Core Training for MMA

Core Training for MMA

Let’s start off by establishing what the core is. Forget about what it looks like or where it’s located. We’re going to focus on the important stuff. We’re going to focus on function.

Your core has two primary purposes: to keep your spine safe and to ensure efficient transfer of force. Both of these make you a better athlete. The first is because you can’t train or compete effectively if your body is as shattered like a Greek wedding plate. The second is because you’re robbing every movement of strength and power if you’re inefficient. Sound reasonable? Good. Let’s move on.

Keeping your spine safe and keeping your spine in its natural alignment are very similar goals. While the human spine does a pretty good job of dealing with weight stacked vertically (as in a squat) it does not tolerate twisting or bending nearly as well. This is particularly true of the neck and lower back. And while there’s only so much we can do to prevent this on the mats or in the ring, there’s absolutely no reason to replicate it in the weight room.

In the practical sense, this means sit-ups, crunches and the more extreme extension movements are out. Many people would argue that we practice these types of movements in our sports so we have to train them. I am here to kindly and gently tell these people that they are wrong.

Here’s another way to look at things: if you train for any combat sport you will – at one point or another – get hit in the face. This does not mean you should show up to the gym and take punches to the nose for three sets of 12. If you wouldn’t do it to your face, don’t do it to your spine.

So, with many of the go-to movements taken out of our repertoire, what do we have left? I’m glad you asked.

Start simple

If you don’t have a good sense of what good spinal alignment feels like, begin there. Stand tall. Your focus should be on being as lengthened as possible. Many people make the mistake of over-arching their lower backs. This fixes one problem and creates another. Your goal should be to minimize compression. If you find yourself unsure of what good alignment is and suffer from even a little back pain, seriously consider finding a good physiotherapist.

Take it to the ground

Revisit the good, old-fashioned plank. The plank is, in essence, standing with good posture from a completely different angle. You need to develop a semblance of endurance and postural awareness here before you take things any further.

You may feel something like this to be too basic. Bear in mind that there are a lot of people who want to skip the basics of jiu jitsu, for example, and move right on to flying armbars and inverted guards. These people, as you probably know, have entirely the wrong idea.

Increase complexity

Your end goal is to bring the same quality of posture and awareness you had in a standing position back into your sport. It’s a lot to ask of anyone, however, to take something they’ve practiced in a simple, isolated setting and automatically apply it to live performance. You’ve got to bridge the gap.

Here are five ways that we’ve progressed the basic plank into a more dynamic fashion suitable for combat athletes. Enjoy.

1. Rolling plank

From a planked position, roll into a side plank, back to centre and then to a side plank on the opposite side. At each stop along the way, you will pause, get rid of all momentum and perform a quick systems check to ensure that your alignment is good.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4:

Rotate to other side.

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2. Plank on stability ball

Take the same great alignment you’ve practiced in a conventional plank onto an unstable surface. As with any plank variation, you should feel this through the front of your core, not your spine. Definitely not your spine. This will set a baseline for training to come.

Plank on stability ball

3. Stability ball front roll-outs

Think of this exercise as an extension of the plank. Roll the forearms as far forward and as far backward as possible without any compromise to the quality of your plank. If someone were unable to see your arms or the ball, the goal would be to make it impossible for them to tell that you weren’t simply holding a plank.

Step 1 - elbows in

Step 2 - elbows forward

4. Knees to stability ball (slow)

Taking a plumb (hand-over-hand) clinch, slowly bring your knee toward the ball. Only go as far as you can without flexing (rounding) your spine). Alternate knees, while minimizing the movement of your hips during weight transfer.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

5. Knees to stability ball (fast)

Taking a plumb (hand-over-hand) clinch, you’ll now fire off alternating knees into the stability ball (make sure you’ve got something commercial quality ball if you don’t want to wind up head-butting the floor). This is not about dancing back and forth as fast as possible. Okay, Sugarfoot? Each hard knee should be followed by a brief pause to re-establish stability. If there’s any doubt about your ability to maintain great spinal alignment during this movement, return to the previous version.

Step 1