the essential elements of the growing sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

The triangle symbolizes Brazilian jiu-jitsu both philosophically and physically. The triangle shape is embedded in the logos of schools across the country. It represents not only the distribution of balance and strength that a jiu-jitsu player’s body should possess but also the spiritual aspect, the three sides representing mind, body, and spirit. In its simplest, most physical explanation, though, it represents the submission known as the triangle choke.

The triangle choke is a blood choke, which restricts the flow of blood through the carotid arteries to the brain. When applied properly, it can quickly render the opponent unconscious.

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