BritMMA.co.uk's New Columnist Matthew Palfrey

deano · Aug 24, 2010

BritMMA.co.uk are delighted to announce the addition of an exciting new columnist to the website. Matthew Palfrey will be writing articles on Strength and Conditioning, which will be viewable every other Tuesday on a biweekly basis. As an introductory article, Matthew answered some questions explaining who he is and his areas of expertise.

Here's a little sampler:

Q: Have you got a certain 'philosophy' to your strength and conditioning
work?

A: There is a distinct lack of quality S&C coaches in British MMA, and I think
that needs to change in order for the sport to continue to grow in this
country. Every club needs to have an s&c coach on their staff list and I
dont just mean an instructor that takes the fitness sessions but a
qualified S&C coach who understands the needs of fighters.

My philosophy is, surprisingly, that strength and conditioning will not make
you a better fighter. A well developed S&C programme will allow you to train
to become a better fighter, and thats a really important distinction to
make. My job is to get people to that level where they have no weaknesses in
their physical game and they are able to train at an elite level. I think
too many people have this blinkered view that S&C will build muscle whereas
sparring will make you a better fighter, and thus we have lots of people who
pay little attention to it.

I think that the internet has done much for opening peoples eyes to
different training techniques for MMA. However, the biggest problem I see is
people following programmes that arent designed for them and performing
movements with poor technique. This is where the coaching comes in.

Theres also a disturbing trend in MMA where most of the S&C work is
bracketed into five minute rounds. Though this is appropriate in some cases
and in moderation, people should be improving competence across a range of
work/rest ratios. Over the course of your average fight there will be a
variety of peaks in work output. These will range from maximal effort power
movements under load (e.g. a takedown) to consistent aerobic/muscular
endurance work over a full five minutes. My coaching reflects this demand.
Click to expand...

Read the whole Q&A here, and if you have specific questions, sling him an email using the address at the bottom of the article

http://www.britmma.co.uk/#/matthew-palfrey-column-qa/4543361106

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BritMMA.co.uk's New Columnist Matthew Palfrey

deano Active Member Full Member