Ring Training For MMA Athletes

deano · Jan 12, 2011

Matthew Palfrey is back for his first article of the new year on BritMMA, in which he investigates how useful gymnastic rings are for MMA strength and conditioning, suggesting some useful exercises along the way!

Part of the piece:

What are the Gymnastic Rings?

The gymnastic rings used by male gymnasts in competition for a variety of ‘artistic’ movements. They come in pairs and are connected, via straps, to a frame of some sort. Modern rings have been adapted to be suitable for strength and conditioning purposes and most can be fixed to any solid structure – including beams and even tree branches.

The Flexible Training Aid

The gymnastic ring is to bodyweight training what the sandbag is to free weights. It effectively adds high levels of instability to a variety of bodyweight exercises. This concept of instability, as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, is very important in MMA. Competition and training in MMA involves, at least to some degree, exposure to an unstable force/object i.e. your opponent. Therefore, a sensible strength and conditioning programme should always address this.

Other than this inherent element of instability, the gymnastic ring is an extremely flexible training aid to work with. As the rings are effectively ‘free moving’ they offer a variety of options not typically present in bodyweight or fixed bar training. The mastery of your own bodyweight is of utmost importance but typical bodyweight work involves you moving yourself against a fixed surface. Think of some of the most common bodyweight exercises – chin ups, press ups, dips. You move but the bar or floor stays stable.

But, when facing an opponent, you need to be prepared for the surface (in this example, your opponent) to move. This is a very simplistic way of looking at the concept of instability but I hope you can see that training for both instances is important.
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Full article can be read here: http://britmma.co.uk/ring-training-for-mma-athletes/4547337669

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Ring Training For MMA Athletes

deano Active Member Full Member