ST and technique

[Bang!]

Wait, let me clarify that: It's the kind of strength gained from weight lifting that I'm talking about. And while I'm at it, I don't really mean poor technique, I mean less than perfect technique.

I'm all over the bloody place.

As for you, Sir Willy, yes and no. I agree with you, but I'm talking exclusively about developing skill, not fighting or competing.

[GajusCaesar]

You can learn proper technique from any good teacher whether you are strong or not. In fact, being the ranking Kyu (not a black belt) in my dojo, it usually falls to me to teach new white belts their basic techniques. Without fail, it seems the stronger ones pick it up easier. This may be because they are naturally more athletic, they participated in sports more, or they have better muscle control, but they still pick it up quicker and develop solid technique quicker.

In Kyokushin, if you are stronger, you can hit harder. That's pretty useful as far as I can tell. Given two fighters of the same size and technique level, I would say the stronger will win.

[Ronin]

The biggest "concern" for those who do ST is that they end up "powering" techniques instead on letting the technique work for its self, their power "overcomes" their technical shortcomings.
BUT, I find that to be in the vast MINORITY, strength COMPLEMENTS yout technqiues making them all that more effective.

[drunkenj]

From what i think you were saying, there are certain techniques that require good strength, ie more than 'couch potato' strength. certain judo throws or wrestling throws do require strength to be properly executed. and i have fought people who were physically too weak to kimura me.

[Ippatsu182]

Strength can help your technique to some degree. It won't necessarily improve your technique but it might allow you to finish a technique at a critical time. Just take a look at Bob Sapp. I wouldn't necessarily say his techniques are great, but his size allows him to pull many of them off. Being stronger than your opponent is good, relying only on your strength to perform a technique is bad.

[Bang!]

So, if strength can help, then what strength training methods should be utilized? Does anything translate directly ?

[Ippatsu182]

The main thing is you don't want to spend all your time in the gym lifting weights, unless you want to become a powerlifter/bodybuilder. I'd concentrate on strengthing my major muscle groups using compound movements, heavy weight and low reps. Here's a link for some suggested workout programs.

http://www.veloforce.net/STforFigthers.html

I'm sure other people might have some different opinions on what to do though. I guess it depends on what you're purpose for training is, straight power, muscle endurance, etc.

[Ronin]

If be directly you mean, somthing that mimics the MA, only by doing the MA.
ST is about strength traning ( conditioning) your muscles and body, you need to actually DO the movements of your chosen MA with power and explosivness also.
Sprinters are a great analogy, they ST train BUT they also do their sport in an explosive manner.

[Bang!]

Good example. So how do sprinters train to enhance explosiveness, etc.?

[Ronin]

Well, there are various methods they use, the run as fast as they can for a short distance with a small parachute to increase the resistence, they run with weighted vests, they run up stairs with the weighted vests, the common element is that they are RUNNING, which is what they do.
The cut the race down from 100 meters to stages and work on being explosive in those stages, the take off ( coming out of the blocks), the mid way mark, the follow through at the finish line.

We can do the same in the MA, be working on exploding with out techniques.
Take a punch, you can work on being explosive in the "overcoming inertia" pahse, the beginning of the punch and getting that punch to move, then work on exploding throught the WHOLE movement, never slowing but always accelerating, work on moving the WHOLE body into the strike, going from 0 to 100 as explosively as possible.