Nak-Muay
25-11-2008, 04:06 PM
Sports Science of Combat Sport Training
Fighting fit! – the scientific approach to combat sport training
Ask a layperson what images the phrase ‘combat sport training’ conjures up and there’s a good chance that films such as Rocky or Kickboxer will figure in their response! But according to James Marshall, the reality is very different, and athletes in this field who want to excel need a much more scientific approach, particularly using circuit traning programmes.
How many Olympic combat sports can you name? One? Two? Three? In fact, there are five. You probably got judo and boxing, but there’s also tae kwon do and two types of wrestling – freestyle and Greco-Roman. (Fencing, archery and shooting are also in the Olympics and could be called combat sports, but they are performed with weapons so won’t be included in this article).
We all know that boxers are fit; the intense nature of competing in rounds means that short bursts of explosive energy are required, as well as great endurance, allowing recovery between rounds and bouts. Upper and lower body strength and power are also required, yet the combatants have to make weight limits, which means power to weight ratio becomes important. These demands are required in the other combat sports too.
This article will examine exactly what the fitness requirements are for combat sports, the similarities between them, and also provide some ideas on how to train. While there are obvious differences between the five Olympic combat sports, we will highlight the similarities. For example, research on making the weight in judo can be applied to freestyle wrestlers, and research on generating endurance in tae kwon do participants can be applied to boxers. In fact, the individual sport differences are traditionally trained during the activity itself and these often depend on the cultural influence of the sport; boxing is British, judo is Japanese, tae kwon do is Korean, Greco-Roman wrestling is… well, you get the idea! As a rule of thumb, the ‘traditional’ training methods for each combat sport will have been influenced by prevailing ideas in the country of origin of that sport.
What are the fitness requirements for combat sports?
A recent in-depth study on senior and junior British international amateur boxers revealed the requirements of the sport(1). Current Olympic bouts are of four 2-minute rounds with a 1-minute rest in between. The workload in these rounds is high. Boxers were found to have maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) scores of 63.8ml/kg/min, indicating a high aerobic capacity. Heart rate monitors placed on the boxers over four rounds of sparring showed that peak levels were higher than those induced during maximal testing on treadmills. This indicated a large input from the anaerobic system in supplying energy demands, resulting in high post-bout levels of lactate – up to 14mmol/litre.
Upper body strength and power was apparent from the measured punch forces, with some punches generating more than 2,400 newtons. Boxers therefore need to simultaneously work on their aerobic system to aid recovery between rounds, their anaerobic system to help deal with the high workload in each round, and also their upper body power to deliver the right punch – not an easy task!
Tae kwon do athletes fight in two 2-minute rounds with very little upper body work, as 98% of scoring techniques involves kicking(2). A study on the Czech national tae kwon do team showed that they had less aerobic capacity than boxers with VO2max scores in the male members of the team of 54.6ml/kg/min(3). This is not surprising however, considering that tae kwon do rounds are half the duration of those of boxing. The study also showed that after the two rounds, competition bouts produced lower levels of lactate (11.4mmol/litre) compared to boxing.
By contrast, freestyle wrestlers and judoka fight in a continuous 5-minute bout. They can use legs and arms to provide holds or throws and they require extensive use of isometric contractions, placing large demands on the anaerobic energy systems. One study of Freestyle wrestling in US college athletes found post-competition lactate levels of 19mmol/litre(4). To gain an idea of how high this is, graded exercise tests to failure on a treadmill tend to produce on in the region of 10mmol/litre of lactate(5). Another study found that the US national team had VO2max scores of 54.6ml/kg/min, a significantly lower level than that of boxers, thus highlighting the difference in demands.
Greco-Roman wrestling is now competed over three 2-minute rounds and is a predominantly upper body-based sport, as no attacks below the waist are allowed. Previously, the bout was one of five continuous minutes with a possible 3-minute extension. Existing data on the physiological status of Greco-Roman wrestlers has been collected under the previous (5-minute) bout format; a move to the three 2-minute rounds has almost certainly altered the energy system demands.
In the 1998 World Championships, wrestlers were found to average 14.8mmol/litre of lactate and a work to rest ratio of approximately 3:1 in each bout(6). A previous study found that amateur wrestlers had VO2max scores of 52-63ml/kg/min – quite a wide range, but indicating that the fitter wrestlers required extensive use of the aerobic system during their bouts.
An efficient aerobic system has been shown to be essential in reproducing high quality work with limited rest times in activities such as cycling sprinting. While power produced in one sprint is not dependent on aerobic capacity, a recent study showed that the 20 sets of 5-second sprinting with between 10 and 30 seconds rest did require use of the aerobic system(7).
Training the energy systems
Developing fitness for combat sports is not easy. The physical effort required in each bout produces very high levels of lactate, with high heart rates. Lactate also affects the muscles’ ability to work by inhibiting the actin-myosin cross-bridge mechanisms. The body has two mechanisms that ‘buffer’ this inhibition; bicarbonate (in the cell) and phosphate (between cells), and training can improve both of them. The fitter the fighter, the better able he or she is at tolerating high levels of lactate and recovering more rapidly between rounds (or bouts if there are multiple bouts within the same day of competition).
To reproduce the effort level required to generate the desired training effect outside of competition demands great mental effort, as athletes have to push themselves way beyond what is comfortable. Indeed, very high levels of lactate in the body can cause vomiting, so care is needed to progress the volume and intensity of the training gradually.
Developing a sound aerobic base, or assisting weight control in season can be done by lower intensity steady state work. Working at under 80% of maximum heart rate (MHR) or at a comfortable pace for 20-30 minutes will help develop aerobic fitness, but not overtax the athlete who is fatigued from sparring and strength training(8,9). For heavier combat athletes, non-running activities such as cycling or the stepmill may be preferable for the longer duration aerobic work, as it places less stress on the lower limbs.
Now for the hard stuff – getting the athletes working at a level that produces lactate in a sufficient quantity to match fight situations. Interval training is very effective here, as is circuit weight training (see Combat interval training on page 2):
Work to rest ratios of 2:1 and 3:1 have been found to be most effective at developing the aerobic and anaerobic systems in grappling sports(10). Traditional running intervals using these ratios also work, but some exercises that use the upper body should be incorporated because the ability to remove lactate differs between muscle groups and also modes of exercise(11). When the fighter is either grappling or punching, lactate build up needs to be removed as quickly as possible; if only the legs are efficient at this, then the fighter will fatigue in the upper body sooner.
Fighting fit! – the scientific approach to combat sport training
Ask a layperson what images the phrase ‘combat sport training’ conjures up and there’s a good chance that films such as Rocky or Kickboxer will figure in their response! But according to James Marshall, the reality is very different, and athletes in this field who want to excel need a much more scientific approach, particularly using circuit traning programmes.
How many Olympic combat sports can you name? One? Two? Three? In fact, there are five. You probably got judo and boxing, but there’s also tae kwon do and two types of wrestling – freestyle and Greco-Roman. (Fencing, archery and shooting are also in the Olympics and could be called combat sports, but they are performed with weapons so won’t be included in this article).
We all know that boxers are fit; the intense nature of competing in rounds means that short bursts of explosive energy are required, as well as great endurance, allowing recovery between rounds and bouts. Upper and lower body strength and power are also required, yet the combatants have to make weight limits, which means power to weight ratio becomes important. These demands are required in the other combat sports too.
This article will examine exactly what the fitness requirements are for combat sports, the similarities between them, and also provide some ideas on how to train. While there are obvious differences between the five Olympic combat sports, we will highlight the similarities. For example, research on making the weight in judo can be applied to freestyle wrestlers, and research on generating endurance in tae kwon do participants can be applied to boxers. In fact, the individual sport differences are traditionally trained during the activity itself and these often depend on the cultural influence of the sport; boxing is British, judo is Japanese, tae kwon do is Korean, Greco-Roman wrestling is… well, you get the idea! As a rule of thumb, the ‘traditional’ training methods for each combat sport will have been influenced by prevailing ideas in the country of origin of that sport.
What are the fitness requirements for combat sports?
A recent in-depth study on senior and junior British international amateur boxers revealed the requirements of the sport(1). Current Olympic bouts are of four 2-minute rounds with a 1-minute rest in between. The workload in these rounds is high. Boxers were found to have maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) scores of 63.8ml/kg/min, indicating a high aerobic capacity. Heart rate monitors placed on the boxers over four rounds of sparring showed that peak levels were higher than those induced during maximal testing on treadmills. This indicated a large input from the anaerobic system in supplying energy demands, resulting in high post-bout levels of lactate – up to 14mmol/litre.
Upper body strength and power was apparent from the measured punch forces, with some punches generating more than 2,400 newtons. Boxers therefore need to simultaneously work on their aerobic system to aid recovery between rounds, their anaerobic system to help deal with the high workload in each round, and also their upper body power to deliver the right punch – not an easy task!
Tae kwon do athletes fight in two 2-minute rounds with very little upper body work, as 98% of scoring techniques involves kicking(2). A study on the Czech national tae kwon do team showed that they had less aerobic capacity than boxers with VO2max scores in the male members of the team of 54.6ml/kg/min(3). This is not surprising however, considering that tae kwon do rounds are half the duration of those of boxing. The study also showed that after the two rounds, competition bouts produced lower levels of lactate (11.4mmol/litre) compared to boxing.
By contrast, freestyle wrestlers and judoka fight in a continuous 5-minute bout. They can use legs and arms to provide holds or throws and they require extensive use of isometric contractions, placing large demands on the anaerobic energy systems. One study of Freestyle wrestling in US college athletes found post-competition lactate levels of 19mmol/litre(4). To gain an idea of how high this is, graded exercise tests to failure on a treadmill tend to produce on in the region of 10mmol/litre of lactate(5). Another study found that the US national team had VO2max scores of 54.6ml/kg/min, a significantly lower level than that of boxers, thus highlighting the difference in demands.
Greco-Roman wrestling is now competed over three 2-minute rounds and is a predominantly upper body-based sport, as no attacks below the waist are allowed. Previously, the bout was one of five continuous minutes with a possible 3-minute extension. Existing data on the physiological status of Greco-Roman wrestlers has been collected under the previous (5-minute) bout format; a move to the three 2-minute rounds has almost certainly altered the energy system demands.
In the 1998 World Championships, wrestlers were found to average 14.8mmol/litre of lactate and a work to rest ratio of approximately 3:1 in each bout(6). A previous study found that amateur wrestlers had VO2max scores of 52-63ml/kg/min – quite a wide range, but indicating that the fitter wrestlers required extensive use of the aerobic system during their bouts.
An efficient aerobic system has been shown to be essential in reproducing high quality work with limited rest times in activities such as cycling sprinting. While power produced in one sprint is not dependent on aerobic capacity, a recent study showed that the 20 sets of 5-second sprinting with between 10 and 30 seconds rest did require use of the aerobic system(7).
Training the energy systems
Developing fitness for combat sports is not easy. The physical effort required in each bout produces very high levels of lactate, with high heart rates. Lactate also affects the muscles’ ability to work by inhibiting the actin-myosin cross-bridge mechanisms. The body has two mechanisms that ‘buffer’ this inhibition; bicarbonate (in the cell) and phosphate (between cells), and training can improve both of them. The fitter the fighter, the better able he or she is at tolerating high levels of lactate and recovering more rapidly between rounds (or bouts if there are multiple bouts within the same day of competition).
To reproduce the effort level required to generate the desired training effect outside of competition demands great mental effort, as athletes have to push themselves way beyond what is comfortable. Indeed, very high levels of lactate in the body can cause vomiting, so care is needed to progress the volume and intensity of the training gradually.
Developing a sound aerobic base, or assisting weight control in season can be done by lower intensity steady state work. Working at under 80% of maximum heart rate (MHR) or at a comfortable pace for 20-30 minutes will help develop aerobic fitness, but not overtax the athlete who is fatigued from sparring and strength training(8,9). For heavier combat athletes, non-running activities such as cycling or the stepmill may be preferable for the longer duration aerobic work, as it places less stress on the lower limbs.
Now for the hard stuff – getting the athletes working at a level that produces lactate in a sufficient quantity to match fight situations. Interval training is very effective here, as is circuit weight training (see Combat interval training on page 2):
Work to rest ratios of 2:1 and 3:1 have been found to be most effective at developing the aerobic and anaerobic systems in grappling sports(10). Traditional running intervals using these ratios also work, but some exercises that use the upper body should be incorporated because the ability to remove lactate differs between muscle groups and also modes of exercise(11). When the fighter is either grappling or punching, lactate build up needs to be removed as quickly as possible; if only the legs are efficient at this, then the fighter will fatigue in the upper body sooner.